Metals Trivia

1. In the USA, the RCRA specifically identifies eight metals which pose a danger, even in tiny amounts, to the environment. What does RCRA stand for?

From Quiz The RCRA 8 Metals - and Then Some

Answer: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Enacted by the US Congress in 1976, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was passed as a measure to regulate the handling and disposal of solid waste in the United States. The law empowered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)to identify and regulate the presence of particular hazardous substances in waste. The EPA named eight metallic elements of special concern. Dubbed the RCRA 8 these heavy metal elements are extremely toxic to humans, even in very small amounts.

From Quiz Transition Metals

Answer: Positive charge of the ion

The Roman numerals distinguish it from other types of iron oxide. For example, iron (II) oxide is FeO. Since transition metals often have more than one possible charge, the Roman numerals are needed.

From Quiz Test Your Metal!

Answer: Titanium

Titanium is a chemical element with an atomic number of 22 and is identified as Ti on the periodic table. Titanium was first discovered in Cornwall England in 1791 by William Gregor. It is appropriately named in honor of the Titans of Greek mythology. This metal has a myriad of different uses including the manufacture of spacecraft, airplanes, ships, sports equipment, and even prosthetic limbs.

From Quiz Heavy Metal Lover

Answer: Vanadium

Like a number of other transition metals, vanadium has multiple oxidation states available when forming compounds, and each of them produces a compound of a different color. The most common oxide is vanadium (V) oxide, V2O5. This compound has a number of uses, including involvement in the production of sulfuric acid - it reacts with sulfur dioxide to produce sulfur trioxide, which then reacts with water to produce sulfuric acid. Vanadium does not occur free in nature. It was first discovered in 1801 by Andreas del Rio, who detected it in a mineral which he called 'brown lead' (now known as vanadinite), and named it erythronium (the Greek word for red) because the compound he isolated turned red when heated. He was later convinced by others that this was actually chromium, but in 1831 Nils Gabriel rediscovered vanadium, and gave it the name which is currently used. Metallic vanadium was first produced in 1867 by Henry Roscoe.

From Quiz Meltdown

Answer: Gold

Gold has a wide variety of applications including high-end electronics and jewelry making. Copper melts at 1084 degrees Celsius and while it can be used for domes is often not a preferred metal as it corrodes over time. Stainless steel melts at 1510 degrees Celsius and is used for tools and non-plated silverware. Cast iron melts at 1175 - 1290 degrees Celsius and is used for cookware, cannons and cannon balls.

From Quiz What Heavy Metal Element?

Answer: Osmium

It is used primarily in fountain pens and electrical contacts. Some other miscellaneous uses include the stylus on early phonographs, fingerprint detection and in staining fatty tissue on microscope slides.

From Quiz Which Metal is This?

Answer: scandium

Scandium is a very light metal, and has a much higher melting point than aluminium.

From Quiz The World of Metals!

Answer: Zinc

Galvanization is the process in which iron sheets are dipped in molten zinc in order to prevent them from rusting.

From Quiz Heavy p-block Chemistry

Answer: Lead

Lead is the heaviest, non-radioactive p-block element. Polonium, which is only slightly heavier than bismuth has a variety of isotopes, all of which are radioactive. Astatine is also highly radioactive; the only way to obtain it is in a nuclear reactor. Bismuth was considered to be non radioactive but all isotopes have now been proven to be so, although some have an extremely long half-life.

From Quiz My Precious (Metals)

Answer: Palladium

Palladium has an atomic number of 46 and it is one of the elements within the platinum group metals. Named after the asteroid Pallas, in 2007 the top-producing palladium nations included Russia with 44%, South Africa with 40%, Canada with 6%, and the United States with 5%.

From Quiz The RCRA 8 Metals - and Then Some

Answer: Selenium

Mining, agriculture, and semiconductor processing can discharge compounds which bond with naturally-occurring selenium in the soil to form compounds which can be very toxic and can taint ground water and even plants grown in the affected soil. Symptoms of selenium poisoning include gastrointestinal disorders, loss of hair and nails, fatigue, and, in more serious cases, neurological damage, cirrhosis of the liver, pulmonary edema, or even death.

From Quiz Transition Metals

Answer: Osmium

Osmium has a density of 22.59 g/cm^3 (for comparison, water is 1 g/cm^3 by definition). Iridium is almost as dense (22.56 g/cm^3). Gold has a density of approximately 19 g/cm^3, and lead has a density of 11 g/cm^3. All of these elements, except for lead, are very expensive.

From Quiz Metals and their Ores

Answer: Gold

Calaverite is just a minor source of gold. Its formula is AuTe2. Gold is a very expensive and important metal and used in making ornaments.

From Quiz Heavy Metal Lover

Answer: Mercury

Mercury, whose chemical symbol Hg derives from its older name of hydrargum, meaning silver water, is highly toxic when in a water-soluble compound. The vapors of the actual metal are also toxic, but it was nevertheless widely used in a number of applications such as thermometers, barometers, electrical switches, and is apparently still used as part of the mixture used to fill dental cavities. And, of course, it's fun to watch the little balls of mercury roll around on a flat surface - have you seen the maze puzzles which involve tipping a sealed container to move the mercury through the maze? Harder than the ones with solid metal balls, because the mercury tends to fragment, and you have to go back to pick up the pieces. The red paint pigment vermilion is produced from cinnabar, one of the most common naturally-occurring mercury compounds.

From Quiz Precious Metals

Answer: October 23, 2010

With the current recession, the value of all precious metals has risen. An article in Investors.com reported that the ETF for the combined metals "flew off the shelf" on Friday October 23, 2010.

From Quiz Meltdown

Answer: Tungsten

Tungsten melts at 3400 degrees Celsius. It is used as a filament in some light bulbs. Tantalum has a melting point of 2980 degrees Celsius. It is used as a substitute for more costly platinum. Iridium melts at 2450 degrees Celsius. Its main use is as a hardening agent for platinum. Molybdenum melts at 2620 degrees Celsius. One use is in missile and aircraft parts.

From Quiz What Heavy Metal Element?

Answer: Rhenium

This was the last natural element to be discovered. It is primarily used in jet engines and as a catalyst in making unleaded gasoline. It also has one of the highest melting points of any element, surpassed only by carbon and tungsten.

From Quiz Which Metal is This?

Answer: beryllium

Beryllium has excellent thermal conductivity, and is non-magnetic. It was discovered in the oxide form in 1798.

From Quiz The World of Metals!

Answer: Basic

Generally, oxides of metals are basic while that of non- metals are acidic. However, some metallic oxides are amphoteric, that is, both acidic and basic by nature, for example, zinc oxide.

From Quiz My Precious (Metals)

Answer: Ruthenium

Usually found with platinum deposits, it is chiefly a byproduct of platinum mining and refining. It can also be a byproduct of nickel mining, such as in Ontario, Canada's Sudbury region.

From Quiz The RCRA 8 Metals - and Then Some

Answer: Chromium

As with many metals, small amounts of chromium and certain chromium compounds are benign, even beneficial. Chromium and its compounds are used in electroplating, metal alloys (stainless steel), paints, ceramics, lumber processing, tannery, and assorted chemicals. Certain chromium compounds are very toxic, and in the form of chromates can cause allergies, destruction of bone marrow, liver failure, cancers, dementia, and even DNA damage that can be passed down to future generations. The contamination of water supplies by chromium VI formed the plot of the film "Erin Brockovich", released in 2000.

From Quiz Heavy Metal

Answer: Rhenium

Rhenium (atomic number 75) is the metal we're looking for in this question. You might not be familiar with it, for the most common application (alloys used for parts exposed to high temperatures, such as jet engines or nuclear reactors) needs only a minor percentage of rhenium. 3 to 6 % rhenium are sufficient to give these parts the necessary resistance to temperature differences. Rhenium (named after the river Rhine) was only discovered in 1925, although Mendeleev predicted the existence and some of the chemical properties of this element already in 1869. Its appearance is a silvery-white powder, and it can be packed into solid lumps (by applying heavy pressure and high temperature in a vacuum). The melting point of rhenium (when it would become liquid) is not the highest of all naturally occurring elements: there it would be preceded by tungsten and carbon. But tungsten and carbon evaporate at a slightly lower temperature than Rhenium. All the red herrings are gaseous elements, so they have evaporated below room temperature. Fluorine has a boiling point of 53.53 K, nitrogen boils at 77.36 K, and argon at 83.80 K. By the way: you can easily find on the internet the formula to substitute temperatures in Kelvin (K) by degrees Celsius or degrees Fahrenheit.

From Quiz Meltdown

Answer: Mercury

Mercury is the only metal with a negative melting point which is -38.86 degrees Celsius. Its natural form is as a liquid. Gallium melts at 29.78 degrees Celsius. That means it would be liquid on a warm day or in your hand. It is used in thermometers. Selenium melts at 217 degrees Celsius. It is used in the glass industry to decolorize glass. Tin melts at 232 degrees Celsius. It is often used for food storage and preservation.

From Quiz What Heavy Metal Element?

Answer: Holmium

This metal is also used in nuclear control rods. While most metals are a consistent silver color, holmium oxide has some fairly dramatic color changes depending on the lighting conditions. While in daylight, it is a tan - yellow color, under trichromatic light, it is a bright - orange red.

From Quiz Heavy p-block Chemistry

Answer: s

The inert pair of electrons lie in a high energy s orbital. The ionization energies associated with these electrons are fairly high for many of the heavy p-block elements.

From Quiz Metal Alloys

Answer: copper

PH stands for precipitation hardening, a process which strengthens regularly malleable steel by heat.

From Quiz Name that Metal!

Answer: Tungsten

The word "Tungsten" means "heavy stone" in Swedish. "Wolfram" is its German name, hence the symbol.

From Quiz The RCRA 8 Metals - and Then Some

Answer: Arsenic

The toxic properties of arsenic have ironically contributed to its commercial uses as a pesticide and in such applications as lumber processing, battery manufacture, weapons development, and ironically in producing animal feed. Certain arsenic compounds are even used in medicines and in treatments for diseases such as cancer. However, the effluent from industries which have used arsenic poses a serious threat to groundwater. Arsenic toxicity can lead to various cancers and heart disease.

From Quiz Heavy Metal

Answer: Gold

Although all these elements have a yellowish hue, gold is the only heavy metal listed here. Gold does not need any introduction: it has been a rare collector's item since ancient times. As it is chemically very inactive (so it won't corrode or dissolve in contact with most other substances), monetary applications and the use in precious jewellery were self-evident. One surprising application of gold is based upon its malleability and its reflection of infrared radiation. These two properties combined, led to the use of gold in the visor of astronaut's helmets. Gold has atomic number 79. Only one isotope is stable, whereas more than thirty isotopes are more or less radioactive. Copper (element 29) is also a yellowish metal, but its density is 8.96 - not even half the density of gold. Sulphur (element 16) is a yellowish non-metal, with a density of 2.07. Chlorine (element 17) is a yellowish - greenish gas.

From Quiz Heavy Metal Lover

Answer: Cobalt

The ore from which cobalt is usually extracted has long been called kobold ore, German for goblin ore. This is a reference to the fact that these ores had a low mineral content (in terms of the familiar minerals for which they were looking), and that they release poisonous gasses when smelted. In 1735 it was found that a new metal, eventually named for the kobold, was present in these minerals. Cobalt has a number of practical uses, but the most spectacular is the use of the compounds cobalt silicate and cobalt (II) aluminate to produce a distinctive blue color (called cobalt blue) to glass, ceramics, inks and paints. The radioactive isotope cobalt-60 has important uses in medical radioactive tracing, and is a strong source of gamma rays.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:46 AM

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