Sodium: Violently explosive, yet essentially beneficial
The alkali metal sodium is so full of contradictions. Yes, it’s a metal. But, it’s one of those soft ones, about as soft as...
Iron – A workhorse of an element
From playing the role of a vital building block of steel to helping produce chlorophyll in plants and in carrying oxygen in the blood...
Lithium – Powering today’s technology
Once an element with limited known uses, today lithium, the first metal of the periodic table and also its lightest metal (density around half...
Hydrogen – In a class by itself!
Hydrogen. The most abundant and lightest element in the universe. Essential to life on earth as water. An important component of all organic compounds....
Helium – The noblest of gases
What do party balloons, space shuttles, MRI machines, and the Large Hadron Collider have in common? They all need helium. Whether in the gaseous...
Phosphorus – Critically life-essential, alarmingly poisonous
Aspooky element. That’s what phosphorus, the fifteenth element of the periodic table, is for many. In the early days after its discovery, some even...
Gallium – The smart metal
Guess what would happen if you held a small piece of the silvery metal gallium in your hand? In a few minutes, it would...
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