METALS AND THE DISCOVERIES

By: Maisha Loveday

Does a Connection or Relationship exist between the Reactivity of a metal and

when it was Discovered?I will be looking at several metals such as: Silver Gold Magnesium Iron Aluminum CalciumI think that metals lower down in the reactivity series will

be discovered earlier because they’re more likely to be on the Earth’s crust whereas more reactive metals need to be in places where they don’t react therefore it would be harder to extract them earlier in history because of the lack of equipment and knowledge about metals.

Reactivity Series and Periodic Table

Silver

Properties of SilverThe symbol for Silver is (Ag). Silver is a soft metal, it is

white and it has a shiny surface. It is a very ductile and malleable metal. It's melting point is 961.5°C and it's boiling point is around 2,200°C. It's atomic number is 47 and it's atomic mass is 107.868 Silver is low in the reactivity series, it doesn't react with oxygen, and it reacts slowly with Sulphur. "Silver is also a precious metal. Precious metals are not very abundant in the Earth's crust. They are attractive and not very chemically active. These properties make the metal desirable in, coins, and art. About a half dozen metals near silver in the periodic table are also precious metals.” http://www.chemistryexplained.com/elements/T/Silver.html

Discoverer and Date Discovered Although there is no record

of who discovered Silver, archaeologists have found objects and artifacts in earlier times that had silver in it, they dated about 3400 BC in Egypt. It was also used in India in 900 BC. Silver is lower down in the Reactivity Series, there for it makes sense that it was discovered in an early era since it’s less likely to react with elements on the Earth’s crust.

Silver UsesSilver is used in many different things like

film, photography, mirrors, jewelry, electrical equipment, dental and medical equipment.

Gold

Properties of GoldThe symbol for gold is (Au). Gold is very

malleable, ductile and dense. It’s melting point is 1064.18 °C, it’s boiling point is 2856 °C and it’s atomic number is 79 and it’s atomic mass is 196.96655. Gold readily creates alloys with many other metals. It’s resistant to corrosion and doesn’t react with oxygen. High quality, pure gold is tasteless and scentless. Gold, unlike other metals is yellow.

Discoverer and Date Discovered

Gold was discovered in ancient civilizations, there have been accounts of gold use in ancient artifacts. Gold is found on the earths crust because it is a less reactive metal and that’s why it was found and used in an earlier period too.

Gold UsesGold is used in jewelry, coins, medals, cell

phones, home appliances, satellites and more. There is a steady demand for gold in the world, and it is growing. Gold is used in many things, for it’s unique colour and it’s properties.

Magnesium

Properties of MagnesiumThe symbol for Magnesium is (Mg) it’s atomic

number is 12, it’s atomic mass is 24.305, it’s melting point is 650°C, it’s boiling point is 1107°C. “Magnesium is the seventh most abundant element in the Earth's crust. It also occurs in large amounts dissolved in ocean waters.” Magnesium is a hard, silvery metal. It is fabricated easily and used in alloys. It is a fairly reactive metal. It reacts faster in hot water than cold, it combines easily with metals and many non-metals.

Discoverer and Date Discovered In 1728-1799, Joseph Black a Scottish

physician and chemist preformed some experiments with magnesium compounds and produced a famous article about his research. He is sometimes given credit for the discovery of magnesium even though he wasn’t the one that separated magnesium from the other elements. Magnesium had been around for many centuries and people knew it was an element but it wasn’t until 1808 that an was English chemist named Humphry Davy discovered how separate it from other elements to make it a metal. He did so by passing an electric current through melted magnesium oxide.

Magnesium UsesMagnesium is used in fireworks for it’s

bright flare when it’s burned. It’s alloys are used in missile and aircraft construction. Magnesium’s compounds like hydroxide, magnesium sulfate and magnesium chloride have been useful in medicines.

Iron

Properties of IronThe symbol for iron is (Fe). It’s atomic

number is 26, it’s atomic mass is 55.85. It’s melting point is 1536 °C and it’s boiling point is 2861 °C. Iron is a silver-grey colour. It is very ductile and malleable. It is also a fairly active metal and it rusts. Iron is the most used metal and the fourth most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust. Iron is also one of the three naturally magnetic elements.

Discoverer and Date Discovered

Like many other metals lower down in the reactivity series, iron was discovered in such an early era that there is no record of who discovered it. However, there are records of Egyptians using iron to make tools and jewelry a little bit before 3400 B.C. There are also accounts of iron being used in early Asian Civilizations.

Iron Uses Because iron can be shaped

easily without falling apart it is used in a variety of different things. Iron is used as nails, paper clips, bicycle frames, screw drivers, washing machines, etc. Iron is even used in our bodies as an essential part of hemoglobin. Iron is mostly used in the production of steel for buildings and bridges.

Aluminum

Properties of Aluminum The symbol for aluminum is (Al) its atomic

number is 13, its atomic mass is 26.98154, its melting point 660.4 °C is and its boiling point is 2467 °C. Aluminum is soft, ductile lightweight and easily machined. It has a dull silver colour because of the thin layer of oxidation that forms when it is exposed to air. It is a reactive metal and it is difficult to extract it from its ore.

Discoverer and Date Discovered

“In the mid-1700s, German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf (1709-82) claimed to have found a new ‘earth’ called alumina in alum. But he was unable to remove a pure metal from alum.” The person that was able to produce aluminum was a Danish chemist called Hans Christian Oersted in 1825. However during the process he used mercury to produce the aluminum and he was unable to separate the two elements. In 1827, a German chemist Friedrich Wöhler was able to produce aluminum on its own. His method was then perfected by Sir Humphry Davy.

Aluminum Uses

Aluminum is used in kitchen utensils because it doesn’t rust. It’s used in airplanes because it’s lightweight. Paint tubes, foil and soft drink cans are all made form aluminum because of its very helpful properties.

Calcium

Properties of CalciumCalcium is an alkaline earth metal. The

symbol for calcium is (Ca), its atomic number is 20, its atomic mass is 40.08, its melting point is 840 °C, it’s boiling point is 1484 °C. Calcium is a soft, silvery metal in element form. It is too reactive to be found as a free element in nature.

Discoverer and Date Discovered

By the 1700s people had learned a lot about calcium compounds but it wasn’t until 1808 that calcium was prepared in a pure form, isolated by English chemist Humphry Davy. He passed an electrical current through the compounds to break them apart.

Calcium Uses Calcium in element form

doesn’t have many uses. It is used as a ‘getter’ in the manufacture of evacuated glass bulbs. Calcium also helps your body, milk is a good source of calcium. Calcium chloride is used as an additive for canned tomatoes and calcium hypochlorite is used as disinfectant.

Timeline

Gold Artifacts Dated 3400B.C

Calcium became an Isolated, Pure Element 1808

Pure Metal Aluminum was removed from Alum 1825, pure Aluminum produced 1827

Iron Artifacts Dated 3400B.C

Magnesium becomes an Isolated, Pure Element 1808

Silver Artifacts Dated 3400B.C

Conclusion I think that the lower the metal is in the reactivity series,

the earlier it is going to be discovered. The dates of the discovery of the metals prove my point. Aluminum, magnesium and calcium are higher up in the reactivity series and they were discovered in a later era. Also, the chemists that discovered them had a hard time separating some of them from other elements. This also shows how reactive they are, which means they can’t be found easily on the Earth’s Crust which supports my idea of metals higher in the reactivity series being discovered later. Gold, silver and iron are some metals that aren’t very reactive or aren’t very high up in the reactivity series. They were discovered earlier probably because they were extracted easily because they weren’t very reactive. Something else I came across was that the earlier the metals were discovered the less chance there was to finding a record of the discoverer of that metal.

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