Topaz

Topaz

A topaz is a beautiful yellow/orange stone typically and is very hard to tell apart from a citrine (unless it has a different color, such as blue or brown). Citrine gems are often sold for a higher price, with vendors selling them off as topaz. It is named for Topazos, the small island in the Red sea where the Romans first found topaz.

Citrine

Like most gemstones, topaz are graded by their cut, clarity, color and weight. It's color ranges from dull to strong to vivid (vivid being the most expensive color of gemstone). It is the birthstone for those born in November and is a sign of constancy, loyalty, faithfulness and friendship.

Lead

Lead has been known of since ancient times and there are records of lead poisoning dating back in documents from ancient Greece, Rome and China. Lead is also mentioned in the second book of the old testament. It is also the official insignia of the Roman Emperor today. It also has a long history in alchemy- many alchemists believe that lead could be turned into gold.

It accumulates in the body, stored in bones and soft tissues. It acts as a neurotoxin, damaging the central nervous system. As it is very dense and corrosion resistant, it is good for making pipes.  It does not occur naturally, but is instead found in zinc, silver and copper.

Thallium

Not much is known about thallium- it was discovered by Sir William Crookes of England in 1861. It was named for the lime green line in it's spectrum: the Greek word "thallos" meaning "green twig".

On the outside, thallium is a very soft, bluish gray metal. It is often used in infrared detectors and photo multipliers. It is not found free in nature, it is obtained as a byproduct of Zn/Pb smelting. It is highly toxic- if as little as 10 mg is swallowed by a human it can be fatal... it, much like fluoride, has been used as rat poison in the past and also as insecticide.

Mercury

Quicksilver, or mercury, has been found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 1500 B.C., and has also bene known to the ancient Hindus and Chinese. Mercury derives its name from the planet and the alchemical symbol. The symbol for alchemy and for the planet were the same, so instead the elemental symbol was chosen from the Latin name for "water silver".

It is a heavy silver metal. It is rarely found free in nature, instead, it is derived from cinnabar sulfide. Mercury itself is very poisonous- and the danger of it increases if the temperature rises. It is also one of the few elements that kept it's liquid state at room temperature.

Fun Fact: Mercury floats on top of water.

It is often used in:

• Thermometers
• Diffusion pumps 
• Barometers
• Mercury vapor lamps
• Mercury switches
• Pesticides 
• Batteries
• Dental preparations
• Antifouling paints
• Pigments
• Catalysts

Gold

Gold has been known of since prehistoric time- and since then has become a very well-known precious metal. The only stable form of gold known is actually used to treat cancer and other serious illnesses. When found gold is a very yellow metal, but when separated and broken down is actually black, ruby, and purple in color. It is an excellent conductor of electricity and heat, and is not affected by exposure to air.

It is often alloyed to increase it's strength, but must be weighed differently than normal. Pure gold is measured in troy weight, while alloyed gold has to be measured as a karat to express the amount of actual gold there is. It is found in it's natural form in veins, rock and some sea water. It is widely distributed and is used in coinage.

Fun Fact: Being very malleable, just ONE ounce of gold can be squished into a 300 foot sheet.


Gold is used often in jewelry, dentistry, plating, and some reflectors. Some of it's components are also used to treat arthritis.


Fun Fact: During prehistoric times, pure gold was used as jewelry. Now, almost all jewelry is not pure gold- it is alloyed gold.

Platinum

Platinum has many people who can lay claim to it's discovery- Ulloa, in 1735, Wood in 1741, and Julius Scaliger of Italy in 1735. The word "platinum" comes from the Spanish word for "little silver", "platina". It is found in it's natural state, usually with other metals nearby belonging to the same family- such as osmium, iridium, and palladium. It can also be found in sperrylite.

It is a ductile and very soft silver metal... while it does not oxidize at all, it does corrode when touched by cyanides, halogens, sulfur, and caustic alkalis. It takes TWO acids to dissolve platinum- one acid or the other will not dissolve it alone. They need to be combined to make aqua regia.

Way back when, platinum was used in it's pure form by the Native Indians... now, platinum is combined with many other things to make:

• Jewelry
• Wire
• Crucible and vessels for lab work
• Electrical contacts
• Thermocouples
• Dentistry tools

Iridium

Discovered by Smithson Tennant of England in 1804, iridium is the 77th element on the periodic table. The word comes from the Latin word "iridis", which means rainbow. It has the most resistance out of all elements to corrosion- it can only be attacked by molten salts. It cannot be attacked by acids or aqua regia. It is naturally found in platinum and osmium, and is very difficult to work with because it is very brittle. It is only a TINY bit less dense than osmium, which is the most dense element.

It is commonly used in:

• High strength alloys that can withstand high temperatures
• Electrical contacts
• Hardening agent for platinum
• Crucibles
• Compass bearings
• LED technology
• Radiation therapy to treat prostate and other cancers
• Spark plus for internal combustion engines
• Fountain pen nibs

Osmium

Discovered by Smithson Tennant of England in 1803, osmium is named for the Greek word "osme", meaning odor. Osmium does not oxidize in air unless heated, but is highly toxic when heated as it creates osmium tetroxide. It is very strong and is not affected by most acids. While it is naturally a byproduct of refined nickel, it is also found in platinum AND in an extremely rare mineral called osmiridium. It is currently selling at the high price of 100 dollars per gram.

It is commonly used in:

• Microscopy fingerprint detection
• Catalyst
• Fountain pen points
• Phonographic needles
• Instrument bearings
• Electrical light filaments
• Hard alloys

Rhenium

Discovered by Ida Tacke-Noddack of Germany in 1925, rhenium has the third highest melting of all elements- tungsten and carbon being higher on the list. It is also the fourth most dense element, with only platinum, iridium and osmium being more dense. When re-alloyed with molybdenum (it is produced by being separated from molybdenum), is is a very conductive material.

It is commonly used in:

• Catalysts in the production of high octane gasoline
• Catalysts used in hydrogenation reactions
• Jet engine parts
• Filaments in spectrographs and ion gauges
• Electrical contact material
• Thermocouples
• Photography