Chromium is the 24th element on the periodic table and was discovered by Nicholas Louis Vauquelin. Since its discovery, scientists uncovered that chromium is available in four common oxidation states meaning there are four types of known chromium including chromium 2, chromium 3, chromium 6 and simple chromium. The film Erin Brockovich explicitly mentions three of the four types of chromium and their impacts on the living environment. The film further goes on to outline the chemistry behind how harmful toxins used by the industry impact the ecosystem and humans directly.
WHAT IS CHROMIUM?
Chromium (Cr) is one of 118 elements on the periodic table. It has an atomic number of 24 and is a transition metal located in group 6, period 4. The element
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Chromium is unstable when in the presence of oxygen. Instead, it reacts with the oxygen to produce a thin oxide layer. This layer is impermeable to oxygen ultimately preventing the metal from rusting. In the film (Erin Brockovich), simple chromium is said to be good for the body and environment when in small amounts.
Chrome 3 is another form which is fairly gentle compared to other chromium’s. It does not impose a large threat upon the living environment as it is usually rarer to find. Chrome-3 can, however, be found in food such as vegetables, grains and yeast. When organisms consume these foods, chromium enters the body and works with enzymes to assist in the regulation of insulin and glucose.
Lastly, chrome 6 (also known as hexavalent chromium) is extremely harmful to living things and the environment as a whole. Cr(VI) occurs both naturally in the environment and can also be produced as a product of industrial work in the form of industrial pollution. Cr(VI) is a toxic metal which means it can lead to many negative consequences when in contact with living organisms. Once it enters the body, it can cause the decay of tissue leading to internal blisters and uncontrollable cell growth. The degree of the severity of its impacts is dependent on the amount an time an organism is exposed to
Just as the title of the chapter suggests, the main focus of Chapter 11 is how elements found on the Periodic Table are not always what they appear. Kean begins this chapter with describing how elements can be unpredictable in some conditions, and uses example from the past to...
Although some of the elements have been known for thousands of years, our understanding of many elements is still young. Mendeleev’s first Periodic Table contained only 63 elements, and about that many were discovered in the following 100 years. Just like countries, emperors, philosophers, and cities, elements have histories, too.“The Disappearing spoon” by Sam Kean, is a detailed history of the elements on the Periodic Table. Kean does a important job of telling every single element’s journey throughout the history of mankind: from the earliest times, when chemistry was intermingled with alchemy, to these days of modern chemistry. For example: Thallium is considered the deadliest element, pretending to be potassium to gain entry into our cells where it then breaks amino acid bonds within proteins. The CIA once developed a plan to poison Fidel Castro by dosing his socks with thallium-tainted
Calcium is the 20th element of the periodic table. It is a metallic element that is greyish-silver in colour and has the atomic symbol of Ca. It is a group 2 alkaline earth metal and is the 5th most abundant element by mass in earth’s crust. It is also reactive with water and is relatively soft. It is an essential element for organisms, and is major material that is used in the materialisation of teeth, bone and shells. It is also the most abundant metal located within animals.
Boron is one of the many elements on the periodic table. Its atomic number is five and its symbol is the letter B. Boron’s atomic weight is 10.811. It is a solid at room temperature. The group number for Boron is 13 and the periodic number for Boron is 2. It is also in the p block. Its element category is a metalloid. Boron came from the Arabic word Buraq and the Persian word Burah, which are both meanings for the material called “Borax.” Boron is a tough element – very hard, and very resistant to heat. In its crystalline form it is the second hardest of all the elements on the mohs scale – only carbon (diamond) is harder. Only 11 elements have higher melting points than boron: these are C, W, Re, Os, Ta, Mo, Nb, Ir, Ru, Hf, and Tc. Boron was discovered by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thenard on June 30th on 1808. This element has contributed to chemistry enormously over the years. This is the history of Boron and how it has affected chemistry.
Methylmercury becomes deadly to the environment through the process of biomagnefication. To achieve biomagnefication, the mercury must be consumed by microorganisms nd work its way up the food chain increasing in concentration as it enters large...
Beryllium is a highly toxic metal and if exposed to it, at or above the threshold values, it can lead to a chronic beryllium disease (CBD) (i.e. berylliosis) or an acute beryllium disease. Toxic exposure to beryllium is most often thru an inhalation pathway. Beryllium has a variety of effects. Some beryllium combines with a protein and is deposited in the liver, spleen and kidneys, but the beryllium when bound with a biological protein, a hapten, can result in the chronic form of the disease which is believed to be a delayed hypersensitivity immune response. The major toxicological effects of beryllium are on the respiratory tract,specifically the lungs and their alveoli.
Elements are the basic building blocks of matter due to the fact that they are chemically the simplest substances. Whether we can find them in the air or in our gold/silver necklaces, elements are everywhere! One essential element is hydrogen, the first element on the period table (located under Group 1 as an alkaline metal) is composed of a single proton and electron; therefore having an atomic number and atomic mass of 1 and electron configuration of 1s1. In fact, hydrogen is the lightest, simplest and most commonly found chemical element in the universe (it makes up about 90% of the universe by weight). Interestingly enough, the heavier elements on the periodic table were either made from hydrogen or other elements that were made from hydrogen. The most common isotope formed of hydrogen is protium, with 1 proton and no neutrons. Hydrogen can also exist as both positively or negatively charged. The physical form of hydrogen at room temperature is a colorless and odorless gas. Hydrogen gas is extremely flammable and because of this chemical property, it is used as fuel for the main engine of space shuttles. Hydrogen is an important element and has received a lot of recognition throughout history for its usefulness.
In chemistry, out of all the elements on the periodic table, there are a few that stand out because of certain characteristics, Gallium is one of these elements. On the periodic table, Gallium has the symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Gallium is a metal that has uses in such things as, medical, industrial, and everyday life.
. Smoking is the leading cause of death by cancer. 1 out of every 5 deaths occurring in America is due to its cancerous effects. The Center for Disease Control estimates that over 46 million Americans smoke cigarettes daily. The International Agency for Research on Cancer is a world health organization that identifies causes of cancer. Through the use of patterns and lab results they can classify certain elements as carcinogens. A carcinogen can be defined as any substance or toxin that is known to produce cancer. There are more than 6000 of these cancer producing toxins found within cigarettes. Arsenic, Benzene, and Vinyl chloride are just a few of the most harmful carcinogens used by tobacco companies. Vinyl chloride is a basic component in manufacturing plastic. Excessive exposure to vinyl chloride has been proven to be pre-cancerous ultimately manifesting into full blown malignant cancer. The most notable effect of vinyl chloride is the cause of...
• Chromium (Cr) (in spite of the fact that just the structure Cr(vi) is dangerous)
An element in chemistry is more than just an element; at least Chlorine is more than just an element. It is very useful in many ways that help people today. Chlorine is a common nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; it is a heavy yellow irritating toxic gas; it is used to purify water and as a bleaching agent and disinfectant; occurs naturally only as a salt. People should know more about the uses of chlorine and why chlorine is used in many processes, for example; bleaching, and why we use it today. Everything has to start somewhere, and chlorine was produced many years ago.
The first modern periodic table wasn’t published until the middle of the twentieth century. Dr. Glenn Seaborg discovered plutonium in 1940 - this lead to the detection of all of the transuranic elements from 94 to 102. Because of his work, Dr....
The high temperature application of Austenitic Stainless Steel is somewhat limited because at higher temperatures it undergoes a phenomenon called Sensitization. According to Ghosh et al. [1], it refers to the precipitation of carbides and nitrides at the grain boundaries. Precipitation of Chromium rich carbides (Cr23C6) and nitrides at the grain boundaries result when the Austenitic stainless steel is heated and held in the temperature range of 500-8500C (773K-1123K). This precipitation of carbides taking place at the grain boundary is because of their insolubility at these temperature ranges. This leads to Chromium depreciated regions around the grain boundaries. So the change in microstructure is takes place and the regions with low Chromium contents become susceptible to Intergranular Corrosion (IGC) and Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking (Alvarez et al.) [1, 2]. Along with carbides and nitrides there is formation of chi phase. The chi phase, which is a stable intermetallic compound, consists of Fe, Cr, and Mo of type M18C. Some studies reveal that sensitization may lead to formation of Martensite. In addition to the altered microstructure, mechanical properties of the Austenitic Stain...
The Periodic Table of Elements is commonly used today when studying elements. This table’s history begins in ancient times when Greek scientists first started discovering different elements. Over the years, many different forms of the periodic table have been made which set the basis for the modern table we use today. This table includes over 100 elements and are arranged by groups and periods. Groups being vertical columns and periods being horizontal columns. With all of the research conducted over the years and the organization of this table, it is easy to use when needed.
In chemistry, metals compose a great number of the periodic table elements. Each metal has its own characteristic mass,