Science

Hydrogen has been talked about as a potential renewable energy source for its efficiency as an energy carrier that causes no pollution and produces water as a byproduct. It is also desirable...

Neodymium is not one of the best-known of chemical elements, but it is one of the most useful in today's society. Neodymium is relatively safe to produce and use, exists as a common metal on the...

Hydrogen is a nonmetal gaseous element in the first group and first period of the periodic table of the elements with the chemical symbol H. The lightest and most plentiful of the elements,...

Aluminum is a silvery whitish metal that is very malleable and conductive. It is rarely used by itself, but made into aluminum alloys by mixing it with other elements such as copper or silicon. ...

Niobium is classified as a metal on the periodic table of elements and is over 200 years old. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry gave Niobium its official name in 1950.

The electric light bulb has been in existence since the late 19th century. Until the early 2000s, incandescent light bulbs were the standard in home use, while fluorescent lights were used mostly...

Redox is a term used to identify oxidation and reduction reactions. A redox reaction is the transfer of electrons from one compound to another. Some elements like oxygen take electrons from...

Molybdenum is a silvery-white metal and the 42nd element on the periodic table, where it is designated by the symbol Mo. Coincidentally, it also is the 42nd most abundant element in the universe.

Radiometric dating, or as it is more commonly known, radioactive dating, is a scientific procedure used to determine the absolute age of an object and has been used to help establish the...

Vanadium, a silver-gray metallic element that is twenty-third on the periodic table, exists in about 65 minerals on earth and is the twenty-second most abundant element on the planet, with about...

Gadolinium is a shiny, soft metal. The substance is commonly separated from the minerals mozanite and gadolinite. Initially discovered by in 1880 by Swiss chemist Jean de Marignac, the element was...

Carbon is important to life because it is the fourth most abundant element in the universe, and the second most abundant element in the human body. Learn about how carbon is used as the basis for...

A single replacement reaction, sometimes called a single displacement reaction, is a chemical reaction where one element replaces another element in a compound to increase stability. An example...

Chlorine is an element found on the periodic table; it is part of a group known as the halogens. In its primal form, it is a thick green gas that has a terrible smell and is poisonous. It has,...

Atoms are said to be the building blocks of the universe. They are the smallest particles into which any element can be divided without losing its identity. Looking at the structure of a single...

Nitrogen is a chemical element that is essential to all life. In its gas form, nitrogen is the most abundant element in our atmosphere and is found in much larger concentrations than oxygen....

Hydrogen is the most abundant element on the planet and is therefore one of the most important. It holds position number one on the periodic table of elements, which means that it has the least...

Iron, labeled as "Fe," is the twenty-sixth element on the periodic table of elements, which means it has an atomic number of 26. It is a very common metallic element that is used in...

Being able to differentiate between atoms and elements is a concept that is difficult for many people to grasp. This is usually confusing to people because elements are generally made of atoms...

The discovery of uranium was a step toward the development of nuclear science. Martin Klaproth's finding of this radioactive element was one of several discoveries he made. Uranium later was...

When referring to mass, silicon is the eighth most common element in the universe. It is rarely found in its pure element form, however. Instead, it is seen in compounds or mixed with other...

Chemistry is a subject students begin to study in high school. They can conceptualize the abstract nature of the atom. The atom has a core made of positive and neutral charged particles at the...

Beryllium, the fourth element in the periodic table, is a metallic element often used as an alloying agent, and has a combination of physical properties that make it especially useful in the...

Boron, the fifth element in the periodic table, is a metalloid found only in nature only in combination. Boron combines with other elements readily, giving its compounds a variety of industrial...

Neon, the tenth element in the periodic table, is an inert gas and does not combine readily with other gases. This element has much to offer students not only of science but also of history. A...

Magnesium, the twelfth element in the periodic table, comprises 0.6 percent of all matter in the universe. Magnesium is the first element that is distinctly metallic, and has much to offer...

Silicon, the fourteenth element in the periodic table, is common on Earth and best known as a semiconductor. This element has much to offer students not only of science but also of history, and a...

Sulfur, the 16th element, comprises .05 percent of all matter in the universe. Sulfur has many different forms, making its chemistry quite complex. The following steps will help you learn more...

Potassium, the 19th element, comprises 3,000 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Potassium is an essential element for life. The following steps will aid in your search for...

Calcium, the 20th element, comprises 70,000 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Calcium is a very common element on earth and is essential for living organisms. The following steps...

Scandium, the 21st element, comprises 30 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Scandium was the first element whose discovery was predicted using the periodic chart. The following steps...

Bromine, the 35th element, comprises 7 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Bromine and mercury are the only elements that are liquid at room temperature. The following steps will aid...

Strontium, the 38th element, comprises 40 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Strontium 90 is radioactive and is used to replace calcium that presents a significant cancer risk in the...

Yttrium, the 39th element, comprises 7 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Yttrium compounds are primarily responsible for the red color in color televisions. This element has much to...

Technetium, the 43rd element, comprises far less than 1 part per billion of all matter in the universe. The history of technetium"s discovery is the most controversial of all the elements. This...

Ruthenium, the 44th element, comprises 5 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Ruthenium is highly effective at hardening other metals when added in small amounts. This element has much...

Palladium, the 46th element, comprises 2 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Palladium is one of the platinum metals and chemically resembles platinum. This element has much to offer...

Silver, the 47th element, comprises less than 1 part per billion of all matter in the universe. Silver has several unique properties. This element has much to offer students of both science and...

Indium, the 49th element, comprises less than 1 part per billion of all matter in the universe. Indium slowly decays to tin through beta emissions. This element has much to offer students of both...

Tellurium, the 52nd element, comprises 9 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Tellurium is mostly used in alloys with other metals to make them easier to work with. This element has...

Iodine, the 53rd element, comprises less than 1 part per billion of all matter in the universe. Iodine is believed to be the heaviest element required by humans. This element has much to offer...

Xenon, the 54th element, comprises 10 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Unlike other noble gases, xenon reacts naturally with fluorine. This element has much to offer students of...

Barium, the 56th element, comprises 10 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Barium compounds are used to improve the quality of X-rays. This element has much to offer students of both...

Lanthanum, the 57th element, comprises 2 parts per billion of the matter in the universe. Lanthanum is the first of the lanthanide metals, often called the rare earths, which include all elements...

Praseodymium, the 59th element, comprises 2 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Praseodymium is a rare earth metal in the lanthanide series with relatively few uses. This element has...

Europium, the 63rd element, makes up less than one part in one billion of all matter in the universe. Europium is one of the most efficient of all elements in the capture of neutrons. The...

Gadolinium, the 64th element, makes up two parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Gadolinium has the highest neutron capture cross section of any element. The following steps will aid in...

Osmium, the 76th element, makes up three parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Osmium is generally considered the most dense element. The following steps will aid in your search for...

Iridium, the 77th element, makes up two parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Iridium is the most corrosion-resistant element. The following steps will aid in your search for...

Lead, the 82nd element, makes up 10 parts per billion of all matter in the universe. Lead is the heaviest stable element, and all heavier elements will eventually decay into lead. The following...