Reading Materials for Chemistry English

Periodic Table
Digested from

Chemical & Chemical Engineering News

(80th Anniversary Issue), Vol. 81, No. 36, 2003, Sept. 8.
Edited by X. Lu

Introduction
The Periodic Table is natures rosetta stone. To the uninitiated, its just 100-plus
numbered boxes, each containing one or two letters, arranged with an odd, skewed
symmetry. To chemists, however, the periodic table reveals the organizing principles
of matter, which is to say, the organizing principles of chemistry. At a fundamental level,
all of chemistry is contained in the periodic table.
Thats not to say, of course, that all of chemistry is obvious from the periodic table. Far
from it. But the structure of the table reflects the electronic structure of the elements,
and hence their chemical properties and behavior. Perhaps it would be more
appropriate to say that all of chemistry starts with the periodic table. What has always
struck me as remarkable about Dmitry Mendeleyevs discovery in 1869 of a way to
arrange the elements known at that time into a meaningful and predictive periodic table
is that he accomplished it without any knowledge of the structure of atoms. There are
no atomic numbers on Mendeleyevs periodic table, only atomic weights and the
groupings of elements based on their known properties. More than 30 years would
pass before J. J. Thomson (who discovered the electron) suggested that the electronic
configuration of atoms might account for the periodicity of the elements, and more than
40 years would pass before atomic numbers were recognized as the basis for ordering
the elements.
Indeed, as John Emsley notes in his invaluable book, Natures Building Blocks: An
AZ Guide to the Elements, Mendeleyev never accepted that electrons came from
atoms because he was convinced that atoms were indivisible.
No matter. Mendeleyevs brilliant insight propelled chemistry into the 20th century.
New elements were discovered that filled in the holes Mendeleyev left in his table, and
their atomic weights and chemical properties corresponded with remarkable accuracy
to Mendeleyevs predictions. And as the revolution in chemistry and physics unfolded
in the early decades of the 20th century, most of the discoveries about the structure of
atoms, their properties, and how they interact with each other made perfect sense in
light of the periodic table.
The periodic table is so central to chemistry that it seemed natural to devote a special
issue to it and the elements that compose it as we celebrate C&ENs 80th anniversary.
The 89 essays are delightfully varied. We hope they will give you a new perspective on
and appreciation of the building blocks of our science.

HYDROGEN
JUDITH KLINMAN, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

To be the number one--not to mention the most abundant and

lightest--element on the periodic table is a weighty responsibility. But
hydrogen does not disappoint. Its role in the universe is indisputable, but
for me its attraction lies in its two long-lived isotopes: one stable,
deuterium (D), and one radioactive, tritium (T). In fact, I can't imagine
the emergence of modern chemistry and biochemistry without the
benefit of these isotopes.
My first exploration of deuterium was as a graduate student with
Edward Thornton, when we used solvent D2O to examine mechanisms
of carbonyl reactivity in the condensed phase. But biology beckoned,
and the application of hydrogen isotopes to biochemical processes
proved irresistible. Working subsequently with Irwin Rose as a postdoctoral researcher, I
used enzymes to prepare methyl groups that were chiral by virtue of the presence of H, D,
and T. The key to unlocking the cryptic stereochemistry for the production and utilization
of chiral methyl groups by metabolic enzymes lay with the difference in reaction rate
between H and D.
Theories of kinetic isotope effects had been advanced in
the preceding years. These attributed isotopic differences in
rate to differences in the energy of the ground-state stretching
modes of the labeled bonds, which were recognized as arising
solely from the altered masses of the isotopes. Eureka--with
the expectation that the potential energy surface of the labeled
bond would be unaffected--biochemists had found the
long-awaited nonperturbing probe with which to analyze the FUEL FOR THOUGHT
The vast majority of
nature of catalysis in enzymatic reactions.
A decade and a half of exciting activity followed. Suddenly, matter in the universe-it was possible to dissect enzyme reactions into their individual and the primary fuel for
steps, learning in the process how enzymes alter the stars--is hydrogen.
reaction-barrier
height
together
with
the
internal
thermodynamics for the interconversion of bound reactants and products.
Around the mid-1980s, scientists began to realize that all was not as it had
seemed--experimental anomalies indicated breakdowns in classical theories of kinetic
hydrogen isotope effects. This was met with a healthy blend of curiosity and resistance.
Both experimentalists and theorists then opened up a new vista in the chemistry and
biochemistry of hydrogen.
Returning to our roots, my laboratory called upon the three isotopes of hydrogen--H,
D, and T--to examine the origin of the kinetic anomalies in the hydride-transfer reaction
catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase. From a comparison of H/T and D/T kinetic isotope
effects, it was possible to demonstrate that the entire methylene carbon at the reactive
position of the alcohol substrate was showing a pattern that had been predicted for
2

hydrogen tunneling. Clearly, the wave property of the hydrogen atom was dominating its
reactivity at room temperature.
Soon, an arsenal of experimental tools was developed for investigating tunneling in
enzyme-catalyzed reactions. In every system studied, the quantum property of the
reacting hydrogen was apparent under physiological temperatures. This extended to the
functionally high temperatures of a thermophilic enzyme, where tunneling could be
demonstrated above 50 C.
Suddenly, the dominant theories in physical organic chemistry for the interpretation of
the reactivity of hydrogen required reexamination. Initial ideas focused on the addition of a
tunneling correction to classical theory, while an alternative view took its lead from the
decades of work on electron tunneling. In the latter, the barrier to reaction is dominated by
the heavy-atom reorganization energy, a prerequisite for effective wave-function overlap
of the tunneling particle. While these divergent views were initially difficult to differentiate,
data began to emerge that were incompatible with a tunnel correction, necessitating new
theoretical frameworks for the interpretation of hydrogen reactivity in condensed phase.
One important distinction that enters into the quantum behavior of the electron and
hydrogen is the huge mass differential of these particles. By virtue of its much smaller
wavelength, movement of hydrogen between reacting centers is expected to be
exquisitely sensitive to small changes in donor/acceptor distance. In the context of
enzyme-catalyzed reactions, this has led to the realization that motions within a protein
backbone must be invoked in the context of the hydrogen-transfer process and,
furthermore, that optimal catalysis may require coupling of protein motions that are both
proximal and remote from the enzyme active site. In the past several years, investigators
have turned toward identifying the structural context for these modes, together with their
amplitudes and time constants.
This recent history of hydrogen illustrates beautifully the interplay between advances
in enzyme catalysis and solution chemistry. To a researcher at the interface of chemistry
and biology, the power of interdisciplinary research to advance our knowledge is
extremely gratifying.
Judith Klinman is a professor and former chair of chemistry and professor of molecular
and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley. She has received the ACS
Repligen Award for her work on the chemistry of biological systems.
HYDROGEN AT A GLANCE
Name:From the Greekhydro genes,water forming.
Atomic mass: 1.01
History: Produced by scientists for years, but first recognized as an element by Henry Cavendish in
1766.
Occurrence: The most abundant element in the universe. Hydrogen as water is essential to life and is
present in all organic compounds.
Appearance: Colorless, odorless gas.
Behavior: Flammable and explosive.
Uses: Used in NH3 production and to hydrogenate fats. H2 was once used in lighter-than-air balloons.

LITHIUM
PAUL V. R. SCHLEYER, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

The third chemical element, lithium, was discovered in 1817 in a

rocklike ("lithos") mineral, petalite, by J. August Arfvedson in J. J.
Berzelius' laboratory in Stockholm. Uses, while currently ranging from
batteries to antidepression treatments, developed very slowly. Unlike its
close neighbors, hydrogen and helium, lithium has not been detected in
interstellar space. Currently, adequate deposits exist on Earth in certain
minerals and in brines. Lithium also is a trace element in the human
body.
A century passed before Wilhelm Schlenk prepared the first alkyl
lithium derivatives from organomercury precursors. Henry Gilman and
Georg Wittig made important contributions to the development of the
synthetic capabilities of lithium derivatives, which eventually replaced Grignard reagents
as the primary anionic reactive intermediates. Preparative uses blossomed after both
discovered independently that many compounds could be lithiated directly by
hydrogen-metal exchange. This bypassed the often cumbersome preparations of
Grignard reagents from magnesium metal and halogen derivatives. The latter had to be
synthesized separately from the parent substrate.
With the readily available n-butyl lithium (used commercially as an anionic
polymerization catalyst) typically serving as the reagent, hydrogen-lithium exchange often
takes place specifically at positions in the vicinity of functional groups, where it is difficult
to introduce a halogen. Such "directed metallations" are favored mechanistically as a
result of the lowering of the metallation transition-state energy through lithium
complexation with the functional group. Polar solvents and accelerators often, but not
always, speed up metallation substantially and may even influence the site of substitution.
Empirical trials and experience, rather than understanding, long guided the synthetic
chemist.
One of my early mechanistic papers trying to unravel such mysteries computationally
met the scorn of a referee: "Who cares what is in the pot, as long as it works." This
comment equated lithium chemists with the witches in Shakespeare's "Macbeth." But it
was my involvement with the highly peculiar structures of organolithium compounds that
initiated my interest in lithium in the 1970s. At that time, alkyl lithium compounds were
believed to be covalent. The evidence seemed clear. In contrast to insoluble ionic sodium
and potassium alkyls with limited preparative utility, lithium alkyls are soluble in
hydrocarbons and, when pure, either are liquids (n-butyl lithium) or have low melting
points (ethyl lithium). The X-ray structures show tetramers with hexacoordinate carbons!
Andrew Streitwieser pointed out later that a simple ionic cluster model with
interpenetrating anionic and cationic tetrahedra (as in rock salt) could rationalize such
structures. The hydrocarbon exterior of (RLi)4 tetramers explains their alkane solubility.

John Pople and I joined forces in the early 1970s. Our research groups employed
Pople's newly developed Gaussian 70 ab initio program to computionally discover, for
example, doubly bridged dilithioacetylene and a dilithiocyclopropane with a planar
tetracoordinate carbon. Octahedral CLi6, with six equivalent bonds to carbon, is one
example of "hypermetallation" out of many. These predictions were verified, at least in
part, experimentally. Such rule-breaking structures illustrate the interplay of ionic and
covalent bonding with some Li-Li interactions; the octet rule is not violated.
After my move to the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in 1976, my coworkers
added to the relatively small number of X-ray structures. Each new result revealed some
new feature, which required a detailed computational study to understand. This
complexity is still true. Lithium compounds are "self-assembling molecules" par
excellence. They can aggregate in a variety of ways and bind not only to polar solvents
(the "accelerators" mentioned above) and to benzene, but also to the substrates before
reaction. The "witches brew" also can be clarified computationally, as can the reaction
pathways and transition states. Attacking the planar tetracoordinate carbon problem again,
we took advantage of computer modeling to design promising chelated (internally
solvated) organolithium compounds. Their subsequent synthesis and X-ray analysis
verified our prediction.
A chemical world based on electrostatic interactions, rather than just covalent bonds,
is disclosed by the geometries, the bonding, and the course of reactions of lithium
compounds. A goal of science is not just to understand what has happened, but to predict
the outcome quantitatively.

TIES THAT BIND

Lithium compounds can display
"hypermetallation" and an interplay of ionic
and covalent bonding.
Paul v. R. Schleyer is Graham Perdue Professor at the University of Georgia and
professor emeritus of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, in Germany. He was the first
recipient of the Arfvedson-Schlenk Award of the Society of German Chemists sponsored
by Chemetall.

LITHIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek lithos, stone.
Atomic mass: 6.94.
History: Discovered in 1817 by J. August Arfvedson in Stockholm. First isolated in 1821 by William T. Brande.
Occurrence: Found in igneous rocks and many mineral spring waters.
Appearance: Silvery white, soft metal.
Behavior: Lithium is the lightest metal and is easily cut. It reacts slowly with water to form a colorless solution of
LiOH and H2 and vigorously with all halogens to form halides.
Uses: Lithium is used as a battery anode material. It is alloyed with aluminum and magnesium for lightweight,
high-performance metals for aircraft.

SODIUM
KNUT H. SCHRDER, NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Sodium is the seventh most abundant element in rocks and the fifth
most abundant metal. It reacts with water and oxygen in the air, and in
liquid ammonia it forms a blue solution described as solvated electrons.
However, the sodium ion itself is quite inert, with high solubility for its
salts and weak complexation abilities. For that reason, no classical
analytical methods for the determination of sodium ions are available.
Ion-selective electrodes can be used, but they are not very adaptable.
Emission spectroscopy (for example, flame photometry) is very
convenient, and online and automatic continuous surveillance can be
worked out.
Sodium compounds are among the most frequently used materials
for industrial and domestic use, and salt is needed for human life. For that reason, it has
been of strategic importance in hot, humid tropical regions.
Because of the inertness of the sodium ion, regular
chemical reactions with sodium ions are limited, but
sodium ions are essential to life for many reasons. The
extracellular concentration of sodium ions in the human
body and in animals is about 10 times higher than what is
found inside the cells. This is not expected when passive
diffusion through the cell membranes is considered. To
keep that high gradient across a membrane requires
energy, that is, an active transport using ATP. This is a
means of energy storage for sudden use and for forming
electrical potential gradients in nerve cells. A similar
SALTY
mechanism does not occur in plants, and this is one of
Lake Natron, in Tanzania,
the most important differentiating characteristics between
ishighly alkaline, containing
animals and plants.
soda (sodium carbonate),
Pure NaCl is NaCl, and for that reason all brands will
salt, and magnesite deposits.
be identical. However, some manufacturers claim their
The drying soda forms white
salt is saltier than "regular table salt," and less salt should
beds as water evaporates
be required to obtain the proper "salty" taste of food.
Obviously, in solution all brands of pure salts are identical, as the same amount of salt
reaches the papillae on the tongue. However, if the salt is not dissolved when it passes
the papillae, the sensing of the taste may be different because a quite concentrated
solution is achieved on that spot. The physical shape of NaCl crystals differs from one
producer to another, and this is important for dissolution in saliva.
Soluble sodium salts are found in salt ores in several places on Earth; among the
most important salts are sodium chloride, carbonates, and trona [(Na3H(CO3)2 2H2O]. Of
special interest are the salts in the ocean and in inland lakes such as the Great Salt Lake
7

(Utah), the Dead Sea, and the salt lakes in East Africa. The salts originate from the
corrosion of silicates. The composition of the different lakes, as well as the pH value of the
waters, differs substantially from that of the ocean, with a weakly buffered pH value in the
range of 88.3 to a relatively stable pH of 10.5 for the carbonate-rich lakes in East Africa.
The latter is valid for all such lakes because such aqueous systems consist of both HCO32
and CO322, and this corresponds to a buffering maximum of the carbonate equilibrium
system. In textbooks, the pK2 for carbonate is reported to be about 10.3, but this value
differs from one textbook to another and is valid only for diluted systems. Surprisingly,
some of these lakes contain living organisms and even fish.
The solid salts on the shores of the East African lakes are mainly sodium chloride and
trona beside each other, and the shapes of the two crystals are quite different.
Interestingly, one side of these lakes is always richer in one of the salts than the shore on
the opposite side. One explanation for this phenomenon can be found in the solubility of
the two salts. Sodium chloride has solubility almost independent of the temperature, and
evaporation caused by wind and high temperature causes the salt to precipitate. Trona,
however, has a quite temperature-dependent solubility. Daily temperature changes and
wind differ substantially from one shore to the opposite one, and this is a possible
explanation. This difference in solubility behavior is exploited to separate the salt and the
trona in many East African local saltworks, such as in Lake Katwe in Uganda.
Knut H. Schrder is a professor in analytical chemistry at NTNU (Norwegian University of
Science & Technology) in Trondheim. His main research interest is in developing
electroanalytical methods for online monitoring of environmental and industrial processes.
SODIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the English soda, taken from the Latin sodanum, a common ancient headache remedy.
Sodium's chemical symbol comes from the Latin word for sodium carbonate, natrium.
Atomic mass: 22.99.
History: Isolated and identified by Sir Humphry Davy in 1807.
Occurrence: The sixth most abundant element in Earth's crust. Every gallon of seawater contains a
quarter pound of sodium chloride.
Appearance: Silvery white metal.
Behavior: Essential to most species, including humans. Very reactive element that can ignite when mixed
with water. It is never found free in nature.
Uses: Used in table salt, soda, glass, batteries, and streetlights. Sodium hydroxide is used as a base for
lye, caustic soda, and drain/oven cleaner. Sodium carbonate is a common cleaning and bleaching agent
and is mixed with sand and lime to make glass. Sodium bicarbonate is baking soda, which helps neutralize
excessive stomach acid and extinguish fires. Liquid sodium is used to transfer heat out of nuclear reactors.

POTASSIUM
SUSAN R. MORRISSEY, C&EN WASHINGTON
What do you think of when you look at element number 19 on the
periodic table? As a chemist, I suppose my head should be filled with
images of chemically related things involving potassium, such as zeolite
structures being charge-balanced by K+, but instead I think of what has
to be one of the all-time great pickup lines.
I was doing chemical research at my college during the summer
break and decided to attend a gathering at a friend's apartment. It was a
small school, so there weren't many students around--just science
enthusiasts like myself, those taking summer classes, and a handful of
others there for random reasons--but I hoped a lot of people would show
up.
As the night got under way, I noticed a not-so-bad-looking guy whom I'd seen around
campus. Before long, I found myself face to face with him. He struck up a conversation
that included the standard question about why I was on campus and not spending the
summer relaxing by a pool somewhere, which is where he'd be if he didn't have to retake
a class he'd failed the past semester.
I explained that I was a chemistry major and was
taking advantage of a wonderful opportunity to do
summer research. Now, usually guys aren't all that
interested in chemistry and just find another topic to
talk about, but not this one. Instead, he replied, "So,
what's your favorite element?"
This would not have struck me as weird if we had
both been science majors, but I knew enough about
GOING APE
him to make me wonder if he had ever taken a
Bananas
provide
a great source
chemistry class. You can imagine my shock and
intrigue when I heard the question. I was speechless. I of potassium--a key mineral for
had an affinity for a number of elements, but I hadn't good health.
ever really thought about which one element was my
favorite.
After some quick thinking, I recall blurting out tin because I was working with
organotin halide compounds that summer in the lab. I then became curious to know if he
had a favorite element. As it turns out, he did: potassium.
Why potassium, you might ask--well at least I did. It turns out that it's not because of
the alkali metal's ability to regulate water balance in the body or its use in fireworks, but
simply because he liked bananas, which--as we all know--are full of potassium.
I could appreciate his affection for bananas--after all, they taste great and are good
for you. In fact, potassium is an electrolyte mineral essential to maintaining good health.
Among its many roles, potassium regulates cellular acid-base and fluid balance, blood
pressure, and neuromuscular function.
9

Potassium deficiency is rare in people who eat a balanced diet because adequate
levels of the mineral are found in a variety of foods. For example, meats, poultry, and fish
are high in K, as are bananas, potatoes, milk, and orange juice. Carrots, grapefruit, and
onions all contain moderate levels of K, while foods such as blueberries, cucumbers, and
iceberg lettuce all have low K levels.
But I digress. There is no doubt that potassium is important to good health, but the
question that night was whether it was good for the health of my social life. As our
conversation continued, I began to wonder if I had misjudged this guy's chemical intellect.
Perhaps I should have given him more credit, I thought.
My doubt was short lived. One of the things that I found odd when I first learned about
potassium was its chemical symbol, so I thought I would see if he felt the same way. But
when I asked him if he also found it odd that potassium's symbol was K, he blew his wise
chemical facade.
"K?" he responded, asserting that the symbol was without a doubt P. Needless to say,
we spent a good bit of time arguing whether K or P was the correct symbol. He just wasn't
buying that the K came from potassium's Latin name, kalium, or that I was a chemistry
major who knew my elements. I even went as far as looking through my friend's apartment
for a book that had a periodic table in it, but unfortunately she didn't have any science
books around.
Days later, I caught up with him at the library and was able to show him a copy of the
periodic table, thus proving K was really the correct symbol.
Looking back, my excitement over talking chemistry at a college outing was a bit
nerdy, but this guy didn't seem to mind. Although things didn't pan out between us, we had
chemistry working for us for at least one evening. I just hope that he still remembers the
correct symbol for potassium as well as I remember his pickup line.
Susan Morrissey received her Ph.D. in chemistry from Texas A&M University. She is an
associate editor covering government and policy issues for C&EN.

POTASSIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the English potash. The symbol for potassium comes from the Latinkalium,alkali.
Atomic mass: 39.10.
History: Isolated in 1807 by Sir Humphry Davy.
Occurrence: The seventh most abundant metal, but it is never found free in nature. Potassium is an
essential constituent for plant growth and is found in most soils. It occurs in many minerals mined in
Germany, Spain, Canada, the U.S., and Italy.
Appearance: Soft, silvery metal.
Behavior: One of the most reactive and electropositive metals. Apart from lithium, it is the least dense
metal known. Potassium oxidizes very rapidly in air and must be stored under argon or under a suitable
mineral oil. It reacts with water to form potassium hydroxide, hydrogen gas, and heat, and the heat
usually ignites the hydrogen. Potassium and its salts impart a lilac color to flames.
Uses: The metal is rarely used, but its compounds are important components of fertilizers, match heads,
glass, soaps, and detergents. The potassium-40 isotope is used to date rocks.

10

RUBIDIUM
STEPHEN K. RITTER, C&EN WASHINGTON

Rubidium has the most pleasant-sounding name of all the elements,

at least in my opinion. It leaves a warm and satisfying feeling when you
say it, like the feeling one gets when tasting a good merlot. I'm not sure
that any other element name comes close, except maybe beryllium. But
honestly, rubidium is not one of the more popular or well-known
elements.
The word rubidium comes from the Latin rubidus, meaning dark red,
which coincidentally is the same color as merlot. The name stems from
the color of the two prominent lines in the red region of the element's
spectrum. Rubidium has a rich chemistry, although most of it is the same
as lithium, sodium, and potassium. So in descending order, that makes
rubidium fourth place among the alkali metals. And, as in the Olympics, no one
remembers who finishes in fourth place. Maybe there is a connection here as to why
people usually stop at potassium when they make their way down the first column of the
periodic table.
Actually, the real reason rubidium's popularity suffers is that the element has no
known major biological or mineral roles and few commercial applications. This is related to
its occurrence in Earth's continental crust. Rubidium was originally thought to be rare, but
actually it's the 22nd most abundant element. At 90 ppm in the crust, this places it,
impressively, just after chromium at 102 ppm and ahead of nickel at 84 ppm. For further
comparison, copper comes in at only 60 ppm. The drawback to this claim to fame is that
rubidium isn't found in large quantities in any one spot.
The richest sources of rubidium are a few aluminum
silicate minerals, where the element typically is found
with cesium and potassium. Rubidium salts also are
found dissolved in mineral water. One disappointment is
that, despite having a similar Latin root, rubidium is not
part of the chemical makeup of a ruby. Ruby, a type of
corundum, is an aluminum oxide doped with chromium.
The
tiny
To accentuate the positive, there are some TIMEKEEPER
interesting things to say about rubidium. For example, time-standard cell from the heart
one exciting fact about the element is that it's easily of a rubidium atomic clock.
excitable. The large atomic radius of 248 pm and
shielding from the nucleus by inner-shell electrons means that rubidium's 5s electron is
barely being held in place. Rubidium's first ionization enthalpy of 403 kJ per mol is second
only to 376 kJ per mol for cesium. Thus, rubidium and cesium are two of the most reactive
elements.
Rubidium is a silvery white metal that, unlike M&M candies that "melt in your mouth,
not in your hand," will start to melt in your hand (38.9 C) and explode in your mouth.
Rubidium bursts into flame in air to form a set of oxides and reacts vigorously with water to
11

form RbOH, one of the strongest known bases. It has two natural isotopes, 85Rb (72.2%)
and 87Rb (27.8%). The latter isotope is radioactive, with a long half-life of 4.9 3 1010 years.
As for applications, rubidium is used in a few
electronic devices, as a frequency reference in
atomic clocks, and to estimate the age of rocks.
The element's future is full of potential if it could be
more easily isolated. For example, rubidium
compounds are being studied for medical uses,
HOT TO TROT A 2.5-inch sealed
such as a potential antidepressant akin to lithium. A
ampule contains 1 g of rubidium that
rubidium ionic crystal, RbAg4I5, has high
has been partially melted by heat
room-temperature conductivity and could be used
from a photographic lamp.
in thin films for batteries. Another prospect is
Rb3C60, which is a potential superconducting material.
That brings us to the coup de gr^ace of this essay: what I did on my summer vacation.
My family went to Spain to visit relatives on my wife's side. In Ourense, Galicia, in
northwest Spain, we came across rubidium at a set of hot springs.
The springs are located next to the Mio River, which flows through downtown
Ourense. In the first century, the Romans established a town around the springs and built
a strategic bridge over the river. The mineral water has been used since that time for
bathing and drinking, and we witnessed some of the locals coming to fill jugs with the
water to take home. In the late 1800s, a doctor analyzed the water, and his results are
listed on a plaque next to one of the springs' fountains. Among the ions are 0.16 mg per L
rubidium, 102.2 mg per L sodium, and 11.2 mg per L calcium. These values are typical for
the concentration of various ions in mineral waters worldwide.
Stephen K. Ritter is a senior editor for C&EN's Science, Technology & Education group.
He likes finding chemistry in unexpected places.
RUBIDIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin rubidius, deepest red, the color of its spectral lines.
Atomic mass: 85.47.
History: Discovered in 1861 by German chemists Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchoff while studying
the mineral lepidolite.
Occurrence: Soft, silvery white metal. Rubidium can be liquid at ambient temperature if at or above
40 C.
Appearance: Colorless, odorless gas at room temperature; pale blue as a liquid and a solid; faintly
blue, brackish odor as gaseous ozone.
Behavior: One of the most electropositive and alkaline elements. It ignites spontaneously in air and
reacts violently with water, setting fire to the liberated hydrogen. It colors flame yellowish-violet.
Rubidium can be toxic by ingestion.
Uses: Used in cathode-ray tubes and as a "getter" for vacuum systems.

12

CESIUM
RICHARD KANER, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES

When I teach introductory inorganic chemistry, one of my favorite

experiments is to toss alkali metals into a beaker of water. Lithium
sizzles, sodium sparks, and potassium bursts into flames, so merely
holding up a vial of cesium causes quite a stir in the classroom.
Although many of the students might like to see the violent explosion
that would ensue when cesium hits water, those in the front of the room
are especially relieved when I just pass around the sealed cesium vial.
I then add phenolphthalein to one of the beakers, producing the
characteristic pink color of base and explain that the reaction of alkali
metal with water forms alkali hydroxide and hydrogen. The fireworks are
created from the exothermicity of the reaction igniting the hydrogen gas.
This occurs much more rapidly as one goes down the column of alkali metals, since as
size increases the ionization potential decreases. Thus, cesium is the most reactive of the
alkali metals. Note that the alkali-in-water experiment is carried out wearing safety glasses
and with a clear plastic blast shield to protect the students.
When the undergraduates actually hold the sealed glass vial containing cesium, most
are surprised to see a golden reflective material, the only other metal besides gold and
copper that is not silvery in color. Even more remarkable is that the cesium begins to melt
as it makes it way around the classroom. Cesium melts just above room temperature at
28.6 C, giving it the second lowest melting point relative to mercury (m.p. = 38.7 C).
Cesium readily alloys with the other alkali metals, and a composition of 41% Cs, 47% K,
and 12% Na produces the lowest melting metallic alloy known (m.p. = 78 C).
Cesium was the first element to be discovered using spectroscopic means by Robert
W. Bunsen and Gustav R. Kirchhoff in 1860, the year after they invented the spectroscope.
Cesium, from the Latin caesius, meaning heavenly blue, was named after the color of the
most prominent line in its spectrum ( = 455.5 nm). It can be identified qualitatively in a
flame test from the pale violet light given off by the electronic transitions in the excited
metal atoms. Natural cesium consists of a single stable isotope, Cs133. It occurs chiefly
as a hydrated aluminosilicate mineral known as pollucite, 2Cs2O 2Al2O3 9SiO2 H2O,
mined in the Bernic Lake region of Manitoba.
Cesium is the largest naturally occurring element; it has an atomic radius of 2.65 .
With its low ionization potential (376 kJ per mol), it readily gives up its only valence
electron to produce ionic salts. One of these, cesium chloride, forms a basic structure type
that I discuss in the introductory inorganic course. Although most ionic lattices consist of
an array of larger close-packed anions with smaller cations in the interstices, in CsCl the
cesium cations (1.88 ) are actually slightly larger than the chlorine anions (1.67 ). This
leads to a structure that can be described most accurately as simple cubic cesium cations
with chlorine anions occupying every eight-coordinate cubic site. This looks analogous to
a body-centered cubic structure composed of just one type of atom.
13

Cesium, like the other alkali metals, readily dissolves in

liquid ammonia to produce "solvated electrons" and cesium
cations. The solvated electrons possess a characteristic blue
color caused by transmitted light and are paramagnetic. At
high concentrations the cesium-ammonia solution becomes
quite viscous and turns bright gold due to reflected light. On
exposure to oxygen, cesium readily forms seven different
BUBBLE, BUBBLE...
oxides ranging from Cs7O to CsO3.
Cesium
reacts
with
Researchers at Bell Labs in the early 1990s reported that
water-phenolphthalein in
doping buckminsterfullerene, C60, with the alkali metal
solution.
potassium led to room-temperature conductivity and
low-temperature superconductivity. In collaboration with physics and chemistry
colleagues, my group produced the first pure samples of K3C60 and determined the
structure to be face-centered cubic C60 with potassium in all octahedral and tetrahedral
sites. K3C60 has a superconducting transition temperature of 19.3 K that surprisingly
decreases as pressure is increased. To apply "negative" pressure, we replaced K with Rb,
which produced an increase in the transition temperature to 29.6 K for Rb3C60.
Unfortunately, substituting three cesiums for the rubidiums led to disproportionation back
to C60 and the insulating body-centered cubic phase, Cs6C60, rather than a
superconducting material. However, when a small amount of Cs is substituted into Rb3C60,
a superconducting transition temperature above 30 K is achieved, the highest known for a
carbon-based material.
Therefore, a small amount of cesium goes a long way, whether in doping C60 or in a
vial to pass around class. On a warm day, cesium appears as liquid gold. Just watch out
for its explosive personality!
Richard Kaner is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California,
Los Angeles. He is a recipient of the ACS Exxon Fellowship in Solid-State Chemistry; the
Buck-Whitney Award from the ACS Eastern New York Section; and Dreyfus, Guggenheim,
Packard, and Sloan Fellowships.
CESIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin caesius, heavenly blue. The metal is characterized by two bright blue lines in its
spectrum.
Atomic mass: 132.91.
History: Discovered in 1860 by German chemists Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff.
Occurrence: Primarily obtained from the mineral pollucite.
Appearance: Silvery gold, soft, ductile metal.
Behavior: The most electropositive and alkaline element. Liquid around room temperature. Cesium
reacts explosively with cold water, and reacts with ice at temperatures above 116 C. Cesium is fairly
toxic.
Uses: Used as a catalyst promoter, as a "getter," in radiation monitoring equipment, and in atomic
clocks.

14

FRANCIUM
LUIS A. OROZCO, STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, STONY BROOK

Little did I know when I arrived at the State University of New York,
Stony Brook, in 1991 and started collaborating with Gene D. Sprouse
that on the night of Sept. 27, 1995, we were going to succeed in
capturing some thousand atoms of francium in a magneto-optical trap.
Francium is an alkali and so is one of the simplest heavy atoms. We
are interested in performing precision measurements of its
spectroscopic properties to find out more about the weak force--the
force of nature responsible for the beginning of the solar cycle: the
conversion of a proton into a neutron.
There is much less than an ounce of francium at any given time in
the whole Earth. It is the most unstable element of the first 103 in the
periodic table, and its longest lived isotope lasts a mere 20 minutes.
We made francium in a nuclear fusion reaction. After many trials, we ended up with a
beam of oxygen ions accelerated enough to fuse with gold atoms in a target. Gold is a
noble metal and does not form compounds with francium, so we could extract and
transport it to the trapping region.
Only in 1978 did the team led by Sylvan Liberman at ISOLDE in CERN succeed in
finding the D2 resonant line of the spectrum of francium, opening the road for further
spectroscopic studies. Meanwhile, the development of tunable lasers had enabled the
cooling and trapping of alkali atoms using resonant light in combination with magnetic
fields, so all the parts necessary for trapping and cooling francium were there at Stony
Brook in the early 1990s.
Gerald Gwinner and John Behr joined the effort to trap radioactive rubidium on-line
with the superconducting linear accelerator at Stony Brook. We succeeded in 1994,
opening the way to the more challenging effort to capture francium. Jesse Simsarian and
Paul Voytas took over, and after many failed attempts during the summer of 1995, we
gave it another try at the end of September.
It was already past midnight, and I was preparing the class that I had to give the
following morning. We were in the control room of the accelerator, far from the trapping
area. We had set television monitors and computer screens to follow the signal. I was not
looking into any of the monitors but was sitting reading and facing the other members of
the team. I saw a funny expression on their faces, and I just thought, "Something has
failed." But no, there was a signal that increased and increased as we changed the
frequency of the laser, just where we expected it, but about a hundred times larger! We
were all skeptical and set up to repeat the scan. A few hours later we could not stop
celebrating.
We managed to optimize the trap to a point that, later that year, Simsarian pointed to
the fluorescing francium on a television screen. We had about 3,000 atoms suspended by
a combination of a magnetic field gradient and six laser beams. Wenzheng Zhao joined us,
15

and we started in earnest to learn more about the spectroscopy of francium. We went
hunting for the excited states that had not been detected, we measured their lifetimes, and
we learned a lot about francium's atomic structure. The small trap was good for many
years. Josh Grossman, a new graduate student in 1998, helped measure the change in
the nuclear magnetization in the five different isotopes that we could then produce, but we
knew that we needed to improve the number of atoms.
Many students and postdoctoral associates worked in
developing the new francium trap. It captured a few hundred
francium atoms on Dec. 10, 2002. By the end of that week,
Seth Aubin and Eduardo Gomez managed to have more than
300,000 atoms. The trap was now in a different room from the
target area where the nuclear reaction took place. This allowed
better control over the trap.
Now, when we trap francium atoms, we continue to
monitor and interrogate their fluorescence; they remain in the
TRAPPED
trap for about half a minute. Then they begin their nuclear Afluorescence image of
decay. It is amazing that we somehow manage to do inverse 200,000 francium atoms in a
alchemy: We begin with gold, we get francium for three minutes magneto-optical trap at
after the nuclear reaction, and, once francium decays, we can SUNY Stony Brook.
end up with lead. Vive le francium!
Luis A. Orozco is professor of physics at the State University of New York, Stony Brook.
He moves to the University of Maryland this month. He is one of the distinguished
traveling lecturers of the Division of Laser Science of the American Physical Society.
FRANCIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named after France, where it was discovered.
Atomic mass: (223).
History: Discovered in 1939 by French chemist Marguerite Perey of the Curie Institute in Paris.
Occurrence: Very rare; a minute amount is estimated to exist in Earth's crust. Can be produced
artificially by bombarding thorium with protons.
Appearance: Solid metal of unknown color.
Behavior: Highly radioactive.
Uses: No commercial uses.

16

BERYLLIUM
LEE S. NEWMAN, NATIONAL JEWISH MEDICAL & RESEARCH CENTER

Nearly 20 years ago, I entered the hospital room of a retired nuclear

physicist who had worked on the Manhattan Project with Enrico Fermi.
He had been suffering for several years from shortness of breath and a
nagging cough, and he was tethered to an oxygen tank. He had never
expected that working around "a little beryllium" would someday destroy
his lungs. I thought he must be one of the last remaining patients with
this disease. I didn't expect to spend the next 20 years treating
hundreds of workers for beryllium disease. Nor did I expect to encounter
so many obstacles to the elimination of a preventable illness. But
ignorance and misinformation about the health hazards of beryllium die
hard.
Microgram for microgram, beryllium is one of the most toxic elements on the periodic
table. When engineers select beryllium alloys for new applications, they consider its
desirable properties of light weight, durability, conductivity, or neutron moderation.
Unfortunately, they are often condemning workers "downstream" to a lifelong risk for an
incurable illness that affects up to 20% of people exposed.
In 1985, a younger metal machinist came to my clinic.
He had an identical illness to the physicist. The difference:
John was actively milling, sawing, sanding, and polishing
beryllium parts for nuclear weapons at Rocky Flats, in
Golden, Colo. He later became known as "the index case"
for an epidemic of beryllium disease in U.S. industry. Ten
percent of his fellow beryllium machinists developed
chronic beryllium disease. Since then, studies have EXPOSED Workers pouring
beryllium-copper
detected sick workers in dozens of companies worldwide, molten
not only among those who work directly with beryllium, but alloy into a mold. The
process and the level of
even among bystanders with "secondhand" contact.
Seventy years after the discovery that beryllium dust protection against beryllium
remained
largely
causes disease, the depth of this epidemic is unplumbed, have
probably involving more than a million exposed workers. unchanged during the past
Because of the growing number of new applications of 50 years.
beryllium-containing materials in industry, disease is now
being detected among workers in the manufacture of beryllium, electronics, jewelry,
dental prostheses, and aircraft, as well as in metal machine shops, aircraft repair
industries, aerospace and defense industries, and the recycling of berylliumalloy-containing products. Cases are being reported in Europe, Asia, Israel, and Canada.
The disease can be caused by virtually any form of beryllium dust or fumes, ranging
from beryllium alloys (for example, aluminum-, copper-, nickel-, and magnesium-beryllium)
and beryllia ceramics to pure metal. Once inhaled, beryllium is like a time bomb in the
17

body. In some people, disease develops within a few months, or it can take 40 years.
Workers who breathed beryllium dust even for a few days carry a lifelong risk of
developing sensitization to the metal and disease. In our clinics at National Jewish, we
now care for hundreds of patients who have developed this serious, chronic allergic
reaction to beryllium.
Fortunately, not everyone's immune system will overreact to beryllium. But when it
does, the immune cells that are combating beryllium particles produce collateral damage
to the lungs, lymph nodes, skin, and other organs where the cells detect beryllium. The
illness is worse for some patients than for others. Those with the more severe form of the
illness develop steadily worsening symptoms, become dependent on immunesuppressant medicines and an oxygen bottle, and eventually may die of respiratory failure
after a decade or more of suffering.
My generation of health researchers has learned a lot. We have well-validated blood
and lung tests for diagnosing chronic beryllium disease with great accuracy. The beryllium
lymphocyte proliferation test is now used extensively as a medical surveillance tool. With it,
we have learned how to detect beryllium allergy and disease early and have developed
better methods for monitoring the progression of the disease.
With the help of cooperative companies, labor unions, management, and workers, we
know that when any form of beryllium is milled, lathed, deburred, sanded, polished, or
otherwise machined, it liberates micron- and submicron-sized particles that deposit deeply
and invisibly in the lungs. We have learned that strict control of beryllium use in the
workplace can reduce health risk, but that the best choice is to select safer substitute
materials. There is agreement in the medical research community that current
Occupational Safety & Health Administration permissible exposure limits fail to protect
workers from beryllium.
What have I learned? We should stop using beryllium whenever possible. We need
broader medical surveillance and better exposure control for people working in industries
that continue to ignore beryllium's risks. And we have the knowledge needed to prevent
beryllium-related disease from occurring in the future. Will we?
Lee S. Newman is professor of medicine and head of the Division of Environmental &
Occupational Health Sciences, National Jewish Medical & Research Center, and professor
of medicine and preventive medicine/biometrics, University of Colorado School of
Medicine, Denver.
BERYLLIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named for the mineral beryl.
Atomic mass: 9.01.
History: Discovered in 1798 by French chemist Nicholas L. Vauquelin, but first isolated independently
in 1828.
Occurrence: Relatively scarce. Found in some 30 mineral species.
Appearance: Whitish gray, solid metal.
Behavior: Inhalation of finely powdered Be compounds can lead to berylliosis, a painful and
sometimes fatal disease.
Uses: Alloyed with copper, aluminum, or nickel, beryllium imparts excellent electrical and thermal
conductivities. It is applied as a structural material for high-speed aircraft and spacecraft.

18

MAGNESIUM
GERALD D. COLE, LIGHTWEIGHTSTRATEGIES

Magnesium is the eighth most common element and the sixth most
abundant metal, making up about 2.5% of Earth's surface; seawater
contains 0.14% magnesium. The element is concentrated in the
minerals carnallite (MgCl 6H2O), magnesite (MgCO3), and dolomite
(MgCO3 CaCO3).
Magnesium is the lightest industrial metal, with a density that is
about the same as engineered plastics, two-thirds the density of
aluminum, and one-quarter that of steel. It is a little weaker (except in
fatigue) and a bit softer than aluminum; conventional alloys creep at
temperatures above 125 C, but newer alloys almost equal aluminum.
Most properties are significantly better than engineered polymers.
Magnesium's main limitations are its low formability at room temperature, but this is much
improved at temperatures greater than 200 C. Molten magnesium alloys have
outstanding fluidity and can be cast into very large (1 m x 2 m), ultrathin (12 mm),
high-surface-detail shapes.
It was the influence of war that changed magnesium's stature from a curiosity to an
industrial material. And it was in Germany where the body of knowledge originated on how
easily magnesium could be alloyed (with aluminum, zinc, and manganese) and formed
(cast, forged, extruded, welded, and machined). In fact, magnesium was referred to as
"the German metal" well into the 20th century.
Magnesium's first uses in flares, tracer bullets,
incendiary bombs, fireworks, and flash photography
were based on its significant chemical reactivity. In fact,
most of us learned about magnesium from our high
school teachers as we watched a lit ribbon produce a
bright flare. And it is this fiery perception that remains to
this day. It was only in the late 1990s that magnesium
was reclassified from a reactive to an engineering metal
FLYING HIGH
by the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, the
A Convair B-36A nuclear
dominant North American metals society.
A quick search on Google reveals over 1.5 million bomber. The plane contains
citations for "magnesium." More than 1.4 million are about 10,000 kg of Mg.
connected to nutritional and medicinal uses, since it is
an important element in both plant and animal life. Magnesium has valuable chemical
uses: in reducing uranium and titanium from their ores, in eliminating sulfur from steel, and
in producing high-strength (spheroidal graphite) cast iron. Magnesium oxides are also
central to high-temperature refractories. Up until recently, magnesium's main use was as
a 13% alloy, with 20 million tons of aluminum alloy produced annually.
The recent history of magnesium is marked by two events. First, 70,000 World War II
Messerschmitt and Stuka dive bombers contained magnesium fuselages, engine parts,
19

and wheels. (U.S. Convair B-36 bombers contained 10,000 kg.) There is no magnesium in
today's aircraft, but there is in some jet engine parts, rockets, missiles, and helicopter rotor
housings (machined from high-temperature alloy castings). Second, the 19392003
Volkswagen Beetle showed the world that magnesium has significant automotive
applications, with almost 25 kg of magnesium castings in its transmission housing and
air-cooled engine.
Five years ago, magnesium's cost was twice that of aluminum (about $4.00 per kg).
This was based on 40,00060,000-ton expensive, continuous, chemical plants that
reduced the combined magnesium in magnesite, carnellite, and seawater to MgCl2;
smelters (with their expensive electricity) reduced the chloride to metal. Using thousands
of small, low-cost, coal-fired kilns, Chinese producers now directly reduce dolomite in
low-vacuum steel tubes and condense magnesium "crowns" in 60-kg batches at
one-fortieth the cost per ton of capacity compared with Western producers. From nothing
six years ago, China now produces one-half the world's supply and has forced
magnesium prices down to nearly those of aluminum ($1.60 per kg).
Magnesium production is one-fortieth that of aluminum, but it is growing five times
faster, at 510% annually, as its valuable properties are increasingly exploited to reduce
weight, increase fuel efficiency, and reduce emissions. The automotive industry is the
largest user. Light, rugged, "handheld everything" that requires electronic shielding can be
made from ultra-thin (about 1 mm) high-pressure die castings, injection-molded
semisolids (Thixomolding), and stamped sheets. Tens of millions of laptop computers,
PDAs, cell phones, camera bodies, and projection equipment are produced annually this
way. There is a growing use for magnesium in power tools; kitchen appliances; and lawn,
garden, and sporting equipment where magnesium's excellent vibration absorption adds
consumer value. Unlike most polymeric materials, magnesium alloys have outstanding
impact and dent resistance--and they are 100% recyclable.
As prices decrease, new alloys will be invented and new uses found to make
magnesium the wonder metal of the 21st century.

Gerald D. Cole is the principal in LightWeightStrategies LLC and is a senior technical

adviser for the Australian Magnesium Corp. He was a Ford Motor Co. global
lightweighting expert for 35 years until his retirement in 2001.
MAGNESIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek Magnesia, a city in Thessaly.
Atomic mass: 24.31.
History: Recognized as an element by Joseph Black in 1755 and isolated in 1808 by Sir Humphry
Davy.
Occurrence: Isolated from seawater.
Appearance: Silvery white, solid metal
Behavior: Pure magnesium ignites in water. Lustrous, soft, and malleable.
Uses: Essential component of many enzymes and chlorophyll. It is used as a bulk metal, in
lightweight alloys, and as a "sacrificial" electrode.

CALCIUM
20

STURE FORSN, LUND UNIVERSITY, SWEDEN

I came under the spell of calcium in a fairly roundabout way. During

my graduate studies in the early 1960s, I was involved with nuclear
magnetic resonance spectroscopy of various nuclei. 1H and 13C were, of
course, the most popular since they usually gave rise to very narrow
NMR signals and are present in almost all organic and biochemical
molecules. These nuclei, however, represent only a minor fraction of the
elements in the periodic table--most of which were more or less virgin
territory for NMR. But many of these less popular nuclei are in fact quite
abundant in biological systems--not the least in the form of ions, for
example, Cl, Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+.
One reason these nuclei were relatively unpopular was that they
possessed a property called "quadrupolar moment." Unless the quadrupolar nuclei are in
an effectively symmetrical situation--like, for example, as "free" ions in dilute aqueous
solutions--they give rise to very broad NMR signals. In covalent compounds, the
linewidths can easily be 10,000 Hz or more. Furthermore, some of the isotopes suitable
for NMR were in low abundance--for example, 25Mg (10.1%) and 43Ca (0.13%), and, in
addition, their inherent NMR receptivity was generally poor.
Due to a mixture of scientific curiosity, stubbornness, and sheer instrumental
necessity--lack of a spectrometer suitable for high-resolution 1H NMR studies of biological
macromolecules--we used NMR of 35Cl, 79Br, 81Br, and 23Na+ to study how these ions
interacted with different proteins, primarily hemoglobin and other heme proteins,
metalloenzymes, and so forth. Much valuable information on the proteins could indeed be
obtained through competition experiments with substrates, inhibitors, and other ions. This
was largely due to a very useful dynamic amplification phenomenon. Even if a
quadrupolar ion in an aqueous solution was binding to a metal ion or a charged amino
acid on a protein molecule only for a very brief time, this resulted in an easily observed
broadening of the NMR signal of the bulk ions due to chemical exchange that transferred
the large linewidth of the bound ions to the bulk.
But we wanted to be able to move from the "easy" quadrupolar ions to the really
tough ones: 39K+, 25Mg2+, and 43Ca2+ , the last being the real crown jewel. I was able to
convince a major funding institution in Sweden to provide a grant to construct a
superconducting Fourier transform NMR spectrometer dedicated to the study of
quadrupolar ions in biological systems. This instrument was operational around 1980, and,
as a result of the outstanding skill of electronics engineer Hans Lilja, was world-class. We
were now ready for 43Ca2+ studies. In 1982, we were able to present in the Journal of the
American Chemical Society our first--in fact the first--NMR study of 43Ca2+ at millimolar
concentrations interacting with different Ca2+ binding proteins [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 104,
576 (1982)]. In subsequent studies of a variety of proteins, we showed how the rate of
exchange, under equilibrium conditions, of the Ca2+ ions--as well as their binding
constant--could be measured by varying the temperature and concentrations.
By 1980, it had become evident that in higher organisms intracellular Ca2+ was a
universal "second messenger" involved in the activation of an enormous variety of cellular

21

processes: muscular contraction, secretion, fertilization, apoptosis, and memory. As a

result of events at the surface of a cell--a receptor meeting a signaling molecule, for
example--the intracellular Ca2+ concentration was transiently increased from nanomolar to
micromolar due to release of Ca2+ ions from intracellular storage devices. Several of these
effects could be traced back to the binding of Ca2+ to an intracellular Ca2+ binding protein
called calmodulin, discovered in the late 1970s. Calmodulin, like many other intracellular
Ca2+ binding proteins that were subsequently discovered in rapid pace, possessed pairs
of specialized binding sites called "EF hands." At micromolar Ca2+ concentrations,
calmodulin would bind Ca2+ in a cooperative manner. As a result, calmodulin underwent
conformation changes that enabled it to bind to and activate a large number of other
protein molecules.
Today, many hundreds of Ca2+ binding proteins are known. They have a wide range
of structures and functions--encompassing signaling, transporting, and buffering [Biochem.
Mol. Biol., 36, 107 (2001)].
A recent Google search of "calcium" gave 3 million hits. Calcium rules!

Sture Forsn is professor emeritus at Lund University, Sweden, and managing director of
a postgenomic consortium (SWEGENE). From 1976 to 1995, he was a member of the
Nobel Committee for Chemistry of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
CALCIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin calx, lime.
22

Atomic mass: 40.08.

History: The Romans used lime as far back as A.D. 100; the metal was isolated in 1808 by Sir
Humphrey Davy.
Occurrence: Fifth in abundance in Earth's crust.
Appearance: Silvery white, solid metal.
Behavior: Calcium reacts vigorously with air, water, and concentrated acid.
Uses: CaCO3, is used to make white paint, toothpaste, and antacids.

23

STRONTIUM
ARJUN MAKHIJANI, INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH

Strontium was named after a Scottish town, Strontian, in the

Argyllshire district, where strontium carbonate mineral was first identified
in the late-18th century. It is a metal with four stable isotopes that give
flares and fireworks their crimson color.
Despite this useful and pleasing property, strontium is perhaps best
known today in its dangerous radioactive incarnation, Sr-90. There are
also a number of other radioactive isotopes of strontium, but only Sr-90
has a long enough half-life, 29.1 years, to present a persistent hazard.
Sr-90 is created during nuclear explosions or in nuclear reactors in
the process of fission of heavy nuclei, such as uranium-235 and
plutonium-239. Strontium belongs in the same group of metals as
calcium--and that is the principal source of its danger. When it is ingested or inhaled,
radioactive strontium is processed by the body in the same way as calcium and winds up
in bones, creating the risk of cancer, especially bone cancer and leukemia.
Sr-90 ionizes molecules in the body by the emission of a high-energy -particle. The
specific activity of Sr-90 is about 138 curies per g. It decays into Y-90, which is also a
-emitter, with which it is normally in equilibrium, thus doubling the specific activity of the
material.
Biological harm can also be caused by Sr-90 from
outside the body. When -particles it emits are stopped in
air, liquids, or solids, the frictional or braking energy that
slows down the electrons is emitted in the form of X-rays
called brehmstrahlung (German for braking) radiation. This
radiation, like the dentist's X-rays, can penetrate the body
and cause the ionizing of molecules and increased cancer
risk.
Pollution from Sr-90 first attracted international attention
during the atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons carried out
in the 1950s by the U.S., the Soviet Union, and England. It
LIGHT SHOW
was present as an important component of the fallout that
was deposited all over the world. After a serious incident of
imparts
a
fallout on Rongelap Atoll and on a Japanese fishing boat Strontium
because of a U.S. hydrogen bomb test at Bikini on March 1, crimson color to fireworks.
1954, a worldwide call to stop nuclear weapons testing was
issued. That demand centered on Sr-90 contamination of milk.
In the U.S., the Greater St. Louis Citizens Committee for Nuclear Information issued a
call for people to send in baby teeth, where Sr-90 accumulation was expected. Positive
results seemed to clinch the matter. In 1963, the U.S., the Soviet Union, and Great Britain
signed a treaty banning atmospheric testing.

24

Sr-90 also pollutes soil and water at some reprocessing plants, such as those at the
Savannah River Site in South Carolina, the Hanford Site in Washington, and the Mayak
plant in Russia's southern Urals. At Mayak, an explosion of a tank containing high-level
wastes in 1957 released 20 million curies of radioactive fission products into the
environment. About 2 million curies of this was deposited over an area of 15,000 to 23,000
km2, necessitating the evacuation of more than 30 towns and villages. About 5% of this
was Sr-90 and yttrium-90.
Sr-90 has been used to make radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). The
energy of the -particles is captured as heat, some of which is converted to electricity
using thermocouples. RTGs have been used as power sources in space missions both by
the U.S. and the Soviet Union. They were deployed as power sources for powering
remote seismic stations in Alaska and, far more commonly, in remote areas of the former
Soviet Union. RTGs using plutonium-238, with a half-life of 87 years, are now preferred,
since these devices can be made more compact because they need less shielding.
After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the system for keeping track of Sr-90
power sources fell into some disarray. They are now a source of danger to the local
population. (Hunters in the Republic of Georgia have been accidentally irradiated, for
instance.) There is also the risk that they could be discovered by or sold to terrorists for
use in radiological weapons. Each RTG typically contains tens of thousands of
curies--several hundred grams--of Sr-90.
A little over 10 g of Sr-90, if inhaled in insoluble form, would give a sufficient dose to
cause cancer with high probability. The risk is mitigated by the fact that it would be difficult
to make radioactive dispersal weapons using Sr-90, given the potentially severe radiation
risk to those who might want to fabricate such devices without expert help or considerable
experience. A considerable effort to locate and secure Sr-90 RTGs is now under way.
Ironically, the use of radiological weapons was first conceptualized by the U.S. during
World War II as part of the Manhattan Project. Fortunately, the idea was never
implemented.
Despite the crimson brilliance of stable strontium, its radioactive variety has given
element 38 an air of risk and notoriety.
Arjun Makhijani is president of the Institute for Energy & Environmental Research. He
has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, where he specialized in nuclear
fusion. He is principal editor of "Nuclear Wastelands," MIT Press, 1995 and 2000, which
was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
STRONTIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named for Strontian, the town in Scotland where it was discovered.
Atomic mass: 87.62.
History: Discovered by Irish scientist Adair Crawford in 1790.
Occurrence: Primarily obtained from the ores celestite and strontianite.
Appearance: Silvery yellow metal.
Behavior: Sr-90, a by-product of nuclear explosions, can replace calcium in bone tissue, causing
radiation damage.
Uses: Strontium is used to make color television picture tubes.

25

BARIUM
LOUISA WRAY DALTON, C&EN WASHINGTON

My gut response to the mention of barium is resentment. "This

might be a little uncomfortable," the technician told me when she said
they wanted to do a test to find out what might be causing my appetite to
plummet and my stomach to hurt. I don't think the word "enema" was
ever brought up. But even enema is an understatement. The lower
gastrointestinal exam, also known as the barium enema, entails
inserting a milky suspension of barium sulfate into "the back passage,"
as the English say, of your large intestine until it has entirely filled your
colon--with more liquid than you ever thought could fit in there--and then
placing you on a cold X-ray table and asking you to hold it ... and
continue to hold it ... and hold it a little longer ... you're doing great ...
and we're getting there ... for what, under the circumstances, is a very long time.
I'm sorry to get into the details, but it must be understood that "uncomfortable" just
doesn't adequately describe the sensation of keeping all of that dense white fluid inside of
you. Ancient reflexes well honed by evolution launch all their weight against this modern
medical procedure.
At least mine did, although I must grant that I was 10
years old and under a certain amount of stress already. After
one bad night two months earlier, I had been struggling with
frequent stomachaches, a low-grade fever, high white blood
cell count, no desire to eat, and general malaise. My mother
knew something was terribly wrong, because my appetite
usually took care of all of my siblings' leftovers. But I had no
sharp pain, and our family doctor was perplexed: thus the
hospital tests. The barium enema did the trick. It outlined my
inflamed and half-burst appendix covered up with scar tissue.
REVEALED
That meant that when I came out from the loo, I was
A colored barium X-ray
promptly told that I would now be going into surgery--a word
showing a healthy large
that scared the bejeebers out of me. I think that's when I lost it,
intestine (in red).
begging my mom to not let them take me, right up until they
put me under.
I once told my doctor friend about my traumatic barium enema experience, and with a
surprised and unrepentant look, she said, "Gee, we order those all the time." I now
grudgingly admit she has good reason. Despite my reflex resentment toward barium, it
seems I owe it my life.
Barium sulfate has been entering gastrointestinal tracts for nearly 100 years because
the stuff works [Science, 300, 936 (2003)]. Most of the human midsection is invisible to
X-rays, which pass right through soft tissue, yet particles of heavy barium sulfate block
X-rays. The film of a barium enema shows in sharp relief all gastrointestinal curves and

26

abnormalities. (For the small intestine, there's a similar test, except that the barium sulfate
is made into a palatable "barium meal," and it gets sent down the hatch.)
It works so well for perhaps the same reason I wanted it out of me: Barium sulfate is
uncommonly dense. The substance is found naturally in Earth's crust as a mineral called
barite, which the oil industry found was heavy enough to use as a "weighting agent."
About 98% of the barite in the world is put to use by petroleum firms, which grind it up and
add it to drilling muds to help counteract the high pressures found at oil-drilling depths.
Besides being heavy, barium sulfate does little else--which is yet another boon. Both
doctors and oil-well diggers love it because it just sits there, impeding X-rays or
counteracting pressure. The compound is insoluble in water and loath to react in other
ways. Even in an intestine designed to digest, barium sulfate goes in and comes right
back out.
Other barium compounds aren't so harmless. Potters like to use barium carbonate to
lower the melting point of a glaze, but are advised to wear a mask and gloves because
even the dust is soluble and toxic. And the barium chlorate that makes green fireworks is
rather unstable (C&EN, July 2, 2001, page 30).
Yet barium sulfate is approachable. It may be dense and more than uncomfortable to
have inside my colon. But give me a minute to swallow my childhood trauma, and I'll raise
a grateful toast to the element that lights up intestines.
Louisa Dalton is an assistant editor in the science, technology, and education group at
C&EN. To this day, she regards eating someone else's leftovers as a sign of good health.
BARIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek barys, heavy.
Atomic mass: 137.33.
History: Swedish chemist Karl Wilhelm Scheele distinguished baryta (a barium alkali) from lime in
1774, but the pure element was discovered by British chemist Sir Humphrey Davy in 1808.
Occurrence: Found most often as barium carbonate and barite. The pure form must be derived
through electrolysis of barium chloride.
Appearance: Silvery white, soft metal.
Behavior: Oxidizes quite easily and must be stored under petroleum or oil to exclude air. Extremely
toxic when soluble. Barium chloride, a soluble salt, causes heart problems, but insoluble barite is used
as a tracer for X-raying the human intestinal tract because it is extremely dense and opaque to X-rays.
Uses: Used as a "getter" in vacuum tubes. The sulfate is used in paint, in X-ray imaging, and
glassmaking. Barite is used in drilling fluids for oil and gas exploration. Barium carbonate has been
used as rat poison. Barium nitrate and chlorate are used in green-colored fireworks. Barium is also
used to make spark plugs.

27

RADIUM
DONALD P. AMES, FLUOTECH

In 1942, Gen. Leslie R. Groves purchased Belgian Congo

pitchblende for the uranium required by the newly formed Manhattan
Project. This ore was owned by the Belgium-owned U. S. Radium Corp.
When refined, the ore was the radium source for hospital - and sources. Radon, the daughter generated by radium -disintegration,
was condensed in capillaries for personal irradiation sources. Uranium
for the Manhattan Project, as U3O8, was purified by diethyl ether
extraction by Mallinckrodt Chemical, St. Louis, and the radium was
returned to U. S. Radium. The company wanted to ascertain that it got
all the radium back.
The aqueous solution analyses following radium separation were
assigned to the Chemistry Section C-I of the Metallurgical Laboratories at the University of
Chicago in June 1945. A control analysis group containing four of the nine members of the
Special Engineering Detachment, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was formed in July 1945
to develop analyses for aqueous solutions suspected of containing radium. (For more on
this project, see Seaborg, Katz, and Manning, editors, "Plutonium Project Record:
National Nuclear Energy Series 14B." New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1949.)
Two competitive analyses were to be developed by this
group: a rapid analysis for radium via the precipitation route
and an emanation (radon) analysis method. Although the rapid
radium analysis (RRA) was my main assignment, I assisted the
emanation analysis (EA) development. RRA involved barium
(radium) chloride precipitation; its dissolution was followed by
direct -counting of barium (radium) sulfate on Pyrex glass
disks. During this method, development of the effect of other
-emitter cations (uranium, protoactinium, thorium, actinium,
polonium, bismuth) on barium (radium) chloride precipitation
was examined. Although actinium chloride and bismuth
BANG!
chloride were coprecipitated with barium chloride, they did not Colored images of the
interfere with
-counting, as these members of radium radioactive emission of
disintegration emit electrons ( -rays). The results of this RRA a-particles from radium.
were consistent with those of the EA method; consequently,
Mallinckrodt requested it for the analysis because of its simplicity and ease of
performance.
Following the successful completion of the radium analyses, it became apparent that
the radium half-life had not been determined by direct -counting because of the
-particle growth from radon-222 and three polonium isotopes: 210, 214, and 218. The
National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards & Technology), the
repository for radioactivity data, reported 1,590 years for the half-life from an average of
several indirect measurements. From an exhaustive literature search, I found 23 indirect
28

measurements of this half-life. I was assigned the measurement of the radium-226

half-life by direct counting in November 1945.
By using the Bateman equations plus a Monroe calculator, I determined the -growth
curve for radium based on known half-life values. -Particle growth curves on separate
samples were counted for approximately five radon half-lives to determine whether radon
diffusion and/or nuclide recoil after -emission was important; the nuclide recoil was
found to be important. By using a constant diffusion rate plus variable recoil rates,
modified growth curves were constructed. By using these curves with the -growth count
for eight hours, the count rate of a known weight of radium after all daughters had been
removed could be determined via extrapolation. Then the radium half-life could be
determined from this count rate for a known radium weight.
Accurate radium half-life measurements required that I develop micro techniques
before proceeding with milligram weights. These techniques included purifying radium by
fractional crystallization from aqueous hydrochloric acid, drying purified RaCl2, quartz fiber
microbalance weighing, and preparing deposits for counting, as well as the procedure and
counters for eight-hour -counting and extrapolation to zero time. Using arc-spectrograph
analysis, the barium content was determined to be less than 0.02%. Then milligram
weights of purified RaCl2 were used to prepare solutions for the half-life determination.
Fifty-four different RaSO4 deposits from the microgram and milligram RaCl2 solutions
were prepared to obtain a half-life of 1,622 years, with an error estimate of 13 years. I
completed this measurement in September 1946.
Donald P. Ames is president of Fluotech, a company he formed after spending 30 years
as staff vice president/general manager of McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories. He
was a member of the Special Engineering Detachment, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
assigned to the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago.
RADIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin radius, ray.
Atomic mass: (226).
History: Discovered in 1898 by Marie and Pierre Curie in pitchblende.
Occurrence: Occurs naturally in all uranium and thorium minerals.
Appearance: Brilliant white soft solid that blackens on exposure to air.
Behavior: Reacts with oxygen and decomposes in water. The surface of radium metal is covered
with a thin layer of oxide that helps protect the metal. Radium is highly radiotoxic and exhibits
luminescence, as do its salts.
Uses: Once used to treat cancer. Radium was used in the mid-1900s in a luminous paint to make
the hands and numbers on watches glow in the dark.

29

SCANDIUM
GUNNAR RAADE, UNIVERSITY OF OSLO

Regarded by most people as a very exotic element, scandium is

not all that rare. Its average abundance in Earth's crust is 22 ppm,
which can be compared with 25 ppm for cobalt and 13 ppm for lead.
Other familiar metals that we use, such as molybdenum, tin, tungsten,
silver, and gold, are far below in crustal abundances. While these other
metals tend to be concentrated in economically exploitable deposits,
the problem with scandium is that it is dispersed in common
rock-forming minerals. Accordingly, minerals with scandium as a main
constituent are few and rare. This makes scandium an exciting element
for the mineralogist and geochemist. Although today's total market is
relatively small, an increasing demand for scandium calls for an
increased effort to better understand the distribution of the element and to locate new
deposits.
Only nine major scandium minerals are known so far (year of first description in
parentheses): thortveitite (1911), bazzite (1915), kolbeckite (1926; not originally
recognized as a scandium mineral), jervisite (1982), cascandite (1982), juonniite (1997),
pretulite (1998), scandiobabingtonite (1998), and kristiansenite (2002). Kolbeckite,
juonniite, and pretulite are phosphates; the rest are silicates. A few more new species are
in the pipeline for formal description. Thortveitite, Sc2Si2O7, was once the world's most
expensive mineral and was produced in small amounts from granite pegmatites in south
Norway. Radioactive calcium isotopes were produced from it for use in medicine.
In minerals, the most common substitution
mechanism involving scandium is the replacement of
aluminum and trivalent iron. This is the main reason for
the dispersal of scandium in the lithosphere and is
explained by the valency of scandium (Sc3+) and
similarities in ionic radii. Scandium can also substitute for
yttrium and the heavy lanthanides (rare-earth elements),
despite a larger difference in ionic radii. Incorporation of
ROCK SOLID
scandium in minerals containing magnesium, manganese,
and divalent iron--or niobium, tantalum, tin, and Thortveitite, Sc2Si2O7, such
zirconium--is explained by various coupled (heterovalent) as these crystals from
substitutions; for example, Sc3+ + (Ti,Sn)4+ (Fe,Mn)2+ + Norway, was once the world's
most expensive mineral.
(Nb,Ta)5+, Sc3+ + Na+ (Mg,Fe)2+ + Ca2+, Sc3+ + Ca2+
Sn4+ + Na+, and Sc3+ + P5+ Zr4+ + Si4+. No wonder scandium is a dispersed element! In
common rocks, it is mainly present in ferromagnesian minerals like pyroxenes,
amphiboles, micas, garnets, and epidote-group minerals.
Owing to its dispersed nature and resulting low concentration, scandium is produced
exclusively as a by-product during processing of various ores and has also been
30

recovered from mine tailings. The principal scandium-producing countries are China,
Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. Future resources are known in the U.S., Australia, and
Norway. Undiscovered scandium resources are probably very large.
Investigations of the use of scandium in aluminum alloys began in the Soviet Union in
the 1970s, although such alloys were patented in the U.S. in 1971. During the 1980s,
Russian scientists implemented scandium in several alloy systems. Some of the
advantages of using scandium in aluminum alloys are to achieve grain refinement during
casting and welding, increased strength from Al3Sc precipitates, increased resistance to
recrystallization, and enhanced superplastic properties. It has been claimed that
scandium provides the highest increment of strengthening per atomic percent of any of
the other aluminum-alloying elements.
Principal uses for scandium are in high-strength aluminum alloys, high-intensity metal
halide lamps, electronics, and laser research. A recently developed application is in
welding wire, and future demand is expected to be in fuel cells. Approximately 15 different
commercial Al-Sc alloys have been developed in Russia, and some of them are used for
aerospace applications. In Europe and the U.S., scandium-containing alloys have been
evaluated for use in structural parts in airplanes. The combination of high strength and
light weight makes Al-Sc alloys suitable for a number of applications.
But the high price of scandium has so far restricted widespread use of such alloys in
the Western world. Uses have been primarily in sports equipment like baseball and
softball bats, bicycle frames, lacrosse sticks, and even in handgun frames and cylinders!
With the current prices, an addition of typically 0.2 weight % Sc to an aluminum alloy will
quadruple the price. However, should the price fall by 90% or more, scandium will be in
immediate demand for large-scale production of several alloy types. Of course, such a
development is dependent on stable, long-term supplies. I am convinced that scandium's
heyday is ahead of us.
Gunnar Raade is a senior curator of minerals at the Geological Museum, University
of Oslo, Norway. He has been involved in the description of 13 new mineral species,
among them one new scandium mineral (kristiansenite).
SCANDIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin Scandia, Scandinavia.
Atomic mass: 44.96.
History: Discovered in 1879 by Lars F. Nilson at Uppsala, Sweden, in the mineral euxenite, which had
not yet been found outside Scandinavia.
Occurrence: Not found as a free metal. It occurs in minute quantities in more than 800 mineral species.
Today, scandium is usually obtained as a by-product of refining uranium.
Appearance: Silvery white, soft metal.
Behavior: Scandium metal tarnishes in air and burns readily to form scandium oxide. When finely
divided or heated, the metal dissolves in water. Scandium is very reactive toward the halogens, forming
trihalides. It is mildly toxic by ingestion, and scandium salts are suspected carcinogens.
Uses: Used in mercury vapor lights for high-intensity lighting that approximates sunlight. Its alloys are
used in athletic equipment. When added to aluminum alloys, scandium can significantly increase
strength and reduce grain size.

31

YTTRIUM
PAUL C. W. CHU, UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON AND HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Life would cease to exist without the existence of some elements in
the periodic table. However, life would continue even if yttrium did not
exist. While yttrium is not known to exhibit any significant biological
function, its compounds have helped provide some modern-day
comforts, such as color television and wireless communication. On a
personal level, yttrium is the one element that has left a long-lasting
imprint on me.
When I was a young boy in Taiwan, I dreamed of building a
machine that would move forever once started. I had been fascinated by
science fiction writings based on such a machine. I still remember the
countless nights in pursuit of such a dream. I connected in parallel the
two identical motors that I built and prayed that once one was rotated as the generator, it
would produce enough power to keep the other rotating without stopping. Clearly, I failed.
Only later did I learn that one cannot fool Mother Nature. By virtue of the second law
of thermodynamics, a perfect machine cannot exist. However, as I grew older, I also
learned that perpetual motion is not impossible in the quantum domain, that is, in the
microscopic atomic scale. For example, electrons move without friction inside an atom
and will never stop, similar to a perpetual machine, although at a microscopic dimension.
Nature has been kind to us. In 1911, she revealed to
Kamerlingh Onnes that such an effect could also occur in a
macroscopic object, known as a superconductor. A stream of
electrons or an electrical current, once started, will flow
forever in a ring made from a superconductor, the closest
thing to a perpetual machine. It was superconductivity that
first introduced me to yttrium and has kept me off the street for
the past several decades.
The zero resistivity of a superconductor enables the
transmission of an electrical current without energy loss. As a
LEVITATION
result, scientists recognized the technological promise that
A
magnet
disk rotates in
superconductors held immediately after discovery. One can
mid-air above a YBCO
envision a superconducting magnetic, levitated train gliding
disc that is cooled by
smoothly above a track at a speed faster than 500 km per
liquid nitrogen.
hour; a superconducting generator three to six times smaller
and lighter than its nonsuperconducting counterpart, producing the same amount of power
without loss; a superconducting magnet generating a strong steady field that cannot be
otherwise achieved for research and industry; superconducting sensors with unrivaled
sensitivity; and electronic devices with ultrafast speed. Unfortunately, during my graduate
school years, superconductivity occurred only at temperatures below 23 K close to
32

absolute zero (0 K). To reach such low temperatures, one must use the rare, expensive,
and difficult-to-handle liquid helium as a coolant, making application of superconductors
impractical.
For decades after 1911, one main goal for scientists in the field of superconductivity
was to look for materials that are superconducting at higher temperatures or that possess
higher transition temperatures (Tc). Although yttrium is a metal that is not superconducting
at ambient pressure, its carbon compound, Y2C3, doped with titanium has a Tc as high as
14.5 K. Until the mid-1980s, the compound was considered a high-temperature
superconductor and attracted the attention of many scientists, including myself.
A new, record-high Tc of 35 K was discovered in La2CuO4 slightly doped with La by
Alex Mueller and J. Georg Bednorz in 1986. My students and I detected superconductivity
at 90 K in LaBa2Cu3O7 (LBCO) in mid-January 1987. Unfortunately, the LBCO sample
was unstable because of the impurity present, and thus the superconductivity observed
disappeared the next day. Our high-pressure data suggested that a smaller trivalent
element than La should alleviate the instability impasse. In late January 1987, my group at
the University of Houston and the group led by my former student Maw-Kuen Wu at the
University of Alabama observed superconductivity at 93 K in the stable compound
YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO).
The discovery of superconductivity in YBCO above the temperature of liquid nitrogen
has ushered in the new era of high-temperature superconductivity. It has made many
superconductivity applications conceived decades ago more practical, since one can use
plentiful, inexpensive, and easy-to-handle liquid nitrogen. It has opened up new frontiers
for scientists to explore.
Who would have dreamed the wonderful world of high-temperature superconductivity
would be initiated by yttrium?
Paul C. W. Chu is the T. L. L. Temple Chair of Science at the University of Houston,
principal investigator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and president of the
Hong Kong University of Science & Technology. Along with Maw-Kuen Wu, Chu
discovered the first superconductor above liquid-nitrogen temperature. He received the
National Medal of Science in 1988.
YTTRIUM AT A GLANCE
Name:Named after Ytterby, Sweden, which yielded many unusual minerals.
Atomic mass:88.91.
History: Discovered in 1789 by Finnish chemist Johann Gadolin.
Occurrence: Yttrium occurs in nearly all rare-earth mineral ores.
Appearance:Silvery white, soft metal.
Behavior: Yttrium is stable in air and is very reactive with the halogens. It is mildly toxic by ingestion.
Uses:Used in X-ray filters and superconductors. Yttrium oxide is combined with europium to give the red
phosphor in color television tubes.

33

TITANIUM
THOMAS M. CONNELLY JR., DUPONT

The fascinating chemistry of titanium is closely linked to the

development of several modern industries that have improved the
quality of our lives.
Pure titanium metal does not occur in nature. It is derived primarily
from ilmenite ore, a black mineral composed of FeTiO3 and named for
the Ilmen Lake and mountains of Russia. Ilmenite can be altered to a
mixture of white to yellow titanium oxides known collectively as
leucoxene ore, which is another source of titanium. Reduction to
elemental titanium was not commercialized until the 1950s. Titanium's
combination of high strength-to-weight and corrosion resistance, either
alone or as an alloy, provides tremendous performance enhancements
compared with more traditional metals used in structural applications.
Titanium metal greatly improves performance
in many high-tech applications, from medical to
military. It is also used to replace damaged human
bones and as part of dental implants. Military and
aerospace applications such as the SR-71
Blackbird, a high-speed reconnaissance aircraft
that serves as an invaluable asset for scientific and
intelligence efforts, make extensive use of titanium
and titanium alloy structural components.
Exploration vehicles used in the high-pressure
environment of deep oceans also rely on the high
strength and light weight of titanium structures.
The discovery and elucidation of the role of
titanium in Ziegler-Natta catalysts stands as a
milestone in the evolution of polymerization
BELOW THE SURFACE
chemistry. The pioneering work that developed
This crystalline atomic lattice of
these heterogeneous systems led to the
a TiO2 pigment particle has an
large-scale
production
of
stereoregular
essentially
uniform
amorphous
polypropylene and other important polymers. The
nanolayer of silica coating. The inset
success of this work spurred development of other
shows the pigment morphology.
catalysts based on transition metals beyond
titanium.
The optical properties of the common white titanium dioxide make it the most widely
used opacifier in industry. Additionally, titanium dioxide, also known as titania, is the most
stable of all known white pigments. DuPont has provided pigments based on the
chemistry of titanium to the marketplace since the 1930s. DuPont's work began with the
previously developed "sulfate" process, where titaniferous ores were digested in sulfuric
34

acid and subsequently converted to either the anatase or rutile polymorph. As a result of a
highly focused effort, DuPont developed the "chloride" process in the 1940s and
commercialized it in the 1950s. This process--involving high temperatures, corrosive
materials, solid-gas separations, and a variety of other related chemical and engineering
challenges--was one of the most important developments for DuPont in the 20th century
and is still used today.
The hiding power of TiO2 pigment depends on optical properties generated at the
particle level. Nanoparticles of titania are transparent to visible light but opaque to
ultraviolet light. The performance and use of nanotitanium dioxide is becoming a hot
commodity in many emerging and traditional markets, including wide use in the sunscreen
and cosmetics industries. Other evolving applications for nanotitanium dioxide include
thermal coatings, structural plastics, and environmental catalysts for water treatment or
auto emissions. Future products could include self-cleaning and self-sanitizing
countertops and paints.
Other advanced application areas for titania have recently emerged. One of the most
promising directions is photochemistry. The surface reactivity of TiO2 can be exploited for
attachment of a variety of ligands, some of which--in conjunction with the host oxide--can
exhibit extremely high light absorbance and photoactivity. In addition, titania can be a
highly efficient semiconducting material--readily transporting photogenerated electrons
into circuitry for practical harnessing of the electric output. The combination of these
properties has been capitalized on in emerging photovoltaic device development.
As a result of this potential for new applications, DuPont has a strong interest in
controlling the particle shape and size to optimize interactions with light, dependent upon
the performance requirements of the end-use system. This goal is challenging because
titanium dioxide particles have complex crystal shapes and because light scattering is
affected by interactions between particles.
DuPont maintains its strong interest in titanium-based products. This ubiquitous oxide
has created and continues to create new frontiers for scientists and new products for
end-use consumers.
Thomas M. Connelly Jr. is a senior vice president and chief science and technology
officer at DuPont. A chemical engineer by training, Connelly has been with DuPont since
1977 and has served as manager for a variety of DuPont businesses in the U.S., Europe,
and Asia.
TITANIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named after the Titans of Greek mythology.
Atomic mass: 47.87
History: Discovered in 1791 by the British pastor Rev. William Gregor.
Occurrence: Primarily found in the minerals rutile, ilmenite, and sphene.
Appearance: Silvery metallic solid or dark gray powder.
Behavior: Very strong, light metal that is extraordinarily resistant to corrosion.
Uses: An important alloying agent with aluminum, molybdenum, manganese, iron, and other metals.
Alloys (amalgams) of titanium are principally used for aircraft and missiles where lightweight strength
and ability to withstand extreme temperatures are important.

35

ZIRCONIUM
NANCY B. JACKSON, SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES

You always remember your first love; isn't that what they say?
Zirconia, the oxide form of zirconium, was my constant companion for
so many years. Before going on an airplane, I would have to empty my
coat pockets of the many vials of white powder that had accumulated
during my trips to the X-ray diffraction machine. Somehow, I didn't think
that even in the 1980s airport security would shrug off small vials of
white powder. What fascinated me was zirconium's relationship with
oxygen. Although the chemistry between oxygen and zirconium has led
to its use as an oxygen sensor and an oxygen conductor, it is the
surface zirconium-oxygen bond that filled my days and nights for many
years. Zirconia is an interesting catalyst, and it is the ZrO bond that
makes it interesting.
In John Ekerdt's lab at the University of Texas, Austin, we
were studying the formation of methanol from synthesis gas,
CO and H2, over a zirconia solid catalyst. The postdoc who
worked on the problem before me had identified many surface
species that form on zirconia in the presence of synthesis gas.
The intermediates that played a role in the route from
synthesis gas to methanol were formate and methoxide. The
methoxide was a methyl group attached to an oxygen that
was attached to the surface through a zirconium. The formate
was attached to surface zirconium through two oxygens. In
our temperature-programmed desorption work--the method in
which we studied this reaction--methanol was made only when a small amount of water
was added to the synthesis gas. Without water, the CO and H2 made only methane.
The key to a better understanding of the methanol-formation mechanism would come
from knowing where the oxygen in the methanol came from. Was it the water? It certainly
seemed the obvious choice. With my vial of H218O, I was thrilled that for my first
independent experiment in graduate school, I was going to be just like Melvin Calvin. I
was going to find out where the oxygen came from. Okay, so this wasn't photosynthesis,
and I was not likely to win the Nobel Prize. Nonetheless, I somehow felt a connection with
science like I never had before. I was going to find out what happened to tiny atoms on
surfaces--an unbelievable feat for this once-political-science major!
I marched into my lab early on a Saturday morning, knowing that, by the end of the
day, I would know where the oxygen came from. The working hypothesis was that since
methanol formed only when water was present, the oxygen in the methanol came from the
water. This would be demonstrated by the formation of all labeled CH318OH. A second,
much less likely possibility, was that the water was incorporated in the intermediate
formate. In that case, the methanol would be 50% CH316OH and 50% CH318OH.

36

I was dumbfounded by the results. They were unequivocal and unexpected: It turned
out there was not a drop of 18O in the methanol. The water appeared to break the
methoxide bond between the OZr to give methanol. When water was not around, the
bond between the CO of the methoxide broke, leading to methane. It was almost like a
substitution reaction was occurring between the water and the methoxide. Later
experimentation confirmed and further defined the synthesis gas mechanisms over
zirconia and the pivotal role the OZr bond plays.
I walked into my adviser's office Monday morning and proudly announced that I had
been like Melvin Calvin during the weekend: I had figured out where the oxygen came
from. But more than learning the source of oxygen, that weekend I had been hooked by
research. I had learned the secrets of things I could not see, I had been surprised by
nature, and figuring it all out was better than any puzzle I had ever done. Eventually, my
plans for a master's degree turned into a Ph.D. To this day, when I'm asked why I got a
Ph.D., I think back to that first weekend I spent with zirconia.
As my long relationship with zirconia was winding up, I wondered if it would be
appropriate to ask my fianc for a fabulous engagement ring of cubic zirconia stones of
many colors. He said his family would never understand if he gave his wife-to-be a cubic
zirconia ring. (Not everyone understands the love between a researcher and her first
catalyst.) I settled for a sapphire. A diamond would have been just a cheap imitation.
Nancy B. Jackson is manager of the Chemical & Biological Sensing, Imaging &
Analysis Department at Sandia National Laboratories. She is still learning the secrets of
things she cannot see and is still often surprised by nature.
ZIRCONIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Persianzargun,meaning goldlike, a common color of the gemstone now known as zircon.
Atomic mass: 91.22.
History: Zircon has been known since ancient times. The mineral was not known to contain a new element
until Martin H. Klaproth discovered it in 1789. The impure metal was first isolated by Jns Jacob Berzelius in
1824.
Occurrence:Most zirconium is obtained from the minerals zircon and baddeleyite. Also found in abundance in
S-type stars and moon rocks.
Appearance: Grayish white, lustrous metal. Chemically, zirconium is difficult to separate from hafnium.
Behavior: When finely divided, the metal may ignite spontaneously in air. The solid metal is very heat and
corrosion resistant.
Uses: A key component of space vehicle parts because of its resistance to high temperatures. Zirconium has a
low absorption cross section for neutrons, and is therefore used for nuclear energy applications. The
commercial nuclear power industry uses more than 90% of the zirconium metal produced. Zirconium carbonate
is used in poison ivy lotions and zircon is frequently used in jewelry.

37

HAFNIUM
ERIC SCERRI, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES

Until recently, philosophers of science have usually concentrated

their attention on physics and biology while carefully avoiding chemistry.
One major exception seems to have been a philosopher who is arguably
the most outstanding among them, namely Sir Karl Popper. Popper
often mentioned chemical issues, including an article in which he
referred to the discovery of element 72, or hafnium as it subsequently
became known.
This element later took on a special significance for me as a Ph.D.
student working on a thesis in the philosophy of chemistry. More
important, it led to my meeting Popper at his home in London and my
having a three-hour audience with this great man at a stage in his life
when he had gone into seclusion. But before returning to my meeting with him, let me say
something about hafnium and the scientific issue at stake.
Following Henry Moseley's establishment of an experimental technique for placing
the elements in a definite sequence in 1914, scientists realized that precisely seven
elements remained to be discovered. One of them was element 72. Gradually, some of
these missing elements were isolated, but element 72 remained elusive. The story of the
eventual discovery of element 72 has been told many times, but it is almost invariably
incorrect.
According to the popular story, the chemists of the day believed that hafnium would
be a rare-earth element. Meanwhile, the physicist Niels Bohr, who first applied the
quantum theory to study atoms and the periodic system, is usually credited with having
correctly predicted that hafnium would in fact be a transition element. Moreover, he is
supposed to have instructed his assistants Dirk Coster and Georg Karl von Hevesy to
search for the element among the ores of zirconium, where they indeed discovered it.
The episode is taken as an early vindication of the quantum theoretical approach to
the explanation of the periodic system. Unfortunately, this popular account is incorrect.
And yet it was this version that Popper used many years later to make an even grander
claim that this represented the best illustration of the reduction of chemistry to quantum
theory.
Meanwhile, I was researching the question of the reduction of chemistry to quantum
theory and was being advised by the son of the radiochemist Fritz Paneth, who provided
me with some of his father's scientific correspondence. These documents showed that it
was not Bohr who had suggested to his assistants that they might look for hafnium in the
ores of zirconium. The suggestion had actually been made by the elder Paneth, a chemist
with little interest in quantum theory, through purely chemical arguments.
Upon further investigation, I found out that not all chemists had in fact expected that
hafnium would be a rare-earth element [Ann. Sci., 51, 137 (1994)]. For example, Julius
Thomsen, a Danish chemist who is known to have influenced Bohr, was one of the first to
38

correctly predict, as early as 1895, that element 72 would be a transition metal. Similarly,
the English chemist C. R. Bury in 1921 not only predicted the chemical nature of this
element but even published its correct electronic configuration before Bohr ventured to do
so in 1923.
What Bohr had done was to rationalize the electronic
configuration of hafnium, while implying that he was
calculating it deductively from the theory. I'm not implying
any scientific misconduct here, but perhaps an
understandably exaggerated account of the power of the
newly developed theory by its principal architect.
The revised version of the story is of interest to
CROSS-HATCHED
philosophers of science, who are frequently concerned A heat-tinted hafnium-crystal
with the extent to which any given theory rigorously
bar.
predicts phenomena or merely accounts for the facts that
are already known. It appears that in many respects Bohr's theory of the periodic system
was of the latter kind. When I pointed this out to Popper, he was quick to accept my
arguments before going on to share his recollections of people like Erwin Schrdinger and
Ludwig Wittgenstein, with whom he had personally interacted. Throughout our meeting,
Popper would frequently leap to his feet to go in search of some articles on the origin of
life, a question that very much inspired him in the final years of his long and productive
career.
But I will always be grateful to element 72, since it was due to the story of its
discovery that I had the opportunity of meeting perhaps the greatest philosopher of
science of the modern era.
Eric R. Scerri is a lecturer in the chemistry and biochemistry department at the
University of California, Los Angeles. He is also a leading researcher in the history and
philosophy of chemistry and the editor of the journal Foundations of Chemistry,
http://www.kluweronline.com/issn/1386-4238.

HAFNIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin Hafnia, meaning Copenhagen.
Atomic mass: 178.49.
History: Discovered in 1923 by Danish chemist Dirk Coster and Hungarian chemist Georg Karl von
Hevesey in Copenhagen.
Occurrence: Rare. It occurs as a 15% impurity in all zirconium ores and is generally obtained as a
by-product of zirconium refining. Found in Australia, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and the U.S.
Appearance: Lustrous, silvery, solid metal.
Behavior: Resists corrosion as a solid due to an oxide film on its surface. Burns in air as a powder.
Poorly absorbed by the body, so is of low toxicity.
Uses: Hafnium is used in nuclear control rods, high-temperature alloys, and ceramics.

39

RUTHERFORDIUM
MICHAEL FREEMANTLE, C&EN LONDON

Rutherfordium is an element more famed for its names than its

properties or uses. It was also my baptism of fire into the international
politics and sensitivities of naming new elements.
In 1985, I innocently wrote a piece on the element titled Whats in a
Name? for Chemistry International, the newsmagazine of the
International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).
At that time, I had only just joined the IUPAC secretariat staff in
Oxford as information officer. My duties included editing the magazine.
The piece was short and, in my view, innocuous and factual. It alluded to
the fact that the element, which has the atomic number 104, was first
reported by Georgii Flerov and colleagues at the Joint Institute for
Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, in 1964. The Russian scientists named the element
kurchatovium in honor of nuclear physicist Igor Kurchatov (190360), who was a driving
force behind the Soviet Unions race to develop the atomic bomb. For the next 10 years or
so, the Dubna group published numerous papers on the element, including papers in
1969 and 1970 that provided evidence of the production of the isotope rutherfordium-259.
Glenn T. Seaborg, Albert Ghiorso, and coworkers at Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory considered the Dubna discovery in 1964 to be invalid, saying it was based on
the misinterpretation of experimental data. In 1969, the Berkeley group produced two
isotopes of the element, Rf-258 and Rf-260, and laid claim to its discovery. They named
the element rutherfordium after New Zealand-born physicist Ernest Rutherford
(18711937), who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908 for his investigations into the
disintegration of the elements and the chemistry of radioactive substances.
In view of the wrangle over the discovery and names of element
104 and other transfermium elements, IUPAC adopted a provisional
naming system for these elements based on their atomic numbers.
Rutherfordium was named unnilquadium, which is the Latin word
code for 104 (un = 1, nil = 0, and quad = 4). Its symbol was Unq.
Seaborg thought these IUPAC names were unnecessarily
cumbersome and served no useful purpose (C&EN, May 13, 1985,
page 2). I quoted the letter in the item I wrote for Chemical
Rutherford
International in 1985.
Three weeks after my piece was published, I attended the 33rd IUPAC general
assembly in Lyon, France. One evening, while relaxing with some secretariat colleagues
in the bar of the hotel where we were staying, several members of IUPACs Commission
on Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry joined us.
After some initial pleasantries, they tackled me about the piece, and it soon became
obvious that they were unhappy with it. They did not question that it was accurate. What
they disliked was that it had been published in IUPACs house magazine. They suggested
40

that the magazine was not a suitable forum for raising and debating such highly
contentious issues as the discovery and naming of the transfermium elements. I drank
another beer while they informed me that IUPAC had formal channels and procedures for
dealing with such controversies.
I soon learned that the procedures were, perhaps necessarily for democratic reasons,
slow and cumbersome. In 1985, IUPAC and the International Union of Pure & Applied
Physics decided to set up an ad hoc working group to consider the competing claims for
priority of discovery of elements 101112. The group first met in Bayeux, France, in
February 1988. It published its final report five years later in August 1993.
For rutherfordium, it concluded: The chemical experiments in Dubna [published in 1969
and 1970] and the Berkeley experiments [published in 1969] were essentially
contemporaneous and each show that element 104 had been produced. Credit should be
shared.
In 1994, IUPAC revealed its recommended names for elements 101109. Element 104
was named dubnium after the Dubna group and element 106, rutherfordium. Seaborg
and colleagues at Berkeley were astonished, calling the names absurd, ridiculous,
outrageous, and almost unbelievable (C&EN, Oct. 10, 1994, page 4). They wanted
element 106, which was undisputedly discovered by the Berkeley group, to be named
seaborgium.
Controversy and confusion now prevailed. An element that had had an occasional,
fleeting, and useless existence now appeared in various English-language publications
around the word under five different names: rutherfordium, kurchatovium, dubnium,
unnilquadium, and element 104.
In June 1995, the American Chemical Society decided to adopt the names
rutherfordium and seaborgium for elements 104 and 106, respectively, for its journals and
magazines.
At its 38th general assembly, held in 1995 at the University of Surrey in Guildford,
England, IUPAC decided to reconsider its recommended names. Following a further two
years of consultation, the union ratified a slate of names for elements 101109 at its 39th
general assembly in Geneva in 1997. The names met with widespread approval.
Elements 105 and 106 were named dubnium (symbol Db) and seaborgium (Sg),
respectively, and element 104, 28 years after its discovery, was finally named
rutherfordium (Rf).
London-based C&EN Senior Correspondent Michael Freemantle reports
primarily on developments in European chemistry and science policy. He was IUPAC
information officer from 1985 to 1994.
RUTHERFORDIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named after New Zealand physicist Ernest Rutherford.
Atomic mass: (261).
History: Production first reported by a team at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia,
in 1964. Albert Ghiorso and his team at the University of California, Berkeley, produced a different

41

isotope in 1969. IUPAC recommended that the discovery be shared.

Occurrence: Artificially produced.
Appearance: Metal of unknown color.
Behavior: Intensely radioactive.
Uses: No commercial uses.

42

VANADIUM
ALISON BUTLER, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA

My intrigue with vanadium began in college when I discovered the

brilliant colors characteristic of vanadium complexes. The multiple
oxidation states stable in aqueous solution captured my interest, and I
kept a careful eye out for reports on the biological role of vanadium. Since
the turn of the past century, vanadium has been known to be
accumulated to very high levels by ascidians (also known as tunicates or
sea squirts), yet even today, the biological function of the sequestered
vanadium remains a mystery. In the 1970s, a vanadium nitrogenase had
been reported, then retracted, and finally rediscovered through genetic
manipulations in the late 1980s as the alternative nitrogenase.
When I started out as an assistant professor in 1986 and wanted to work on a new
metalloprotein in biology, I was delighted by the initial report of a vanadium
haloperoxidase enzyme that is found in marine algae. Vanadium bromoperoxidase
(V-BrPO) is abundant in marine algae and catalyzes the oxidation of halides (Cl2, Br2, or I2)
by hydrogen peroxide, which results in the halogenation of certain organic substrates or
the formation of singlet oxygen in the absence of
appropriate organic substrates.
The active site of V-BrPO characterized by vanadate
coordination to the protein by one histidine ligand is
deceptively simple because the protein scaffolding and
the vast hydrogen bonding network are essential for
efficient catalytic activity. Soon after I began working on
vanadium bromoperoxidase, I found out that this
vanadium(V) enzyme unfortunately displayed neither the
RAINBOW Vanadium forms various
brilliant colors of other vanadium complexes nor the
bright colors in solution depending
redox properties that had captured my interests as a
on oxidation state. From left to right,
graduate student and postdoctoral fellow. Instead,
V(II), V(III), V(IV), and V(V).
V-BrPO is colorless and appears to remain in the V(V)
Solutions were prepared by Jens
oxidation state during catalysis.
Uwe Kuhn.
Still, our quest to elucidate the role of V-BrPO in the
biogenesis of halogenated marine natural products dazzles the interests of my students
and me every day. We have just discovered how V-BrPO can catalyze the bromination
and cyclization of terpenes, forming the bromocyclic polyenes and bromocyclic ethers in
many halogenated marine natural products [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 125, 3688 (2003)]. But
the route to this discovery was circuitous. We started off with enzyme kinetic
investigations and explored the general substrate selectivity of this enzyme. We continued
on to functional biomimetic studies using small-molecule vanadium(V) complexes (as well
as other metal ions), which established the Lewis acid role of the vanadium(V) center and
revealed the importance of the protein scaffold and the importance of hydrogen bonding
43

to activate the V(V)-bound peroxide toward halide oxidation. Along the way, our
investigations have taken us around the world in search of algae that contain vanadium
haloperoxidase enzymes that might be involved in the biogenesis of the interesting
halogenated marine natural products. Our algal collections come from as far away as
Antarctica to as nearby as our backyard in the Santa Barbara Channel and to points in
between, such as the North Sea, Australia, and the Bahamas.
V-BrPO is a clear example of the adaptation of a living organism (algae) to its
chemical environment: V is the second most abundant transition-metal ion in surface
seawater after molybdenum; halide ion concentrations are also high (about 0.5 M Cl, mM
in Br, and M in I), and sufficient levels of hydrogen peroxide are available as a
by-product of other enzymatic processes in algae or in surface seawater during daylight
hours as a result of photochemical reactions. In many cases, the algae use the
halogenated natural products as a chemical defense, such as against microbial
colonization or to prevent fish from feeding on them.
Yet many of the halogenated marine natural products have attractive biological
activities of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. Given the abundance of vanadium in
seawater; the beautiful array of colors displayed by vanadium complexes; and the
importance of vanadium in nature, steel refinement (which accounts for the vast majority
of V production), and catalysis and new materials (interesting stories unto themselves), it
is fitting that the element vanadium was named after Vanadis, the Scandinavian goddess
of love, beauty, and abundance.
Alison Butler is a professor of chemistry at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Her research takes her around the world in search of new bioinorganic chemistry in diverse
environments.
VANADIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named for Vanadis, a Scandinavian goddess, because of its many colorful compounds.
Atomic mass: 50.94.
History: Discovered by Mexican chemist Andrs Manuel del Rio in 1801, but he withdrew his claim when the
discovery was disputed. Rediscovered in 1830 by Swedish chemist Nils G. Sefstrm.
Occurrence: Makes up about 0.02% of Earth's crust and is found in trace quantities in more than 60 different
minerals. The most important source of the metal is vanadinite.
Appearance: Bright, shiny, gray metal.
Behavior: Soft, ductile, and very resistant to corrosion.
Uses: Essential to some organisms; acts to stimulate metabolism. Used as an additive to steel for tools,
construction materials, springs, and jet engines. Vanadium pentoxide is used commercially as a catalyst in the
contact process for preparing sulfuric acid, and as a mordant, a material that permanently fixes dyes to fabrics.

44

NIOBIUM
PAMELA S. ZURER, C&EN WASHINGTON

I never handled any niobium until my 50th birthday. As a science

journalist, I'd heard of superconducting alloys of niobium, of sophisticated
porous materials made from niobium oxide, and of the interesting
chemistry of some niobium complexes. But it was my husband's birthday
gift of a niobium necklace that put the metal into my hands and made me
want to learn more about it.
My necklace is a simple choker made of small metal rectangles linked
together. Yet it never fails to draw compliments when I wear it. A design on
the surface of each link shimmers in soft luminous blues, greens, and
purples--reflecting light more like the wings of a butterfly than the cold luster of gold or
silver.
The captivating colors, I figured, must be due to a variety of enamels applied to the
metal's surface. Wrong. The rainbow of colors is generated by thin films of niobium oxide,
with the thickness of the oxide layer governing the color perceived. Jewelry artists
produce brilliant colors on niobium by anodizing the metal.
"Thin-film interference is responsible for the color," says Bill Seeley, founder of
Reactive Metals Studio in Clarksdale, Ariz., which sells niobium, titanium, and anodizing
equipment to jewelry makers. "The oxide is transparent and has a high refractive index.
Light waves bounce off the oxide, but some go through and reflect off the metal below,
reappearing at the surface after a time delay that depends on the thickness of the oxide
layer. Those two sets of waves either interfere with or reinforce each other, creating the
color you see."
Surface oxide layers can be produced by heating niobium in air. Jewelry artists,
however, prefer the control over the oxide thickness that they can achieve with
electrochemistry.
"The thickness of the oxide is controlled by the voltage in the anodizing bath," Seeley
explains. "An extremely thin layer--600 to 1,000 --grows at the interface. The oxide itself
is resistant to the passage of current. If you set the voltage at 30 V, for example, the oxide
film grows to a certain thickness and stops. Artists make multicolored pieces by using
masks to temporarily protect parts of their pieces from the electrolyte."
In addition to niobium, interference colors can be created by anodizing titanium,
zirconium, molybdenum, and tantalum, says Seeley, whose master of fine arts thesis was
on studio preparation and coloring of titanium. Niobium, however, is particularly attractive
to work.
"It's a beautiful, ductile metal," Seeley notes. "You can form it, re-form it, chase it,
repousse it, spin it, shape it any number of ways. And it needs no special cleaning to
create the beautiful anodized colors."

45

Dianne deBeixedon, professor of metalworking at Old Dominion University, Norfolk,

Va., agrees. "Niobium is very malleable, very cooperative, a wonderful metal to shape.
Plus there are the vibrant colors.
"For example, at 60 V, niobium produces a beautiful deep yellow," deBeixedon says.
"But at about 65 V, it starts turning a pinky peach. At various voltages there are purples,
fuchsia, a gorgeous turquoise, greens, a beautiful cobalt blue. The only color you can't get
is red."
In her own niobium work, deBeixedon uses a technique called anodic painting that
allows exquisite control of color. She dips a
paintbrush to which a wire is attached into the
electrolyte, sets her apparatus to the voltage
corresponding to the color she wants, and
"paints" on the surface of the jewelry with the
paintbrush electrode.
Like many other jewelry artists working with
niobium today, deBeixedon first learned of its
VIBRANT The colors in Seeley's niobium
potential from Seeley. Recently, Seeley shared
and silver broach (top) and deBeixedon's
his expertise with a different group of
"Night Color Squid" (below) spring from
professionals. At a workshop at the North
thin-film interference.
Carolina School of Science & Mathematics in
Durham, he taught high school chemistry
teachers to anodize niobium and titanium.
The project was the idea of Myra J. Halpin, a
chemistry teacher at the school, a statewide
magnet for students with high aptitudes for
science and math. She received a Toyota
Tapestry grant to purchase anodizers and
supplies and brought in Seeley to work with
teachers from the local area. She's already used
what they learned with her own students.
"I've always been fascinated by chemistry and colors," Halpin says. She introduced
the unit after her class had tackled electrochemistry. The students designed, shaped, and
anodized earrings and other small pieces. In a more advanced research class, Halpin's
students investigated the effect of different variables on the colors produced.
"The kids get something real and tangible from chemistry to take home," Seeley
notes. "Electrochemistry makes beautiful things."
Beautiful, indeed. For my next birthday, I'm hoping for more niobium jewelry.
Pamela S. Zurer, C&EN's managing editor, has been with the magazine for 22 years.
She's still amazed she gets paid to talk with people about the interesting chemistry they do.
NIOBIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named for the Greek mythological figure Niobe, daughter of Tantalus, because of its position above
tantalum.
46

Atomic mass: 92.91.

History: Discovered in 1801 by Charles Hatchett while working with a sample of columbite.
Appearance: Shiny gray metal that takes on a bluish tinge when exposed to air at room temperatures for a long
time. Soft and ductile.
Behavior: Oxidizes in air at high temperatures.
Uses: Used in various superconductor applications and in welding rods, cutting tools, and pipelines.
Niobium-stabilized steel is very heat resistant.

47

TANTALUM
RICHARD R. SCHROCK, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

At the beginning of my independent research career in 1972, I

received an offer from the central research department at DuPont where
a talented group of organometallic chemists was exploring the synthesis
of new early-transition-metal organometallic species. Of greatest interest
were compounds with some potential application in homogeneous
catalysis. Fascinating work was being carried out by Fred Tebbe (among
others) on titanocene dihydride and dialkyl complexes and by Ulrich
Klabunde on tantalocene trihydrides.
Tantalum! Now there was a tough metal, not only literally, but also in
terms of its organometallic chemistry; put simply, little organometallic
chemistry was known. The prospect of new tantalum chemistry, a far cry from rhodium in
my graduate student days, was attractive to me as an initial project.
Some
of
the
simplest
early
organo-transition-metal species are binary alkyl
complexes, MRx, where the metal M is in group
x. For example, compounds such as
M(CH2SiMe3)4 and M(CH2CMe3)4 (M = Ti, Zr, or
Hf) were prepared by Geoffrey Wilkinson and/or
Michael F. Lappert between 1970 and 1973,
while Wilkinson reported the isolation of
W(CH3)6 in 1972. (Compounds in which the alkyl
contains one or more protons on the carbon that
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS A heatis
with respect to the metal, such as
tinted, fusion-welded tantalum tube, shown
M(CH2CH3)4, are still unknown.) G. W. A. Fowles,
here magnified through a 35x bright field.
D. A. Rice, and J. D. Wilkins (following work by
Juvinall in 1964) showed that TaMe3Cl2 could be prepared readily from TaCl5 and ZnMe2
and that it was an isolable and well-behaved species (but, of course, sensitive to moisture
and air). I was delighted to find that TaMe5 could be prepared, although it was highly
volatile and unstable, decomposing intermolecularly, sometimes explosively. In contrast,
red crystalline Ta(CH2Ph)5 proved to be stable at room temperature.
It was natural to attempt to complete the series by preparing Ta(CH2CMe3)5.
Fortunately, the products of an attempt to synthesis Ta(CH2CMe3)5 from Ta(CH2CMe3)3 Cl2
and LiCH2CMe3 were neopentane and (Me3CCH2)3Ta=5CHCMe3, the first example of a
"carbene" complex that contains a proton on the carbene carbon atom. This compound is
quite stable thermally, melting at about 70 C and distilling readily in a good vacuum. This
event in 1974 marked the beginning of high-oxidation-state alkylidene chemistry. It also
dramatically illustrated that four bulky covalently bound ligands could stabilize
pseudotetrahedral species against bimolecular decomposition.
The reaction between (Me3CCH2)3 Ta=CHCMe3 and butyllithium to give a lithium salt
of [(Me3CCH2)3Ta
[CCMe3]- further suggested that group 6 high-oxidation-state
alkylidyne species could be made, as was illustrated four years later at MIT with the
48

synthesis of (Me3CCH2)3 W CCMe3, another distillable, thermally stable compound.

Deprotonation of [( 5-C5H5)2TaMe2]+ to yield ( 5-C5H5)2Ta (CH2)Me, the first isolable
methylene complex, further emphasized the relationship between tantalum and
phosphorus. Furthermore, reactions of tantalum alkylidene complexes suggested that the
metal is in its highest possible oxidation state and that the alkylidene carbon is a strong
nucleophile. Therefore, they became known as "nucleophilic" alkylidene or carbene
complexes.
One of the most mysterious reactions in the 1970s that captured the interest of
chemists was olefin metathesis, a catalytic reaction that involved unknown Mo, W, or Re
catalysts. The reaction consists of "chopping up" carbon-carbon double bonds in olefins
and redistributing the alkylidenes (usually =CHR moieties) to give a mixture containing all
possible olefins formed in that manner. My question upon my move to MIT in 1975 was,
"Do the high-oxidation-state species that have been discovered have anything to do with
olefin metathesis?"
It took five years to prove that they do. For example, we were able to show that
(PMe3)(t-BuO)2ClTa=CH-t-Bu reacts with styrene in the presence of PMe3 to provide the
isolable benzylidene complex, (PMe3)2(t-BuO)2ClTa=CHPh, and that species of this type
would metathesize cis-2-pentene to 2-butenes and 3-hexenes in the presence of PMe3 to
the extent of 25-30 turnovers. This was the first time that an alkylidene analogous to the
initial alkylidene could be isolated upon reaction with an olefin and the species actually
responsible for metathesis identified conclusively. An important message was that bulky
alkoxide ligands are beneficial to sustained metathesis reactions involving tantalum or
niobium alkylidenes. Although tantalum was a reluctant player in the metathesis game,
the principles learned from studies of tantalum alkylidene complexes were key to the later
development of well-defined tungsten, molybdenum, and rhenium alkylidene complexes
for the metathesis of olefins.
Although I maintain only a small interest in tantalum organometallic chemistry today,
tantalum started virtually all of the areas in which I am active; it still tantalizes.
Richard R. Schrock is the Frederick G. Keyes Professor of Chemistry at MIT. He is the discoverer of
high-oxidation-state organometallic compounds that contain metal-carbon double or triple bonds that are
now used as catalysts for alkene or alkyne metathesis, respectively.
TANTALUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named after the Greek mythological figure Tantalus.
Atomic mass: 180.95.
History: Discovered in 1802 by Swedish chemist Anders Gustav Ekeberg.
Occurrence: Primarily obtained from columbite, tantalite, and euxenite.
Appearance: Grayish silver metal.
Behavior: It is very similar chemically to niobium, and the two freely replace each other in minerals.
Uses: The biggest use of Ta is for producing capacitors. Tantalum carbide is used in cutting tools.

49

DUBNIUM
IVO J. ZVARA, JOINT INSTITUTE FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH, DUBNA

In the late 1950s, Georgy Flerov, the discoverer of spontaneous

fission of uranium (in 1940) and key "coauthor" of the Soviet atomic
bomb, was fully back to basic research. He felt that the interactions of
accelerated "heavy ions" (boron, carbon, oxygen, and so on) might open
great prospects in nuclear physics and chemistry. At the top of the list
would be the production of exotic nuclides. He pushed forward the
project for a dedicated 300-cm heavy-ion cyclotron. The machine was
built at the international Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR)
established in 1956 at Dubna, Moscow. Flerov's international research
team consisted mostly of young scientists and engineers. The nuclear
sciences then were very prestigious, and such a famous leader could choose from a
number of good to excellent graduates applying for the positions. Most of them soon
became well-known experts.
Of the broad research program at the new JINR Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions
(today named after Flerov), the most ambitious goal was synthesis of new chemical
elements, starting with number 102. Such research had been systematically conducted
only by Glenn T. Seaborg and his collaborators at the University of California, Berkeley,
and resulted in the discovery of elements 94 to 101. With the heavy ions, the simple basic
idea is to fuse the projectiles with suitable heavy targets. But even if formed, the
compound very seldom survives prompt fission, and the bombardment produces a
tremendous amount of radioactive "by-products." With the higher atomic number of the
new element, the effective cross-section for its production drops steeply, and it is
extremely technically difficult to develop more and more intense accelerator beams and
targets that can withstand them. But even more serious problems arise in isolation,
measurement of decay properties, and conclusive identification of the atomic and mass
numbers of the wanted atoms. One could attempt purely physical methods or combine
these with radiochemical isolation and identification; the latter had been the case with the
relatively long-lived elements 93 to 101.
At Dubna, from the very beginning, Flerov insisted on the development, however
difficult, of new fast radiochemical methods for the transactinides, elements 104 and
beyond. Their first isotopes in sight were expected to live seconds or less, and traditional
techniques could not cope with such lifetimes and the minute yields.
The young newcomers to the field at Dubna were very enthusiastic; they learned fast
and worked hard. The cyclotron U-300 was put in operation in 1960, and just three years
later--after development of a number of original techniques, methods, and
approaches--Dubna was able to claim production of element 102. During the subsequent
decade, the claims could be extended up to element 106 and included radiochemical
identification of the first transactinides by a new, fast "gas phase" method.
The research was paralleled by the work at Berkeley with competing claims of
discoveries. After years of disputes, the two laboratories failed to agree on priorities and
50

names for the new elements. In 1985, the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry
(IUPAC) and the International Union of Pure & Applied Physics established the
Transfermium Working Group, consisting of renowned impartial nuclear scientists. After
five years of work, the experts concluded that element 102 (nobelium) was discovered at
Dubna; that element 103 (lawrencium)
was the result of combined works of Dubna and
Berkeley; that element 104 (rutherfordium) was
discovered contemporaneously and independently at
Dubna (identification by chemistry) and Berkeley (by
physical methods); that element 105 (dubnium) was
discovered
by
physical
techniques
also
contemporaneously and independently in the two
laboratories; that element 106 (seaborgium) was
discovered at Berkeley; and that the major credit for
107 to 109 (bohrium, hassium, and meitnerium) went to
GSI Darmstadt, where research started in the late
1970s.
We were thrilled when IUPAC issued its
recommendation to name element 105 dubnium "to
recognize the distinguished contributions to chemistry
APPARATUS The chemistry of
and modern nuclear physics of the international
volatile compounds of elements 104 to
scientific center."
106 (with half-lives of only a few
In recent years, the Dubna research team, now
seconds) were studied using this
headed by Yuri Oganessian, has reported major
machine.
breakthroughs regarding the long-awaited "island of
stability" around atomic number 114, where some of the heavy nuclei might live much
longer than isotopes of elements 102 to 108. When bombarding uranium and
transuranium (up to californium) targets with extremely intense beams of 48Ca, the
researchers discovered several new, relatively long-lived -and spontaneous-fission
nuclides that can be assigned to elements 110 to 118! But this subject undoubtedly
deserves a separate paper.
Ivo J. Zvara has been with the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, Joint Institute for
Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia, since 1960. He was the leader of radiochemical
studies of synthetic elements and pioneered gas-phase chemistry of transactinide
elements.
DUBNIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named after Dubna, Russia, the site of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR).
Atomic mass: (262).
History: A team from JINR first reported producing dubnium in 1967. In 1970, both the Russian team and a team
from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory confirmed the discovery.
Occurrence: Does not occur naturally.
Behavior: Highly radioactive.

51

CHROMIUM
HARRY B. GRAY, CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

I was destined to work on chromium: My mother's name was Ruby.

Mom loved the stunning red gemstone, but she didn't know there would
be a ruby laser, and neither did I, during the late 1940s and early '50s
when I was experimenting with chromium compounds in the basement of
our house. I had quite a nice lab, and I remember that Mom was worried
that I would blow myself up, especially when I used dichromate as an
oxidant in spectacularly exothermic redox reactions.
In college, I worked on the analytical chemistry of chromium and
three of its neighbors: vanadium, niobium, and molybdenum. Although I
loved the challenge of analyses, the inorganic research that Fred Basolo
and Ralph Pearson were doing at Northwestern University excited me
even more, and I joined their group in 1958. The late '50s were the glory
days of inorganic mechanisms, and chromium was one of the big stars.
The chromous ion, which is a powerful reductant and can attack oxidants at close range,
is substitution labile; and, as all inorganic chemists know, the chromium product of the
reaction, Cr(III), is substitution inert. Henry Taube's famous experiment demonstrating
atom transfer from chloropentaamminecobalt(III) to chromous ion relied on these
properties of two of the more common oxidation states of the element.
In my work in Copenhagen in the spring of 1961, I became fascinated with oxo
complexes, especially the vanadyl and chromyl ions. The garnet-red ammonium
pentachlorooxochromate(V) contains the triply bonded oxochromium(V) unit, and Curtis R.
Hare and I interpreted its d-d spectrum [Inorg. Chem., 1, 363 (1962)]. (Later, with Carl J.
Ballhausen and V. M. Miskowski, I worked on the spectra of chromate and halochromates,
which, like dichromate, are all in the VI oxidation state made famous by Julia Roberts in
the movie "Erin Brockovich.")
During the next year at Columbia University, Nancy Beach and I worked on
zerovalent chromium: We reported that the UV spectrum of its carbon monoxide complex,
chromium hexacarbonyl, exhibits two very intense absorptions that are attributable to
metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) transitions. Amazingly, our interpretation of the
hexacarbonyl MLCT spectrum has withstood 40 years of theoretical scrutiny, although the
positions of the lowest d-d excitations have been revised by density functional theorists.
The excited-state dynamics of the molecule are now understood in great detail, and for
that reason, zerovalent chromium usually makes an appearance in textbooks that have
sections on the photochemistry of metal complexes.
The chromous ion is very special to me, as it launched my work on electron tunneling
through proteins. In the early '70s, colleagues and I used aqueous Cr(II) to transfer
electrons to the blue copper centers in spinach plastocyanin, bean plastocyanin, Rhus
vernicifera laccase, and stellacyanin [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 69, 30 (1972)]. Our
experiments showed that electron transfers to some copper centers were much slower
than others, and we now know that in most biological reactions electrons must tunnel
52

through many bonds to reach their destinations. Much later, in work reminiscent of
Taube's, Israel Pecht and Ole Farver identified one of the Cr(III)-protein binding sites after
Cr(II) reduction. In so doing, they estimated how far an electron had to travel in its journey
to a copper active site.
Many investigators have explored the spectroscopy and chemistry of the d-d excited
states of octahedral Cr(III), and the excited doublet, in particular, has had a long and
glorious (some say checkered) history. Whether the doublet
undergoes associative substitution is still debated when
"inorganikers" gather for discussions of mechanisms. In 1985,
with Bruce S. Brunschwig and other colleagues, we examined
the rates of oxidation of reduced blue-copper proteins by this
relatively long-lived and powerfully oxidizing Cr(III) reagent, in
one of the early demonstrations of electron tunneling through SEEING RED Chromium
impurities in corundum give
folded polypeptides [Inorg. Chem., 24, 3743 (1985)].
All in all, I have worked on six oxidation states of chromium. rubies their distinctive red
In recent times, and in collaboration with Zeev Gross of color.
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, our group has
managed to prepare chromium corroles in four oxidation states, III through VI, although
"VI" turned out to be V complexed to an oxidized corrole. The joint Technion-California
Institute of Technology research on aerobic oxidations catalyzed by chromium corroles is
the latest chapter in my affair with element 24.

Harry B. Gray is the Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry at Caltech. He received

the National Medal of Science in 1986 and the Priestley Medal in 1991; in 2003, he
received the Nichols and Wheland Medals as well as the National Academy of Sciences
Award in Chemical Sciences.
CHROMIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek chroma, color.
Atomic mass: 52.00.
History: Discovered in 1780 by Nicholas Louis Vauquelin.
Occurrence: Isolated mostly from chromite ore.
Appearance: Blue white, hard and brittle metal.
Behavior: Resists oxidation in air. Many chromium compounds are toxic. Chromates are corrosive to skin and
tissue. Chromium itself is a human poison if ingested and is suspected of being a carcinogen. The presence of
chromium impurities in gems is often responsible for their brilliant colors.
Uses: Essential trace element in humans that plays a role in glucose metabolism. In alloys, chromium can serve
as a protective coating from oxidation and comprises up to 18% of stainless steel. Its oxides are often used as
pigments, for tanning leather, and in high-quality recording tapes.

53

MOLYBDENUM
PHILIP C. H. MITCHELL, UNIVERSITY OF READING, ENGLAND

I was introduced to molybdenum in the 1950s by R. J. P. Williams,

my Oxford D. Phil. supervisor. We knew that the enzymes nitrogenase
(which catalyzes the reduction of nitrogen to the ammonium ion), nitrate
reductase (nitrate to nitrite), and xanthine oxidase (hydroxylation of
xanthine to uric acid) were molybdenum dependent. At the Chester
Beatty Cancer Research Institute in London, R. C. Bray was using
electron spin resonance (ESR) to investigate the kinetics of xanthine
oxidase. ESR showed that molybdenum was coordinated by sulfur.
Subsequently, X-ray crystallographers showed that the oxidase
enzymes are built around oxomolybdenum centers ligated with sulfur.
The structures are familiar from the model oxomolybdenum sulfur complexes that I and
others
studied.
My
group
prepared
the
first
Mo-cysteine
complex,
V
Na2[Mo 2O4{SCH2CH(NH2)COO}2] 5H2O. However, the dimeric anion turned out to be a
poor model of monomeric molybdenum in enzymes. What could not have been predicted
were the unique Mo-Fe-S clusters central to nitrogenase. Researching the Mo-enzyme
chemistry greatly extended knowledge of molybdenum coordination chemistry.
My first task as a graduate student was to get a feel for molybdenum chemistry. Back
then, the source was Nevil V. Sidgwick's classic "The Chemical Elements and Their
Compounds." The analytical chemistry of molybdenum--gravimetrically as lead molybdate,
PbMoO4, or the 8-hydroxyquinoline complex, [MoVIO2(C9H6NO)2]; colorimetrically as the
purple, diamagnetic thiocyanate, [MoV2O3(NCS)6]2, or the emerald green
toluene-3,4-dithiolate, [Mo(C7H6S2)3]; volumetrically via reduction to Mo(V) or Mo(III)--also
provided insights. Molybdenum is extraordinarily versatile: It forms compounds with most
inorganic and organic ligands and has oxidation states from (II) to (VI) and coordination
numbers from 4 to 8. Therein lies its challenge and excitement.
The chemistry of molybdenum in its higher oxidation states (IV to VI) is dominated by
oxo-species--molybdates [MoVIO4]2; poly- and heteropolymolybdates; and, in complexes,
MoVIO2, MoVO, MoV2O3, MoV2O4, MoIVO, and MoIVO2 as central cations. The oxide MoO3,
the molybdenum blues, the polymolybdates, and the remarkable molybdenum wheels of
Achim Muller are built from linked [MoOx] polyhedra. Oxomolybdenum redox chemistry is
exploited in selective oxidation catalysis: In the oxidase enzymes and the heterogeneous
catalysts bismuth molybdate and iron molybdate, molybdenum shuttles between oxidation
states (VI) and (IV) while transferring O or HO to substrate molecules [J. Inorg. Biochem.,
28, 107 (1986)].
Molybdenum has an extensive sulfur chemistry. The sulfide MoS2 is the main
molybdenum ore. Its layer structure confers lubricating properties like graphite to it.
Complexes of dithiocarbamates, R2NCS2, and of dithiophosphates, (RO)2PS2, are used
as oil-soluble lubricant additives, decomposing at rubbing surfaces to MoS2. My group
developed Mo-S chemistry in contracts with Shell and, later, with Esso, synthesizing many
54

Mo-S compounds and lubricant additives [Wear, 100, 281 (1984)]. The Mo-dithiolate
complex was an excellent friction modifier and wear reducer (and the colored oil a
beautiful green) but was expensive. The water-soluble Mo-cysteine complex has potential
in metalworking applications.
Molybdenum-sulfur chemistry underpins one of the most
important industrial catalysts, the MoS2-based hydrodesulfurization
catalyst used in removing sulfur compounds from petroleum by
reaction with hydrogen and conversion to H2S. I was introduced to
these catalysts by E. R. Braithwaite of Climax Molybdenum Co. The
synergic relationship with Climax continues now through A. W.
Armour (who, while a graduate student with me, achieved the
notable feat of determining the X-ray structure of ammonium
dimolybdate, (NH4)2Mo2O7, with a crystal taken directly from the
Climax manufacturing plant at Rotterdam).
In its lower oxidation states, molybdenum has extensive
organometallic chemistry exemplified by the well-known VIEW FROM THE
hexacarbonyl [Mo0(CO)6]. A feature of Mo(II) is strong Mo-Mo EDGE
bonding, as in the acetate, Mo2(CH3CO2)4, and the so-called Computer-generated
picture of MoS2.
dichloride, Mo6Cl12.
The fundamental challenge of molybdenum chemistry, and the
source of its continuing interest, is the subtle interplay of oxidation state, coordination
number, and ligating atom, and their impact on structure and reactivity, as well as the
potential for applications of molybdenum compounds.
Currently, I am involved in maintaining the Molybdenum Environmental Database for
the International Molybdenum Association (http://www.imoa.info). The database is a
primer for molybdenum biochemistry. MoS2, MoO3, and the molybdates have low toxicity.
Molybdenum replaces more toxic elements in some applications--chromates in corrosion
inhibitors and antimony in polyvinyl chloride smoke suppressants.
Philip C. H. Mitchell is Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow and formerly a reader in chemistry in
the School of Chemistry at the University of Reading, England. He is a consultant for
Climax Molybdenum Co. and the International Molybdenum Association.
MOLYBDENUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek molybdos, lead. Its primary ore was once confused with a lead compound.
Atomic mass: 95.94.
History: Discovered in 1778 by Swedish chemist Carl Welhelm Scheele.
Occurrence: Found primarily in the ore molybdenite (MoS2).
Appearance: Silvery white, hard metal.
Behavior: Molybdenum compounds have low toxicity.
Uses: Essential to life in trace amounts. Has a role in nitrogen fixation and in some enzymes. The metal is used
as an alloy in stainless and other steels.

55

TUNGSTEN
RICK LOWDEN, OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

Tungsten is an incredible material. It is dense and hard, and it has

the lowest vapor pressure and highest melting temperature of all metals.
This combination of properties makes tungsten extremely valuable for a
myriad of applications, while at the same time creates great challenges in
the processing of the metal.
As a child, I was fascinated by how things work and spent a lot of
time taking things apart. As with most budding engineers, I rarely
reassembled them. Incandescent bulbs were one of my first quarries,
carefully disassembled to reveal a hidden treasure: a tungsten filament. It
was amazing that this tiny wire could be heated to white-hot temperatures
to produce light.
Also at an early age, I was introduced to vacuum tubes, and to this day they are
magical in my eyes. When a tungsten filament is heated in a vacuum, the electrons near
the surface become energetic enough to be emitted into the surrounding space. Additional
tungsten conductors, in the form of grids and plates, can be added to the bulb, and the
electrons can then be manipulated to switch, rectify, and amplify. These electronic
switches were crucial in the development of modern electronics.
Transistors and integrated circuits have almost entirely displaced tubes; however,
some researchers are going "retro," exploring tungsten-containing miniaturized vacuum
triodes or "nanotriodes" that may one day be used as miniature electronic switches. But
one has to ask, "Do they glow?"
My personal introduction to tungsten as a structural
material was at Kennametal, a producer of tungsten
carbide metal-cutting tools, where I took an internship in
my senior year while studying chemistry at a small liberal
arts college in Latrobe, Pa. The position involved sample
preparation for X-ray fluorescence. During visits to the
powder metallurgy laboratory, I noticed paint cans on the
TAKING AIM Lowden prepares to
storage shelves, many without handles. Curiosity led me to
test the form and function of
remove a can from a shelf, only to be surprised when
9-mm ammunition fabricated from
gravity quickly dragged it to the ground, barely missing my
a tungsten-containing composite
toes. Although the can was less than half full of powder, it
replacement for lead.
weighed almost 35 lb. The powder was tungsten for
fabricating heavy-metal alloys.
Later, I went to Oak Ridge National Laboratory while I studied for a graduate degree
in metallurgy. I specialized in vapor-phase processing of high-temperature materials,
primarily structural coatings and composites. Once again, tungsten entered my life when I
became involved in a project to develop a small fiber-reinforced ceramic can with a
tungsten layer deposited on its outer diameter. The cans were to be used as thermionic
emitters in advanced space power systems.
56

I became intimately involved with tungsten during the development of powder-metal

replacements for lead in small-arms ammunition, in other words, during the investigation
of "green bullets." A perusal of the periodic table reveals very few candidates for replacing
lead. Bismuth, tin, and zinc are interesting, but each has deficiencies. Tungsten is heavy
and commonly used in ordnance but unfortunately is much too hard for most small-arms
applications.
One approach to the problem seemed quite straightforward: Build a composite that
combined the properties of different elements to produce a leadlike material. A light,
ductile metal like tin could be used as the binder with tungsten included for mass. But
tungsten is not easy to process, and bullets had to be cheap. A review of the tungsten
binary-phase diagrams revealed fewer than 40 systems, with few intermetallic compounds.
Most of the soft metals with low melting points do not wet tungsten, and, in addition,
significant differences in density make casting impossible. There had to be a method to
combine tungsten and a ductile metal binder.
After World War I, resourceful window and curtain manufacturers sprinkled tungsten
particulates onto the surface of tin sheets, which were subsequently fed through a rolling
mill to produce high-density, pliable sheets that could be used to make weights. The
solution to the lead-replacement problem was actually very simple. Powder blends without
additives were pressed at room temperature to produce dense compacts. It wasn't rocket
science, but it worked, and the tungsten-tin composite is a leading candidate for replacing
lead in small-caliber bullets and for a variety of other applications.
Although we may not realize it, tungsten continues to be a part of our lives because it
is still used in lighting and electrical contacts; in electronics, including cell phones and
pagers; in cutting tools and engine components; in radiation shielding; and now in sporting
goods such as golf balls and shot.
Rick Lowden is a metallurgist and senior research engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Although his primary area of expertise is vapor-phase processing of materials, he has been
intimately involved in the development of powder-metal replacements for lead in ammunition--and
being an avid shooter, it's been a dream come true.
TUNGSTEN AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Swedish tung sten, meaning heavy stone. The symbol is from mineral wolframite, from which
the element was originally isolated.
Atomic mass: 183.84.
History: Isolated in 1783 by Spanish chemists Juan Jos and Fausto Elhuyar.
Occurrence: China has 75% of the world's tungsten ores.
Appearance: Silvery white metal.
Behavior: Tungsten has the highest melting point and highest boiling point of all metals.
Uses: Tungsten is used in high-temperature applications such as heating elements and lightbulb filaments.

57

SEABORGIUM
ERIC SEABORG, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.

What's in a name?
In the case of seaborgium, the story goes back to World War II. My
father, Glenn T. Seaborg, was a 30-year-old chemist who'd had the
good fortune to discover a secret element that would become known as
plutonium. He'd taken a leave of absence from the University of
California to work at the code-named Metallurgical Laboratory at the
University of Chicago. The mission: to develop a process to isolate
plutonium so it could be used in a theoretical weapon, the atomic bomb.
He was scrambling to assemble a staff when a letter arrived asking
him for a recommendation for the Navy. The correspondent, Albert
Ghiorso, repaired the Geiger counters at Berkeley's Radiation
Laboratory. He was a nodding acquaintance of my father's, but my mother knew him
well--he'd married one of her best friends. "Al is much too independent; he wouldn't last a
day in the Navy," she told my father. "You should offer him a job here."
My father invited Ghiorso to Chicago, unable to reveal the nature of their project,
except to say that it was important. Ghiorso agreed to come on the condition that his work
wouldn't involve wiring circuits, which was what he was trying to get away from. He was
promptly put to work wiring circuits.
Seaborg had many strengths, but skill in
electronics was not among them. As a grad student
in an era when you had to build your own
equipment, he'd spent months struggling to
construct an acceptable Geiger counter, confiding
to his diary, "Electronics is a field more akin to
witchcraft than to science." Well, how better to
master witchcraft than to bring in a "wizard?" And
my father applied this moniker to Ghiorso on more
than one occasion. Thanks to Ghiorso and a
partner, the Seaborg group's electronic equipment
was the envy of the Met Lab.
And the group succeeded. Not only did they design
the separation process for plutonium, but based on
Seaborg's proposed actinide concept for
NAMESAKE Glenn T. Seaborg points to
reorganizing the periodic table, they discovered a
the element named in honor of him.
pair of new elements for good measure.
Seaborg was offered the chance to head his own research group back at Berkeley
and invited the best of his Chicago colleagues along, Ghiorso among them. The
post-World War II years were something of a golden age in nuclear science, and this

58

group was preeminent in nuclear chemistry, stretching the periodic table out with six more
elements, all the way to 102.
Seaborg spent the 1960s out of research, chairing the Atomic Energy Commission in
Washington, D.C. When he returned to Berkeley in 1971, Ghiorso was kind enough to let
him rejoin what was now Ghiorso's research group. And they continued to extend the
periodic table.
At some point while I was in college, my father mentioned that they thought they'd
discovered a new element. "That's nice," I said, glad that the old man was still finding
ways to make himself useful.
It took another 20 years, however, for the discovery to be confirmed and for the group
to be given the credit and the right to name it. With eight scientists involved in the
discovery suggesting so many good possibilities, Ghiorso despaired of reaching
consensus, until he awoke one night with an idea. He approached the team members one
by one, until seven of them had agreed. He then told his friend and colleague of 50 years:
"We have seven votes in favor of naming element 106 seaborgium. Will you give your
consent?" My father was flabbergasted, and, after consulting my mother, agreed.
He was blindsided, and a little hurt, by the controversy the proposal engendered.
Naming an element for a living person was not quite as radical as some said--he and his
team had proposed the names einsteinium and fermium while those eminent scientists
were still alive. And frankly, he didn't quite see how dying would make him that much of a
better person. On the other hand, he was enormously touched by the outpouring of
support that the proposal received from rank-and-file chemists.
Seaborg received a Nobel Prize and countless other honors--including a listing in the
"Guinness Book of World Records" for the longest biography in "Who's Who"--but he said
without doubt this was the biggest honor he'd ever received. Because it will last as long as
there are periodic tables.
Eric Seaborg is a freelance writer who collaborated on his father's autobiography,
"Adventures in the Atomic Age: From Watts to Washington" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux,
2001). An excerpt may be read at http://www.seaborg.net.
SEABORGIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named after nuclear chemist Glenn T. Seaborg.
Atomic mass: (266).
History: First created by a team of scientists led by Albert Ghiorso at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
in 1974; the team included Glenn T. Seaborg. Three months prior to the Ghiorso announcement, members of the
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, had reported they had synthesized element 106. However,
the Berkeley group's work was confirmed in 1993, and they were credited with the discovery.
Occurrence: Does not occur naturally. Only a few atoms have ever been
synthesized.
Appearance: Presumably solid; unknown color.
Behavior: Unknown. Would be radiotoxic if produced in quantity.
Uses: None.

59

MANGANESE
JOAN SELVERSTONE VALENTINE, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES

My first impression of manganese was decidedly negative, the

result of an unfortunate encounter with a table of reduction potentials in
high school. To my eye, that table contained a bizarre array of
manganese compounds with no apparent logic to their oxidation states
or to the number of oxide ions that each contained. How was a naive
student to make sense of the fact that the oxidation states of manganese
vary so widely, from +7 to +2?
I still recall puzzling over Mn(VII)O4, Mn(VI)O42, Mn(V)O43,
Mn(IV)O2, Mn(III)PO4, and Mn(II)Cl2. I'd have been even more
distressed had I known then that the oxidation states actually keep going
down to 3, e.g., Mn(-III)(CO)43. I might have found manganese more appealing if I had
been aware of the beautiful colors of its various forms: violet Mn(VII), green Mn(VI), and
blue Mn (V). However, at the time I was familiar only with manganese dioxide--dark brown,
ugly, and insoluble.
And it was more than disturbing to me how easy it was to confuse the words
manganese and magnesium. Enlightenment came in the shape of the "Oxford English
Dictionary," where I learned that the words magnesium and manganese can be traced
back to the same root, magnesia, the postclassical Latin name for a type of mineral ore
from the ancient city of Magnesia. This ore consisted mainly of oxides and carbonates of
magnesium and manganese. If, as some suppose, the ore also contained talc,
Mg3Si4O10(OH)2, then a silvery luster may have been imparted to the ore, which could
account for its attraction for alchemists.
"Magnesia alba," or white magnesia, apparently was mainly hydrated magnesium
carbonate and oxide. "Magnesia niger," or black magnesia, was manganese dioxide. For
a while, manganese was actually named "magnesium." Carl W. Scheele proposed in
1774 that black magnesia contained a new metallic element, and Torbern Bergman
proposed the next year that it be named "magnesium." It wasn't until 1780 that the name
settled down to manganese.
Magnesia was of particular interest to alchemists, who believed it to be an important
component of the Philosopher's Stone, "a legendary substance with astonishing powers.
The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which
will make the drinker immortal." (J. K. Rowling, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's
Stone," London: Bloomsbury, 1997, page 161.)
And, not surprisingly, it was an alchemist, Jabir Ibn Hayyan, who first described the
use of manganese dioxide in glassmaking. This extraordinary scientist, who lived in the
late 8th or early 9th century, not only made many fundamental discoveries in inorganic
chemistry but very likely was also the originator of the methods of modern chemical
research.

60

Fortunately my attitude about manganese changed: I am an admirer. I especially

appreciate the rich complexity of its biological inorganic chemistry. But not everything
about manganese is positive. It has a dark side: It is toxic. Manganese at high levels is, for
example, a serious hazard to steelworkers, miners, and welders, and the symptoms of
manganese toxicity can mimic Parkinson's disease. Moreover, there is some indication
that low-level manganese exposure may accelerate Parkinson's in some susceptible
people.
Evidence of the element's biological inorganic chemistry
is to be found far from the laboratory, namely on the ocean
floor, much of which is strewn with manganese nodules,
especially in the Pacific. These nodules, apparently of
biogenic origin, are dark brown, slightly flattened spheres
about 510 cm across. When split open, a core surrounded
by concentric rings is revealed. Often the core is a bit of
another nodule, a piece of rock, or even a shark's tooth.
Apparently, the nodules do not become buried by sediments
due to "bioturbation," motion caused by animals. Are marine
OLD SCIENCE An early
creatures perchance playing pool at the bottom of the sea?
Although others might say that the most important transition illustrated edition of the
metal in biology is iron, I think a good case could be made for alchemical tracts of Jabir Ibn
manganese, which seems to be required by all forms of life. Hayyan, who, among other
Perhaps there is an organism that has no need for it, but if so, things, described the use of
dioxide
in
I have yet to hear about it. No one could say this about iron: manganese
Lactobacillus plantarum, a lactic acid bacterium, and Borrelia glassmaking.
burgdorferi, the bacterial pathogen that causes Lyme disease,
apparently have no need for iron at all. Instead, they require manganese, which to my
thinking implies that manganese can do everything that those bacteria would otherwise
need iron to do. That raises an interesting question: Would multicellular forms of life based
on manganese have evolved if iron didn't exist? Maybe so, but then what form and what
colors would manganese-based, hemeless multicellular organisms take? Perhaps an
alchemist could tell us.
Joan Selverstone Valentine is professor of chemistry and biochemistry at University of
California, Los Angeles, and editor of the ACS journal Accounts of Chemical Research.
She and her research group explore mechanisms of oxidative stress and the link between
copper-zinc superoxide dismutase and ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).
MANGANESE AT A GLANCE

Name: From the Latin magnesia, magnet.

Atomic mass: 54.94.

History: Isolated in 1774 by Swedish chemist Johan Gottlieb Gahn.
Occurrence: Many manganese minerals are known and large amounts of manganese are present in the
ocean floor. It is an important trace element.
Appearance: Hard, brittle, silvery metal.
Behavior: Reactive when pure, burns in oxygen, reacts with water, and dissolves in dilute acids.
Uses: Primarily used as an alloy of steel to improve strength and workability. It is also used in ceramics
and dry-cell batteries, and is responsible for the color of amethyst gemstones

61

TECHNETIUM
JOHN T. ARMSTRONG, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS & TECHNOLOGY

If you read about technetium in the "Handbook of Chemistry and

Physics," you might think you knew all you needed to about its discovery
and existence. That's how I felt the first time I had to deal with this rare
element. But simple stories can be deceptive.
I first encountered technetium shortly after I got my Ph.D. While
doing a stint as a researcher in an industrial microanalysis laboratory, I
was asked to determine the distribution of technetium on bone surfaces
using electron microscopy and X-ray analysis. It was the first time I
measured X-ray spectra of technetium, and I figured it might well be the
last. The technetium-99 in the radiopharmaceutical was made by neutron
irradiation of molybdenum, similar to the technetium first analyzed by Carlo Perrier and
Emilio Segr in 1937. Since the longest lived isotope of technetium has a half-life of about
4 million years, the conventional wisdom was that no detectable natural technetium could
be found on Earth.
Certainly, I didn't find any during the next 20 years. I moved on from industry and
spent 15 years in the Geological & Planetary Sciences Division at California Institute of
Technology, using electron and ion microprobe analysis to study the oldest phases in
meteorites. Technetium is found in the spectra of stars and has interesting implications for
nucleosynthesis. If it had stable isotopes, I would likely have studied it. But since it didn't, I
doubt that I spent as much as an hour thinking about its occurrence.
It wasn't until 1998 that I took a real look at element 43. I was
now at the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), in
the Surface & Microanalysis Science Division. One day, an
exuberant Belgian physicist, Pieter van Assche, came into my office
to ask my interpretation of an X-ray emission spectrum. The
spectrum was from a 1925 article by Ida Noddack-Tacke, Walter
Noddack, and Otto Berg, who claimed to have discovered element
43 (which they named "masurium") in samples from uranium-rich
ores.
Ida Noddack-Tacke
Van Assche speculated that, although the researchers didn't
AMERICAN
realize it, they had isolated terrestrial technetium-99 formed from the
INSTITUTE
OF
spontaneous fission of uranium. I was skeptical, but after studying
PHYSICS/SCIENCE
their paper, I realized that they were clearly not crackpots or, as
PHOTO LIBRARY
Ernest Lawrence called them, "apparently deluded." In the same
article, the authors claimed discovery of element 75, naming it "rhenium." Both claims
were widely disputed at the time, but three years later, the Noddacks isolated weighable
amounts of rhenium and were accepted as its discoverers. They weren't able to so
concentrate masurium, and the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry
eventually rejected that discovery. The controversy clearly affected their reputations.

62

Little attention was paid to Ida Noddack-Tacke's article in 1935 questioning Enrico
Fermi's claim that he discovered the transuranium element 93 (for which he received the
Nobel Prize) and suggesting that his neutron bombardment of uranium may have resulted
in the atoms disintegrating into fragments. It was not until Lise Meitner and colleagues'
"discovery" of nuclear fission in 1939 that she was proved right. After this time, the
Noddacks led lives of relative scientific obscurity.
Using first-principles X-ray-emission spectral-generation algorithms developed at
NIST, I simulated the X-ray spectra that would be expected for Van Assche's initial
estimates of the Noddacks' residue compositions. The first results were surprisingly close
to their published spectrum! Over the next couple of years, we refined our reconstruction
of their analytical methods and performed more sophisticated simulations. The agreement
between simulated and reported spectra improved further. Our calculation of the amount
of element 43 required to produce their spectrum is very similar to the direct
measurements of natural technetium abundance in uranium ore published in 1999 by
Dave Curtis and colleagues at Los Alamos. We can find no other plausible explanation for
the Noddacks' data than that they did indeed detect fission "masurium."
The Noddacks were clearly among the finest analytical geochemists of their time.
Their search for the "missing" elements below manganese in the periodic table was part of
a larger effort to accurately determine the abundance of the chemical elements in the
earth and meteorites--data that provided a foundation for the science of geochemistry.
Their work complemented rather than detracted from that of Perrier and Segr.
I am pleased to see that Ida Noddack-Tacke's contributions to science are being
rediscovered--on the Web and in recent books about the periodic table. As a participant in
this scientific detective adventure, I'll always have a fondness for the "element that was
discovered twice"--first as masurium, the first natural element discovered composed
entirely of a spontaneous fission product; second as technetium, the first man-made
chemical element.
John T. Armstrong is a research chemist at NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. He does
fundamental and applied research on electron and X-ray spectrometry and is a past
president of the Microbeam Analysis Society.
TECHNETIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek technetos, artificial.
Atomic mass: (98).
History: Discovered in 1937 by Carlo Perrier and Emilio Segr. It is the first artificially produced element. Since
its discovery, searches for technetium in terrestrial materials have been made without success until recently.
Technetium has been found in the spectrum of S-, M-, and N-type stars, and its presence in stellar matter is
leading to new theories of the production of heavy elements in the stars.
Occurrence: Artificially produced.
Appearance: Silvery gray metal.
Behavior: Radioactive. Tarnishes slowly in moist air.
Uses: Used as a medical tracer and to calibrate particle detectors.

RHENIUM
63

FRED BROT, SIGMA-ALDRICH

The missing link" is a term used in a wide variety of ways. While it

originated with anthropologists, these days it can be applied to genetics,
movies, social programs, Web links, or even just general conversation
when something is noticeably absent.
If you think about it in terms of chemistry, the periodic table had a
missing link until 1925. It was the element rhenium.
Rhenium, element 75 on the periodic table, belongs to the cluster of
elements known as the transition group of elements. It was the last of the
natural elements to be discovered, some 50 years after the introduction of
the periodic table. It is a silvery white, rare, heavy, polyvalent transition
metal. Chemically, it resembles manganese and is used in some alloys. Rhenium has one
of the highest melting points of all elements, exceeded only by tungsten and carbon. It is
also one of the most dense, exceeded only by platinum, iridium, and osmium.
Rhenium's usual commercial form is a powder, but this element can be consolidated
by pressing and resistance-sintering in a vacuum or hydrogen atmosphere. This
procedure yields a compact shape that is in excess of 90% of the density of the metal.
When annealed, this metal is very ductile and can be bent, coiled, or rolled.
Rhenium-molybdenum alloys are superconductive at 10 K.
Rhenium was discovered in 1925 by Walter Noddack, Ida Noddack-Tacke, and Otto
Berg in Germany in platinum ores, such as columbite and tung-state. J. G. F. Druce
discovered it independently in manganese sulfate. The ores from which rhenium was first
isolated commercially came from the region of the Rhine River; hence the element's
(modest) name derives from the Latin term for the river, Rhenus.
Rhenium possesses a hexagonal, close-packed
crystal structure. It has the electronic structure [Xe]4f14 5d5
6s2, a melting point of 3,452.2 K, a boiling point of 5,923 K,
an electronegativity of 1.9 (Pauling), and a thermal
conductivity of 48 J per meter per second per kelvin.
Natural rhenium is a mixture of one stable and one
radioactive isotope of very long half-life, although most BIRTHPLACE Rhenium was first
sources report two stable isotopes. Twenty-six other isolated commercially from ores
unstable isotopes are recognized.
found near the Rhine River.
Rhenium does not occur free in nature or as a
compound in a particular type of mineral. It is widely spread throughout Earth's crust at
approximately 1 to 4 ppb. Commercially, rhenium is obtained through the processing of
copper-sulfide ores that contain molybdenum. In this purification, the molybdenum occurs
as a sulfurous sludge, which, at elevated temperatures, releases rhenium. The next step
in the process is production of the ammonium salt ammonium perrhenate. APR is the
product sold to metal brokers and catalyst manufacturers. Rhenium is produced by
reducing APR with hydrogen.
Applications for rhenium are numerous. It is used in filaments for mass spectrographs
and ion gauges; in electrical contact material, as it has good wear resistance and

64

withstands arc corrosion; in thermocouples (those made of rhenium-tungsten are used for
measuring temperatures to 2,200 C); in wire used in flash lamps for photography; and in
additives to tungsten and molybdenum-based alloys to increase ductility at higher
temperatures. Because of rhenium's high resistance to poisoning from nitrogen, sulfur,
and phosphorus, rhenium catalysts are used for the hydrogenation of fine chemicals and
the disproportionation of alkenes.
What's clear is that while rhenium may once have been missing, it's difficult to
imagine the periodic table today without it!
Fred Brot is a technical service scientist for Sigma-Aldrich. He also serves as a technical
writer and editor for scientific documents.
RHENIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek Rhenus, Rhine, a major European river.
Atomic mass: 186.21.
History: Discovered in 1925 by German chemists Walter Noddack, Ida Noddack-Tacke, and Otto C. Berg.
Occurrence: Does not occur in nature as a free metal. The minerals gadolinite and molybdenite contain small
quantities.
Appearance: Silvery white with a metallic luster.
Behavior: Tarnishes slowly in moist air. Rhenium does not react with water under normal conditions. Annealed
rhenium is very ductile and can be bent, coiled, or rolled. The metal dust is a fire and explosion hazard.
Uses: Used in filaments for mass spectrographs, thermistors, and catalysts and as an additive to tungsten- and
molybdenum-based alloys. Rhenium wire is used in photoflash lamps. Rhenium is also used as an electrical
contact material because it has good wear resistance and withstands arc corrosion. Rhenium catalysts are
exceptionally resistant to poisoning from nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus and are used for the hydrogenation of
fine chemicals, hydrocracking, reforming, and the disproportionation of alkenes.

65

BOHRIUM & HASSIUM

PETER ARMBRUSTER, GESELLSCHAFT FR SCHWERIONENFORSCHUNG

Nearly a century ago, Ernest Rutherford showed that the nucleus of an

atom has identical proton and atomic numbers (Z). The stability of the
nucleus and the number of possible elements then became a question of
nuclear physics. The ratio of two forces--the short-range nuclear force and
the long-range electromagnetic force--determines the stability of nuclei.
The nuclear force keeps nucleons together, whereas electric repulsion
between protons tries to break the nucleus into smaller pieces. Small
changes in the ratio of the two forces decide whether a chemical element
can or cannot exist.
As Z increases, the electric repulsion between protons rises in
proportion to the square of their number, whereas the attractive nuclear
forces grow less than linearly with the total number of nucleons. An energy
barrier protects the atomic nucleus against fission. This barrier becomes
smaller and smaller as Z increases. Danish physicist Niels Bohr predicted in 1939 that,
assuming the nucleus to be a droplet of nuclear matter, the number of elements should be
limited to about a hundred.
However, the quantum mechanical order of atomic electrons--the essence of
chemistry--has an equivalent in atomic nuclei. Nuclear structure, as the order in the
chaotic soup of nucleons is called, gives additional binding energy compared to a
structureless nuclear droplet, and an increase in the number of possible chemical
elements was predicted in the 1960s. This idea of new superheavy elements in the range
up to Z = 120 stabilized by nuclear structure inspired nuclear researchers and, in
Germany, led to different initiatives for entering the element-hunting race.
In December 1969, the Gesellschaft fr Schwerionenforschung (GSI) was founded at
Darmstadt in order to build a heavy-ion accelerator and start research on the physics and
chemistry of superheavy elements. This decision led to the synthesis of six new elements
between 1981 (Z = 107) and 1996 (Z = 112). Their atomic nuclei are strongly stabilized by
the quantum-mechanical order of their constituents, and they have a barrel-like shape.
These elements are the first superheavy elements. Their nuclei are protected against
spontaneous fission decay by a high fission barrier built up by the nuclear structure of the
system.
Our surprising success was a consequence of long-term planning combined with
fortuitous circumstances. At the start of the project, we had a unique technological base in
Germany. Christoph Schmelzer had started work in the late 1950s on acceleration of
heavy ions, and Heinz Ewald and I developed and built recoil separators for fission
fragments at nuclear reactors. These were essential provisions for an accelerator
(UNILAC) and a recoil separator for fusion products (SHIP) to be available by 1975. Both
of these--viewed somewhat skeptically by the outside community--were genuine
innovations. UNILAC was built by the GSI team, and SHIP was designed and built in
66

collaboration with the University of Giessen by a team headed by Gottfried Mnzenberg.

Besides the recoil-separator technique, new target technology and position-sensitive
silicon-detector techniques were decisive. The successful team of Mnzenberg, Sigurd
Hofmann, Fritz Peter Hessberger, Willibrord Reisdorf and Karl-Heinz Schmidt synthesized
elements Z = 107109 between 1976 and 1989.
In addition to the technological base,
new scientific findings in the 1970s played a
major role. Experiments on reaction
mechanisms pursued in all the heavy-ion
laboratories of the time showed that, with
increasing system mass, nuclei fuse more
and more rarely. Fusion leading to
superheavy nuclei will be an ever more
elusive reaction channel: Only highly
sensitive methods will help progress. In HEAVY RESEARCH Armbruster (center, standing)
1973, Yuri Oganessian and Alexander poses with his GSI colleagues. The group helped
Demin at Dubna, Russia, discovered a new to discover six transuranium elements.
way of producing heavy elements--the
fusion of lead and bismuth nuclei with medium-weight ions in the mass range of 40 to 54.
This method avoids the use of reactor-bred actinide targets and gives independence from
access and availability of these isotopes. Moreover, the new reaction type--soft
fusion--produces less heated nuclear systems that cool down by the emission of only one
or two neutrons, whereas the actinide-based reactions--hot fusion--liberate about four to
five neutrons. To survive fission in the de-excitation of the primary system, soft fusion is
highly advantageous.
The element bohrium (Bh) was first identified on Feb. 24, 1981, in Darmstadt. A chain
of correlated -decays was registered, allowing for an unambiguous reconstruction of the
isotope 262Bh. The isotope was produced by fusion of 209Bi and 54Cr into an excited
compound nucleus, which cooled down by prompt emission of one neutron to 262Bh.
Bohrium transmutes by a chain of time-correlated -decays within milliseconds to known
isotopes of the elements dubnium, lawrencium, mendelevium, and fermium. So far, about
70 atoms of 262Bh have been observed and identified. In 1997, the International Union of
Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) accepted the proposal to name the new element with
Z = 107 after Bohr.
"Our surprising success was a consequence of long-term planning combined with
fortuitous circumstances."
Today, we know five isotopes of bohrium (with mass numbers 261, 262, 264, 266,
and 267); the two heaviest were discov-ered in 2000 at LBL. All of the isotopes are
-emitters, and their half-lives increase from 12 milliseconds for 261Bh to 17 seconds for
267
Bh. All bohrium isotopes were identified by time correlations to known isotopes of
lighter elements using single-event detection. For the odd atomic number element, no
spontaneous fission decays were registered.

67

At the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, it was shown that bohrium is a group 7
element, the big brother of rhenium, technetium, and manganese. The volatility of
oxychlorides of short-lived isotopes of group 7 elements could be measured and
compared by gas chromatography. As expected from relativistic calculations of molecular
properties and following the trend in the periodic table for group 7 elements, bohrium
shows the lowest volatility of its oxychloride compound compared with the lighter
homologs in group 7. Its place in the periodic table is below rhenium.
Replacing the 54Cr projectiles with 58Fe projectiles opened the way to element 109,
meitnerium (Mt). On Aug. 29, 1982, an 11.1-MeV
-particle correlated within 5
milliseconds to the previously discovered 262Bh-chain gave evidence for the first atom of
266
Mt. Today, we know two isotopes of meitnerium (atomic masses of 266 and 268). They
are millisecond
-emitters produced with a few picobarns. The classification of
meitnerium in the periodic table is still open.
The element hassium (Hs) was identified first on March 14, 1984, in Darmstadt. A
chain of correlated -decays was registered, allowing for an unambiguous reconstruction
of the isotope 265Hs. The isotope was produced by fusion of 208Pb and 58Fe into an excited
compound nucleus, which cooled down by prompt emission of one neutron to 265Hs.
Hassium transmutes to known isotopes of seaborgium, rutherfordium, nobelium, and
fermium. So far, about 40 atoms of 265Hs have been observed and identified. IUPAC
accorded the major credit concerning discovery to our group and, in 1997, accepted the
proposal to name the new element with Z = 108 hassium after the state of Hessen (Hassia
in Latin). Darmstadt was the former capital of Hessen, and our institute wanted to
acknowledge the people and the state that host the institute and help to continuously
finance our costly budgets and the GSI laboratory.
Today, we know six isotopes of hassium (with mass numbers of 264-267, 269, and
270). All isotopes are -emitters. Their half-lives increase from 0.5 milliseconds for 264Hs
to 21 seconds for 270Hs. All hassium isotopes were identified by time correlations to known
isotopes of lighter elements using single-event detection. Only the lightest even-even
isotope, 264Hs, has a spontaneous fission-decay branch. 267Hs was discovered by fusion
of 34S and 238U in 1994 at Dubna. In 2001, nuclear chemistry groups at Darmstadt
synthesized the isotopes 269, 270Hs by fusion of 26Mg and 248Cm.
Like osmium, hassium is expected to form a very volatile tetraoxide. HsO4 has a
deposition temperature on a thermochromatography column that is higher than its
homolog, OsO4. HsO4 behaves as a group 8 element, and it is slightly less volatile than
the osmium compound. Its place in the periodic table is below osmium in group 8.
The decay chains of 269Hs were seen before in the decay of 277112. The agreement of
the thermochromatography experiment with this earlier experiment indirectly corroborates
the discovery of element 112. The isotope 270Hs has a half-life of 4 seconds for -decay,
allowing for the application of a radiochemical separation method. 270Hs is the center of a
shell-stabilized region of deformed superheavy nuclei having barrel-like shapes.
The unexpected disappearance of spontaneous fission decay beyond rutherfordium
and increasing -half-lives approaching 162-neutron isotopes in the 10-second range are
prerequisites for chemical investigations. Nuclear-structure physics has allowed the
elements up to hassium to enter the periodic table. The strongest nuclear-shell

68

corrections ever seen until now for a deformed nucleus are found in 270Hs. The order of its
nucleons in the barrel-like shape of the nucleus gives -half-lives that just meet the limits
of today's fast chemical methods applicable to single-atom detection techniques.
Peter Armbruster is a scientist emeritus in physics at GSI, Darmstadt, Germany. He built
up and headed the Nuclear Chemistry Group at GSI that discovered the six elements
between Z = 107 and Z = 112 from 1972 to 1996. He won the ACS Award for Nuclear
Chemistry in 1997.
BOHRIUM & HASSIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Bohrium is named after Danish physicist Niels Bohr, who proposed the modern concept of the atom;
hassium comes from the Latin Hassia, Germany.
Atomic mass: Bh: (264); Hs: (270).
History: Russian scientists at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research first reported producing bohrium in 1976.
This was confirmed by German physicists Peter Armbruster and Gottfried Mnzenberg at the Gesellschaft fr
Schwerionenforschung in 1981. Hassium was discovered in 1984 by a team of physicists led by Armbruster and
Mnzenberg in Germany.
Occurrence: Artificially produced.
Appearance: Solids of unknown color.
Behavior: Highly radioactive.
Uses: No commercial uses.

69

IRON
ARTHUR B. ELLIS, NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

In the course of learning and teaching chemistry, I have come to

appreciate the value of "teachable moments" that spark interest and
curiosity. In my experience, there are many compelling teachable
moments associated with the element iron. I'd like to share with you some
of my favorite pedagogical "irons in the fire."
People of all ages are fascinated by magnetism, and iron is the
quintessential magnetic material. Whether it is the attraction of a magnet
to various surfaces, the ability to arrange filings into patterns, or the use
of a wire-wound nail as an electromagnet to pick up paper clips, you can't
help but be mesmerized by iron. If you value flexibility and advertising
capability in a magnet, the refrigerator magnet is worthy of admiration.
The refrigerator magnet consists of particles of an oxide of iron embedded in a polymer
matrix to make a composite material.
Iron appears in some unexpected places. If you haven't attempted to find iron in food,
try this experiment with Total cereal, which has reduced iron as an ingredient: Pour the
cereal into a bowl, grind it up, mix the finely powdered cereal around with a magnet, and
voil! Small iron particles appear on the magnet.
Why do we need iron in our bodies? Iron is an essential part of our physiology.
Myoglobin and hemoglobin, for instance, are iron-containing proteins that store and
transport the oxygen that keeps us alive.
Iron intrigues us both as an element and
through its many chemical incarnations. Its facile
transformation into rust is an archetypal chemical
conversion with enormous economic implications.
Although the slow conversion of iron to iron oxide
lacks excitement, the conversion of iron oxide back
to iron can be extraordinarily dramatic. The
thermite reaction, wherein iron oxide reacts with
aluminum to produce aluminum oxide and molten
MAGNETIC A 3-cm drop of ferrofluid, a
iron, is one of the most spectacular in chemistry.
suspension of magnetite in oil, placed on a
Of all of iron's compounds, my favorite is
glass slide. Under the slide is a yellow
magnetite, Fe3O4. This compound is the basis for
Post-it and seven circular magnets.
one of the most astounding demonstrations I have
seen in science: the response of a ferrofluid to a strong magnet. A common ferrofluid
comprises nanoscale particles of magnetite suspended in a liquid. When a magnet is
brought up to a black quiescent puddle of ferrofluid, the liquid suddenly seems to come to
life: The placid surface of the puddle erupts into spikes as suspended nanoscale particles
of magnetite relocate themselves in the magnetic field and drag the liquid along for the
ride. Ferrofluids are used to dampen unwanted resonances in loudspeakers and to create
70

seals for high-speed computer disc drives. There is even experimental work in which
drugs are combined with ferrofluids so that their physiological location can be controlled
with magnets.
Although samples of ferrofluids are commercially available, the awestruck response
of many viewers to them prompted my coworkers and me to develop a simple, robust
synthesis so that others could enjoy preparing these materials. As a series of movies on
our website demonstrates (http://www.mrsec.wisc.edu/edetc/cineplex/ff/index.html), some
simple manipulations that combine ferric chloride, ferrous chloride, aqueous ammonia,
and a surfactant--none of which will show a response to a common magnet--produce a
magnet-responsive ferrofluid in less than an hour.
Our search to optimize the preparation and properties of ferrofluids is emblematic of
humankind's efforts to place iron in service to civilization. The Iron Age, for example,
marked a passage from alchemy to chemistry as our ancestors "ironed out" physical and
chemical modifications of the element's properties. From the Industrial Age to the present,
our many uses of steel have been enabled by purposeful choices of impurity atoms and
informed by increasingly sophisticated synthetic and characterization methods. A lovely
recent high-tech example of the use of iron was devel- oped through the tools of
nanotechnology. Scientists at IBM used the tip of a scanning probe microscope to position
48 iron atoms to form a ring. As the ring--dubbed a "quantum corral"--was completed, a
magnificent circular wave pattern appeared, allowing the direct visualization of the
quantum behavior of electrons (http://www.almaden.ibm.com/vis/stm/corral.html).
And what of the future? There are no ironclad guarantees, of course, but its
abundance and chemical versatility make me confident that iron will continue to provide a
mother lode of opportunities in science and technology, as well as many more teachable
moments!
Arthur B. Ellis is director of the Division of Chemistry at the National Science Foundation.
He is on detail from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he is Meloche-Bascom
Professor of Chemistry. Opinions expressed are the author's and may or may not reflect
those of NSF.
IRON AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Anglo-Saxon iron. Fe comes from the Latin for iron, ferrum.
Atomic mass: 55.85.
History: Use of iron dates back to prehistoric times.
Occurrence: Iron is highly abundant, comprising nearly 5.6% of Earth's crust. It is thought that the core of Earth is
mostly molten iron.
Appearance: Reddish brown, solid metal.
Behavior: Pure iron metal oxidizes in moist air to form rust. In living systems, iron is a component of many
proteins, including hemoglobin.
Uses: Alloying iron with carbon creates steel, and adding different impurities gives the steel different properties.

71

RUTHENIUM
ROBERT H. GRUBBS, CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Situated in the middle of the second row of the transition-metal

series, ruthenium lies at the heart of the periodic table. This central
location bestows upon ruthenium properties that are common to both its
early- and late-transition-metal cousins. Harnessing the best of both
worlds, ruthenium benefits from a confluence of desirable properties,
amounting to a winning combination for catalysis. Borrowing the high
reactivity of elements to its left and the less oxophilic and Lewis acidic
nature of those to its right results in a special array of properties, which
led Geoffrey Wilkinson to refer to ruthenium as an element for the
connoisseur.
Early in the pursuit of its preparative chemistry, an unexpected capacity of Ru(II) for
backbonding was uncovered by Henry Taube. Ultimately, the optimization of reactivity,
multiple metal bonding, and functional group tolerance culminated in the creation of a
family of olefin metathesis catalysts that are finding broad use in organic and polymer
synthesis--the main focus of my research.
I first became fascinated with olefin metathesis when I was a postdoc. At that time,
the catalysts were ill-defined and had a very narrow substrate scope. The presence of air,
water, or any basic organic functional groups would poison these early catalysts, limiting
their application to the metathesis of hydrocarbon substrates. Furthermore, nothing was
known about the structure of the active complex. Known metal carbene/ alkylidene
complexes--once implicated in the mechanism of the reaction--were screened for catalytic
activity. The high-oxidation-state early-metal complexes, prepared by Fred Tebbe and
Richard R. Schrock, were active and well-defined. Despite the continued acute sensitivity
to air and functional groups, subsequent members of Schrock's tungsten and
molybdenum catalyst family paved the way for well-defined olefin metathesis as we know
it today.
I should have listened to Harry; it would have saved a lot of time. Harry Gray, who has
exploited ruthenium redox chemistry in his work on electron tunneling in proteins, always
told me that ruthenium was a great metal and was particularly good for Kentucky kids!
Instead, we wandered across the periodic table before finally discovering the magic of
ruthenium.
Our relationship with ruthenium began when Bruce Novak found that none of the
well-defined catalysts based on titanium and tungsten known at that time would
polymerize a particular functionalized monomer. A literature search revealed that
ruthenium chloride would polymerize related monomers in protic solvents. After
considerable effort, Novak determined that Ru(II) and a strained olefin were essential
ingredients for the preparation of an ill-defined, yet very active, catalyst--a result that
would lead SonBinh Nguyen to the first member of a family of highly active, well-defined
ruthenium metathesis catalysts.
72

With the basic structure in hand, a series of ligand modifications led to much more
active catalysts. We developed and optimized new synthetic routes, allowing for the
commercialization of this family of catalysts. The most recent additions to the family use
N-heterocyclic carbene ligands and have activities on a par with the best early-metal
complexes. Most significantly, they retain the functional group tolerance observed with the
parent ruthenium complexes, while allowing for metathesis of highly functionalized double
bonds.

These catalysts will react selectively with olefins in the presence of water, alcohols,
and sulfur-containing compounds, all of which were poisons to earlier catalysts.
Furthermore, these ruthenium complexes are not particularly sensitive to oxygen and can
therefore be handled under normal synthetic organic conditions. In fact, a number of new
drugs now in Phase II trials employ ruthenium-mediated olefin metathesis as a key step in
their synthesis.
The extraordinary tolerance of these catalysts to both functional groups and
impurities is also providing new opportunities in the polymer chemistry arena, leading to
new families of functional polymers and polymer composites. Their stability in concert with
the ability to precisely control their activity has resulted in the synthesis of "living," block,
and cyclic polymers.
The special properties of ruthenium have opened up the area of olefin metathesis to
synthetic organic and polymer chemists and are finally allowing this powerful reaction to
realize its considerable promise.
Robert H. Grubbs is Victor & Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry at California
Institute of Technology. He was the recipient of the 2002 Arthur C. Cope Award.
RUTHENIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin Ruthenia, Russia.
Atomic mass: 101.07.
History: Ruthenium was discovered by Karl Karlovich Klaus, a Russian chemist, in 1844.
Occurrence: Found in platinum and other ores.
Appearance: Silvery white, solid metal.
Behavior: RuO4 is toxic and explosive.
Uses: Used as a catalyst in many industrial processes and to increase the corrosion resistance of titanium.

73

OSMIUM
IAN SHOTT

Osmium, used primarily in pen nibs and armor-piercing weapon

shells, is the densest metal in the periodic table. It can, however, typify an
often encountered chemical conundrum. On the one hand, it is very
useful as the metal in a highly stereospecific catalyst, which is both
nonvolatile and nontoxic. In the development world, it has enjoyed
widespread use in directly synthesizing a range of valuable
pharmaceutical intermediates. On the other hand, its oxide is both highly
toxic and very volatile, with high physical penetration of a variety of
otherwise inert materials. Commercially, the oxide is used as a stain in
microscopy.
Thus, scale-up in conventional multipurpose plants poses three significant issues:
waste containment and treatment; product purification, as even parts-per-billion
concentrations cannot be tolerated; and decontamination of the plant and equipment
where the oxide will have penetrated surfaces, particularly PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene)
linings and joints.
This combination can result in the necessity to make an otherwise multipurpose plant
dedicated, with the consequential negative impact on capacity utilization and overall
production economics. A frustrating cycle then occurs, whereby industrious process
researchers find an elegant solution to synthesize an otherwise difficult-to-make
intermediate, and they successfully produce a sample that is purified and analyzed. This
is well received by the customer, who then wants larger quantities and detailed
large-scale pricing. It proves impossible to fit it into existing equipment, and a substantial
investment is required for a dedicated, segregated, highly specified plant. The market is
not yet established, cost is an issue, and price sensitivity is critical. High capital
expenditure and low occupacity mean production costs are prohibitive, and the
opportunity is consequently lost. The activation energy to convert an intellectual curiosity
into a commercial reality has not been overcome.
The specialty chemical company Rhodia does have access to intellectual property in
this area and has undertaken some semitechnical trials and scale-up pilot-plant activity.
To my knowledge, only two or three other companies also have limited operational
experience but no fully commercial activity.
The cycle can be broken only if one single opportunity is so certain, so large, so cost
insensitive it can support the investment. Today, this type of opportunity is a rare animal
and more probably in danger of extinction.
Standing back from this issue, we could be facing a huge generic problem with the
combination of today's increasingly complex chemistry and existing state-of-the-art
multipurpose technology. The latter is, in general, based on a simplified flow sheet of large
stirred-tank reactors that has essentially existed for the past five centuries! Modernization
has brought a plethora of new materials and instrumentation that have increased the cost

74

of fundamentally low productivity equipment trains. Thus, no discernable benefit in terms

of unit cost reduction has resulted.
Most organic synthesis routes to complex pharmaceuticals have numerous stages
with high dilution and slow kinetics offering miserable overall yields and appalling
productivity. These routes under batch conditions are very complex and involve inherently
dirty chemistry with numerous side reactions. A new vision for tomorrow could involve a
type of process "circuit board" of modules encompassing fewer stages, inherently clean
and direct routes, rapid reaction kinetics, high throughputs, high overall yield, lower waste,
and substantially improved productivity.
In today's world of process intensification, supercritical fluid technology,
nanotechnology, and "multidisciplinarianism," there is considerable scope for innovation.
Coming back to osmium, it could conceivably be embedded
in a microreactor module where the oxide is retained and
recycled while the reactants and products have low residence
time, with the product "escaping" largely contaminant-free to
the next isolation and purification modules. In this world, all
multipurpose synthesis lines are a "circuit board" of
cheap-to-construct,
high-throughput
microreactor
and POINTED One of osmium's
separator modules that are rapidly interchanged and recycled major uses is in fountain pen
for product changeover. This will be possible only if organic and tips.
physical chemists, material scientists, engineers, and
mathematicians interact at a preindustrial conceptual level to rewrite the chemistry books
and make a breakthrough in multipurpose plant thinking.Over the past three decades, the
electronics industry has confronted this challenge and made huge advances in moving
from valve technology to microchips. The enormous benefits in functionality and cost have
been passed on to the public at large. The chemical enterprise now needs to seize its
challenge and unlock the full power of the periodic table for the benefit of humankind and
the consumer.
Ian Shott has held senior executive positions in the international pharmaceutical and fine
chemicals industry for the past 20 years. He has spent much time living and working in the
U.K., France, Switzerland, and the U.S.
OSMIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek osme, smell.
Atomic mass: 190.23.
History: Discovered in 1803 by the English chemist Smithson Tennant in the residue left when crude platinum is
dissolved by aqua regia.
Occurrence: Occurs in iridosule and in platinum-bearing river sands.
Appearance: Lustrous, hard, silvery metal with a bluish tinge.
Behavior: The pure metal is not toxic, but its volatile oxide is. Powdered osmium slowly gives off osmium
tetroxide, which is highly toxic and has a strong smell.
Uses: The metal is almost entirely used to produce very hard alloys with other metals of the platinum group.

75

COBALT
EKKEHARD SCHWAB, BASF

The name of the element cobalt has deep roots in the mythology of
medieval mining. Mining was the basis for considerable wealth and power
in regions where valuable metal ores were discovered. Myths were
connected with the discovery of mineral resources, their extraction, and
their processing. If one imagines medieval mining conditions--miners
worked in almost complete darkness and under extremely dangerous
circumstances--then it's not surprising that ghosts and demons were
prevalent in people's minds in those days.
The word "cobalt" is derived from "Kobold," the name of a
mischievous goblin in German mythology who, by the way, was closely
related to another sprite called "Nickel." Kobold was not really evil, but he loved to tease
humans. Typically, like Nickel, he was blamed when ores that looked like those of
valuable metals could not be smelted. An example of such an ore is the mineral cobaltite
[(Co,Fe)AsS], which is sometimes found together with elemental silver, and the following
story is connected with this.
At the end of the 16th century, the yield of the silver mines in the German region of
Saxony declined from year to year. Kobold was blamed for stealing the silver and leaving
behind worthless rock. Around this time, a young man skilled in the art of smelting arrived
in Schneeberg, one of the main mining towns, and started to experiment with the strange
dead rock that was assumed to be silver ore. Because he often did this at night and
behind closed doors, he aroused the suspicions of the townspeople. They were just about
to arrest and sentence him as a wizard when he found a way to prepare a brilliant blue
pigment. The people of Schneeberg quickly realized that although the young man had not
found silver, he had discovered a valuable new material--cobalt blue, which is still one of
the technical uses for cobalt.
In 2000, more than 35,000 tons of refined cobalt were produced worldwide, according
to the British Geological Survey. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that 45% is
currently used in superalloys (chiefly for aerospace uses), 9% in magnet alloys, 9% in
cemented carbides, 6% in other alloys including steel, and 30% in chemical and ceramic
uses. In the field of audio and videotapes, addition of a few percent of cobalt allows
magnetic iron oxides to be used for high-density recording. Consumption sectors that are
expected to show strong growth in the future are hard-facing (cutting) alloys, carbides,
catalysts, and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, although here, however, cobalt is in
competition with materials based on manganese and nickel. The irreplaceable material
properties of superalloys and high-performance permanent magnets containing cobalt
have caused the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency to stockpile strategic reserves of this
once-undervalued element.
In the chemical industry, cobalt is an essential constituent in important catalysts.
Together with molybdenum, it is used in hydrodesulfurization catalysts for the
manufacture of clean fuels. Cobalt catalysts are employed in the production of
76

Fischer-Tropsch hydrocarbons and in a number of special hydrogenation processes (for

example, for the production of amines.) Last but not least, they are key components in the
multi-million-pound technology of hydroformylation; that is, the catalytic transformation of
olefins into aldehydes using homogeneous catalysts.
Finally, cobalt is an essential trace element in humans: About 40 ng of cobalt is
required every day to meet the recommended dietary allowance of 2.4 mg of vitamin B12.
Looking at the history of cobalt, it's clear that the element has undergone a significant
transformation from an "ugly duckling" of no interest to miners into a "swan" of strategic
industrial importance.

Ekkehard Schwab is a research director at BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany. His research

focuses on heterogeneous catalysis.
COBALT AT A GLANCE
Name: From the German kobold, goblin or evil spirit.
Atomic mass: 58.93.
History: Minerals containing cobalt were used by the early civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia for coloring
and dyeing. The element was isolated by Swedish chemist Georg Brandt in 1735.
Occurrence: Found in the minerals cobaltite, smaltite, and erythrite and is often associated with nickel, silver,
lead, copper, and iron ores.
Appearance: Silvery blue, hard, brittle metal.
Behavior: Stable in air, unaffected by water, and slowly attacked by dilute acids. It has low toxicity by ingestion but
is a suspected carcinogen.
Uses: Cobalt is essential to most species, including humans. It is used in alloys for magnets, in ceramics, in
catalysts, and in paints. Cobalt is also used in magnetic and stainless steels. The metal is used in electroplating.

77

RHODIUM
JACK HALPERN, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

During the 1950s, we demonstrated that several transition-metal ions,

among them rhodium(III), can activate H2 homogeneously in solution by a
previously unrecognized route, namely electrophilic attack, leading to
heterolytic splitting, as exemplified by the pictured catalytic cycle [Canad.
J. Chem., 37, 1933 (1959)]. These studies also accorded among the
earliest recognition to the roles of transition-metal hydrides as catalytic
intermediates.
The remarkable renaissance of transition-metal coordination and
organometallic chemistry during the intervening half century has been
driven in considerable measure by the highly novel, diverse, and useful
catalytic applications of this chemistry. Rhodium catalysts have been prominently
represented among such applications, exhibiting a scope and versatility that probably are
unmatched by those of any other element. Among the rhodium-catalyzed reactions that
have received significant attention are the hydrogenation of olefins, including the first
commercial asymmetric catalytic process (L-dopa synthesis); hydrogenation of arenes;
hydroformylation of olefins; olefin-diene codimerization; and carbonylation of methanol to
acetic acid.
In a 1966 C&EN article (Oct. 31, page 68), I called attention to a pattern of striking
parallels (subsequently embodied in the "isolobal analogy" concept) between the
reactivity patterns of certain low-spin transition-metal complexes and those of reactive
organic species of related configurations; for example, d6 complexes (e.g., RhIII) and
carbonium ions; d7 complexes (e.g., RhII) and free radicals; or d8 complexes (e.g., RhI)
and carbenes or carbanions. The versatility of transition-metal complexes as catalysts and
catalytic intermediates can be attributed in considerable measure to the accessibility of
one or more of these reactive configurations, and in the case of rhodium to all of them, as
manifested in the following prototypical reactions: RhIII (d6) + RH RhR + H+ (R = H or
aryl); RhII (d7) + RBr RhBr + R (R = benzyl); 2RhII (d7) (or [RhII]2) + RH RhR +
RhH (R = H or CH3); RhI (d8) + H2 (or CH3I) RhH2 [or Rh(CH3)I]; RhI + CH3I RhCH3
+ I. Combinations of these elementary steps, together with certain other characteristic
reactions, notably the insertion of olefins into metal-hydrogen bonds (RhH + C=C
RhCCH) and of carbon monoxide into metal-alkyl bonds (RhR + CO RhC(=O)R),
account for much of the rich and diverse catalytic chemistry of the transition metals,
particularly of the later ones.
My own research interests have focused particularly on the mechanistic aspects of
homogeneous catalysis by transition metals. Rhodium has played a central role in these
endeavors. While most transition-metal-catalyzed reactions proceed through
combinations of steps such as those identified above, rhodium-catalyzed reactions are
distinctive in that the relative rates of the successive steps and stabilities of the diverse
reaction intermediates often are matched to a degree that enables all or most of them to
78

be directly observed and characterized. Examples of rhodium-catalyzed reactions whose

mechanisms have been elucidated in impressive detail, with "interception" and
characterization of most of the intermediates, include the RhCl(PPh3)3-catalyzed
hydrogenation of olefins (Wilkinson's catalyst), the Rh(diphosphine)-catalyzed asymmetric
hydrogenation of enamides (Knowles' catalyst), and the [Rh(CO)2I2]-catalyzed
carbonylation of methanol (Monsanto acetic acid process).
Rhodium complexes, notably porphyrins, also exhibit distinctive patterns of reactivity
toward CH bonds. As with other electrophilic metal ions, aromatic CH bonds are
cleaved heterolytically by Rh(IIII) to form Rh-aryl adducts. On the other hand, in reactions
that have few parallels for other metals, selected benzylic and aliphatic CH bonds are
cleaved homolytically by Rh(II) to form the corresponding rhodium benzyl or alkyl adducts,
along with rhodium hydrides; e.g., 2RhII (or [RhII]2) + CH4 RhCH3 + RhH. These
reactions have thus far been demonstrated to occur stoichiometrically. The challenge of
incorporating them into useful catalytic cycles for the functionalization of hydrocarbons
remains to be addressed.
The modern phase of research on the coordination and catalytic chemistry of rhodium
extends back about half a century. I have been fortunate to have been involved, directly or
indirectly, in the earliest stages of this research and in many of the intervening
developments. The field continues to show impressive vitality and to yield novel
discoveries and important insights, as attested to by some of the relatively recent
developments in rhodium porphyrin chemistry. I anticipate that this will continue to be the
case for some time to come.

Jack Halpern is the Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor of Chemistry Emeritus at
the University of Chicago. Following Ph.D. studies at McGill University, he served on the
faculty of the University of British Columbia until 1962, when he moved to the University of
Chicago.
RHODIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek rhodon, rose.
Atomic mass: 102.91.
History: Discovered in 1803 by English chemist William H. Wollaston.
Occurrence: Found with nickel and copper deposits in Canada. Very few rhodium minerals exist.
Appearance: Silvery metal.
Behavior: Rhodium compounds stain the skin and can be highly toxic and carcinogenic.
Uses: Primarily used as an alloying agent to harden platinum and palladium. Such alloys are used in furnace
windings, thermocouple elements, bushings for glass-fiber production, electrodes for aircraft spark plugs, and
laboratory crucibles. Rhodium is also used as an electrical contact material, in jewelry, and as a catalyst. Plated
rhodium, produced by electroplating or evaporation, is exceptionally hard.

79

IRIDIUM
RICHARD EISENBERG , UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER

The lab was dark--intentionally so--except for the eerie purplish glow
of a handheld dark light and the bright red emis-sion of an unlabeled
sample vial that belonged to a student no longer there. The year was
1980, and I had just heard a stimulating lecture from Allen J. Bard about
electrochemiluminescence using Ru(bpy)32+ and oxalate. When asked
what to look for in trying to extend this to other systems, he said, "First,
find a good luminescent complex."
Hence, the search--a poor man's high-throughput screening done by
opening up every sample drawer in the lab and walking through the
darkened lab with a handheld UV light. The red light was impressive, but
its origin was a mystery. However, within several days, the compound was identified as an
iridium(I) carbonyl complex with triphenylphosphine and the anionic ligand
maleonitriledithiolate (mnt). Derivatives with other phosphines, phosphites, and even
isocyanides followed quickly, most showing a distinctive red luminescence that was
tunable by changing the ligand.
I have been fascinated by iridium since I first learned of the complex reported by Lauri
Vaska that bears his name, IrCl(CO)(PPh3)2, nearly 40 years ago. This remarkable
compound forms adducts with small molecules like O2 and SO2 and activates others like
H2, methyl iodide, and silanes by oxidative addition. The importance of this chemistry,
which is described in every modern inorganic and organometallic chemistry textbook,
relates to the controlled breaking of bonds for substrate activation in catalysis. The key to
this process for Vaska's complex and its derivatives comes from the aesthetically pleasing
electronic structure of square-planar complexes and the diversity of its frontier orbitals--a
vacant p orbital and filled d orbitals for and synergic bonding with a substrate and a
filled dz 2 orbital that can serve as an electron-pair donor to an addend.
Not all square-planar complexes can do oxidative addition chemistry, but iridium(I)
complexes like IrCl(CO)(PPh3)2 are particularly adept at it. As in the study of any
chemistry, the more one looks, the more there is to ask. For oxidative addition to
square-planar Ir(I) systems, the reaction's stereoselectivity is a question that we have
probed with H2 as substrate, using, in part, sensitive nuclear magnetic resonance
methods based on parahydrogen.
Iridium(I) complexes have also been in the forefront of research addressing one of
chemistry's holy grails: the activation of stable, unactivated carbon-hydrogen bonds. The
seminal studies of Robert G. Bergman and William A. G. Graham 20 years ago featured
iridium complexes containing the pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ligand and were followed
with investigations using other Ir(I) systems having electronically related tridentate ligands.
Different lines of investigation on the same problem, first by Robert H. Crabtree and more
recently by Craig M. Jensen, William C. Kaska, and Alan S. Goldman, led to success with
complexes having different ligands and geometries, but all unified in containing iridium.
Iridium complexes are generally not as good as rhodium analogs for homogeneous
80

catalysis because they form more stable oxidative addition products, but the Cativa
system for acetic acid synthesis developed by BP employs Ir(I) and Ir(III) carbonyl iodides.
Numerous variations of Vaska's complex have been made--different halides, different
phosphines, substitution of CO, and change from trans phosphines to cis--and all exhibit
to differing extent the extraordinary oxidative addition chemistry shown by IrCl(CO)(PPh3)2.
The mysterious complex that luminesced red was first synthesized as an anionic
derivative, but its beautiful photoemission moved us in another direction. Again, iridium
did not disappoint. Coordination of mnt to Ir(I) introduced a charge-transfer excited state,
and variation of the other ligands in the complex led to subtle tuning of the emission
energy.
The luminescence properties of other iridium systems have garnered great attention.
Ru(bpy)32+ is arguably the most extensively studied metal complex luminophore. Yet the
"isoelectronic" Ir(III) system made by Richard J. Watts containing orthometallated
phenylpyridine as the chelate has been found by Stephen R. Forrest and Mark E.
Thompson to be a highly efficient emitter of green light in prototypes of flat-panel displays
based on electroluminescence. This phenomenon serves as the basis of OLEDs (organic
light-emitting diodes), but here the iridium plays a key role in giving emission from a triplet
excited state that leads to greatly increased efficiency. Extensive work has shown that the
emission color can be tuned by ligand variation or substitution, and studies suggest that
these Ir(III) systems may have important applications in emerging display technologies.
From oxidative addition, bond activation, and catalysis to electronic structure and
luminescence, the allure of iridium is powerful and seductive. Ensconced between
osmium and platinum, the element's compounds possess properties and reactivity that
continue to draw me to the joys of iridium.
Richard Eisenberg is the Tracy Harris Professor of Chemistry at the University of
Rochester. He is editor-in-chief of Inorganic Chemistry and is the 2003 recipient of the
ACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry.
IRIDIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin iris, rainbow. Iridium salts are highly colored.
Atomic Mass: 192.217.
History: Discovered with osmium by English chemist Smithson Tennant in 1803 in the residue left when crude
platinum is dissolved by aqua regia.
Occurrence: Found in platinum ores and as a by-product of mining nickel.
Appearance: Silvery white metal.
Behavior: The pure metal is very brittle and difficult to machine, but it is also the most corrosion-resistant metal
known.
Uses: Primarily used as a hardening agent for platinum. It is also used in helicopter spark plugs.

81

MEITNERIUM
PATRICIA RIFE, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

It is quite fitting that Austrian Lise Meitner, a physicist and pioneer in

Max Planck's quantum circle in Berlin, would have such a rare, short-lived
element named after her. She was long-lived herself (1878-1968) and
nominated four times for the Nobel Prize for her interpretation of nuclear
fission in 1938, after a traumatic escape from Nazi Germany -- despite the
fact that her research partner for over 30 years, Otto Hahn, was awarded
the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of fission.
After a dramatic escape from Nazi Germany in 1938, orchestrated by
Niels Bohr in Copenhagen and many colleagues worldwide, Meitner
worked through the war years in the Stockholm-based Nobel Institute for
Physics.
It was a fateful letter from Hahn asking her to explain his finding of barium when
uranium was bombarded with neutrons that led to her famous interpretation of nuclear
fission. Nazi officials had been notified not to let the Jewish woman scientist out of Berlin,
but alone with the 34-year-old nephew Otto Robert Frisch over the holidays, Meitner had
the insight to recognize that a tremendous amount of energy would be released in this
new process, nuclear fission. They wrote up their findings for Nature, which were
published in February of 1939 and confirmed by Frisch at Bohr's Institute.
When Bohr made the announcement of fission to colleagues in America in January
1939, John A. Wheeler "let the cat out of the bag" by announcing it to a student group in
Princeton. However, their March 1939 "Mechanism of Nuclear Fission" paper in Nature
gave full credit to the teams of Meitner and Frisch, as well as Hahn
and Strassmann.
Hence, most chemists and physicists were shocked after
World War II that she did not receive her share of the credit by
sharing the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Hahn, though
Meitner was duly lauded in America. She was interviewed by
Eleanor Roosevelt on NBC Radio immediately after the bombing of
Nagasaki and arrived for her first trip to the U.S. in 1946, where she
was named "Woman of the Year" by the U.S. Women's Press Club.
She dined with Harry Truman in the White House (January 1946);
was awarded more than 10 honorary doctorate degrees; and, by Meitner
the end of her life, had received the prestigious Order of the Pour le
Mrite Award (shared with Hahn), presented by the president of Germany in 1961, and
the Enrico Fermi Award.
To her credit, Meitner was the first woman in all of Austria to earn a Ph.D. in physics
(under the esteemed Ludwig Boltzmann and Stefan Meyer) and hence participated in the
fierce debates about the "reality" of the atom before moving to Berlin in 1907. There,
working first as a postdoc assistant to Max Planck, she spent long hours in a refurbished
carpenter's shop outside of the Institute for Chemistry, counting -decay chains on a
82

"scintillating screen" while Hahn worked out the complex chemistry relating to their joint
field of "radioactivity." His mentor, Ernest Rutherford, would send them packages in the
mail, and Meitner was known to startle the postman when her Geiger counter (made by
their friend Hans Geiger) would go off before he announced that a parcel had arrived from
Cambridge, England. Meitner also spent time playing concert piano while Albert Einstein
played his violin during friendly evenings at Planck's home, and she was a dear friend of
Max von Laue, Paul Ehrenfest, Geiger, and other physicists and chemists in their small,
intimate circle of Berlin scientists.
Meitner volunteered in one of the first primitive mobile X-ray units during World War I.
After the war, she returned from her Austrian family to remain in Berlin until Hitler's rise to
power drove many of her colleagues away. Hahn became the director of the Kaiser
Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry, and Planck was the president of the KW Gesellschaft, so
they protected Meitner until 1938, when the racist policies of the Third Reich drove her, at
age 65, to finally escape from Germany.
Meitner's contributions to both science--more than 120 articles published on
radioactive substances and their properties--and society are long lasting. As this pioneer
said in Cambridge, England, at the end of her illustrious career: "I believe young people
think about how they would like their lives to develop; when I did so, I always arrived at the
conclusion that life need not be easy, provided only that it is not empty."
Patricia Rife is a historian of science whose book "Lise Meitner and the Dawn of the
Nuclear Age" is being developed into a screenplay for a film. Rife is a professor in the
Graduate School of E-Commerce at the University of Maryland, and she studies the
sociocultural impact of science and scientists upon modern societies.
MEITNERIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named for Lise Meitner, the Austrian physicist who first suggested a theory of spontaneous nuclear
fission.
Atomic mass: (268).
History: First synthesized in 1982 by Peter Armbruster, Gottfried Mnzenberg, and coworkers at the Gesellschaft
fr Schwerionenforschung, in Darmstadt, Germany, by bombarding bismuth-209 with accelerated iron-58 nuclei.
Occurrence: Artificially produced. Only a few atoms of meitnerium have ever been made.
Appearance: Metal of unknown color.
Behavior: Highly radioactive.
Uses: No commercial uses.

83

NICKEL
DAVID HANSON, C&EN WASHINGTON

If there ever was a utilitarian metal, it's nickel. This well-known

transition element may have more varied applications than any other metal.
It is used in everything from our coins to our automobiles and from jewelry
to paper clips, and new uses are found all the time.
Basically, nickel is a hard, malleable, ductile, lustrous, silver-white
metal that takes a high polish. It conducts heat and electricity and is slightly
magnetic. It forms numerous compounds, many of them blue or green, and
finely divided nickel can adsorb hydrogen.
But it is as an alloy with other metals that nickel really shines. The first
reported use of nickel was in a nickel-copper-zinc alloy produced in China in the Middle
Ages. It is believed that some alloys were produced in prehistoric times. Today, an
estimated 85% of nickel ends up as alloys.
The largest use is in making stainless steel. As much as 70% of nickel goes to make
stainless or other steel alloys. With concentrations of up to 45%, nickel adds strength and
corrosion resistance. Surprisingly, 16% of stainless steel goes into the chemical process
industry. Electronics consume 18%; auto manufacturing, 15%; and the food and beverage
industry, 13%.
In addition to its use in steel alloys, nickel forms useful alloys with other metals.
Copper-nickel alloys offer a good compromise between strength and ductility and resist
corrosion in saltwater, nonoxidizing acids, and alkalies. These alloys are used in industrial
plumbing and petrochemical equipment.
Nickel-copper is also the alloy of which coins are made. The U.S. nickel is 25% nickel
and 75% copper.
Other useful alloys include nickel-chromium and nickel-molybdenum combinations
that are the basis for materials that can withstand extremely corrosive chemical plant
environments, such as hot sulfuric and phosphoric acids, hydrogen chloride gas, and
other oxidative conditions.
Electroplating is the second largest use for this versatile metal. The process is used
to produce corrosion-resistant and decorative finishes, as well as substrates for chromium
coatings. Nickel can be plated on many surfaces, including plastics. Automobile trim,
bathroom fittings, and electronic connectors are just a few of the many applications.
There is also a process for plating nickel without an electric current. This "electroless"
process makes very uniform plating. Other materials can be added to improve the finish,
such as Teflon to increase lubricity or silicon carbide for wear resistance. This process is
used on computer hard drives for a smooth, nonmagnetic base for the magnetic recording
layer.
Nickel also happens to be an excellent catalyst for many chemical reactions. By itself
or combined with other metals, nickel is used for a myriad of industrial and research
applications. The most famous nickel catalyst is called Raney nickel. Developed by
Murray Raney in the 1920s, it is 90% nickel and 10% aluminum.
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All of these uses demand a lot of nickel. The U.S. consumes more than 195,000
metric tons of nickel yearly. But the last nickel mine in the U.S. closed in 1987. Most new
nickel comes from Canada and Australia. The two most common ores are
nickel-iron-sulfide pentlandite, (Ni,Fe)9S16, and a nickel silicate contained in hydrated
magnesium, usually garnierite, (Ni,Mg)6 Si4O10(OH)8.
But at a cost of $8,000 per ton, nickel is not cheap. So there is an efficient recycling
system to recover and reuse nickel. More than 110,000 tons of nickel were recovered
from scrap in the U.S. last year, about 57% of total consumption, according to the U.S.
Geological Survey.
Unfortunately, nickel comes with an evil side.
Several nickel compounds are known human
carcinogens. Nickel refiners had a number of health
problems in the past, but current exposures to nickel in
the workplace are much lower. Still, caution is taken with
nickel refinery dust and especially nickel subsulfide
FIREBALL A 3-mm droplet of
(Ni3S2). Another compound of concern is nickel carbonyl,
nickel-zirconium,
heated
to
a highly toxic, volatile liquid used to purify nickel or to
incandescence, hovers between
produce fine nickel particles. U.S. and international
electrically charged plates inside the
health agencies have set exposure standards for these
Electrostatic Levitator at NASA's
and other nickel compounds.
Marshall Space Flight Center in
Another health issue is contact dermatitis from
Huntsville, Ala.
exposure to nickel. Reactions to nickel alloys in earrings
used for pierced ears are the most frequent, but itchy rashes can occur on any body part
that comes into prolonged contact with nickel. The European Union has banned earrings
with more than 0.05% nickel and some nickel-plated jewelry. The American Academy of
Dermatology says that nickel allergies are the most common chemical allergy causing
skin problems.
Nickel use continues to grow as new applications are found. Nanotechnology,
electronics, and catalysis are areas of exciting nickel research. Use of the metal is rising
each year, and the industry is confident about its future. This is one element where you
don't have to exaggerate when you say that you're getting your nickel's worth.
David J. Hanson is assistant managing editor for government and policy at C&EN. He has
worked for the magazine since 1977.
NICKEL AT A GLANCE
Name: From the German kupfernickel, loosely meaning false copper.
Atomic mass: 58.69.
History: Discovered in 1751 by Swedish chemist Axel F. Cronstedt in niccolite.
Occurrence: Rare in Earth's crust, but many experts believe it is far more common in its molten core.
Appearance: Silvery white metal.
Behavior: Resistant to oxidation. Many forms of nickel are harmful to humans.
Uses: Widely used to make stainless steel and many other corrosion-resistant alloys. Also used in rechargeable
batteries and heating elements. The coin contains about 25% nickel.

85

PALLADIUM
LARRY OVERMAN, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE

The Englishman William Hyde Wollaston discovered palladium in

1803 in South African crude platinum ore. Palladium derives from the
Greek name Pallas, a name associated in Greek mythology with Athena,
the goddess of wisdom. Apparently, Wollaston was stimulated to use this
name by the asteroid Pallas, one of the brightest of asteroids, which was
discovered at about the same time.
Palladium is a silver-white metal that does not corrode in air even at
high temperatures. It is the least dense of the group 10 metals, becoming
soft and ductile when annealed. Palladium has been called the "amazing
soaking sponge" for its ability at room temperature to absorb up to 900
times its own volume of hydrogen, a property that can be exploited to purify hydrogen or
activate it for chemical reaction.
Although automobile catalytic converters use less than one-fifth of an ounce of
palladium each, the largest commercial use of this metal (60% of demand in 1999,
according to the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development) is in the auto
industry for reducing exhaust emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and oxides of
nitrogen. Palladium's high resistance to corrosion leads to it being employed in the
electronics sector and in the formulation of dental alloys, uses that constituted
approximately one-third of world demand in 1999. In the former sector, palladium is used
in the production of multilayer ceramic capacitors, components of mobile telephones,
personal computers, and numerous auto and home electronics. Palladium has long been
used in jewelry, either alone or mixed with gold to produce "white gold."
Palladium's remarkable catalytic properties are responsible for the widespread use of
this metal in the chemical industry. Palladium is employed in the production of bulk
chemicals such as purified terephthalic acid (a component of artificial fibers) and nitric
acid for use in fertilizers. In the specialty chemicals area, palladium catalysis has had a
remarkable impact, fundamentally changing during the past 30 years how exploratory
drug candidates are synthesized in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and
to some extent how fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals are manufactured.
Finely divided palladium has long been employed in catalytic hydrogenations, where
molecular hydrogen is added across carbon-carbon or carbon-hetero multiple bonds. The
modern era of organopalladium chemistry can be traced to 1960, when the Wacker
process for producing acetaldehyde by air oxidation of ethylene using a PdCl2/CuCl2
catalyst was introduced. Five years later, it was shown that allyl and alkene complexes of
PdCl2 react with carbon nucleophiles to form new CC s-bonds. In subsequent years, the
use of palladium catalysis to fashion CC bonds has become a staple in the synthesis of
fine chemicals. Of particular importance are cross-coupling reactions in which two organic
fragments are reliably joined by CC bond formation. I venture to guess that it would be a
rare month (likely week) when a medicinal chemist involved in discovery research does
not employ some palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction.
86

Many other reactions of organic compounds are catalyzed by palladium, such as

carbonylations, hydrosilylations, and molecular rearrangements, the latter reaction first
attracting my research group to this area in the late 1970s. The use of palladium catalysis
in the synthesis of fine chemicals is certain to continue to grow, stimulated by ongoing
developments such as carbon-heteroatom cross-coupling reactions and broadly useful
asymmetric processes for fashioning carbon stereocenters of chiral molecules in a single
configuration.

Larry Overman is a distinguished professor of chemistry at the University of California,

Irvine. He is the 2003 recipient of the ACS Arthur C. Cope Award. He trained as a chemist
at the beginning of the modern era of palladium chemistry, starting graduate school at the
University of Wisconsin, Madison, in the same year, 1965, that palladium-promoted
formation of carbon-carbon bonds was first described.
PALLADIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named for the asteroid Pallas.
Atomic mass: 106.42.
History: Discovered in 1803 by English chemist William Hyde Wollaston while analyzing samples of platinum
ore.
Occurrence: Rare. Palladium tends to appear with deposits of platinum, nickel, copper, silver, and gold.
Appearance: Silvery white, soft metal.
Behavior: Highly resistant to corrosion.
Uses: Used as a catalyst in several industrial processes and in catalytic converters. Palladium is also used in
electrical contacts, dental crowns, and jewelry.

87

PLATINUM
RICHARD M. GROSS, DOW CHEMICAL

When my mother's silvery white wedding ring slid off and rolled
under the porch of the summer cottage in New Hampshire, I was the only
one small enough to crawl beneath the porch to retrieve it. I had no idea I
would, later in life, consider the material used to make that
ring--platinum--one of the elements important to one of my life's pursuits.
After I found the ring, I can distinctly remember feeling sorry for my
mother because it wasn't gold, like other mothers wore. I asked her
about that, and I remember her answer. "This is rarer than gold," she
recounted, "and it's sturdier, which means I can wear it my entire life."
So, my vast knowledge of platinum at that time was that it was used to make jewelry.
By the time I was in high school and developing a
growing interest in science, I was reintroduced to platinum
while learning about thermocouples. It struck me then that
this was the same material as my mother's wedding ring.
How interesting that there were such significantly different
uses of the element.
In college, I discovered platinum was also used as the
basis of important catalysts in industry--for the production
of products such as sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and hydrogen
cyanide.
Some of the most interesting things I learned about this
magic metal were that 90% of all platinum comes from
South Africa and Russia, it's extraordinarily rare, and more
than 10 tons of ore has to be mined to produce a single
ounce of platinum. That's twice as much ore required to
produce an ounce of gold.
Early in my career, I remember learning about the RINGING
ENDORSEMENT
development of the Platforming (platinum and reforming) Though it has many commercial
process by United Oil Products (UOP) in the late 1940s. uses, platinum is perhaps best
The Platforming process is one of the few breakthrough known for its presence in jewelry.
technologies that radically changed the face of the
petroleum industry and helped meet the demands of the automobile industry for higher
octane gasoline.
In recent years, through Dow's 50% ownership of UOP with Honeywell, I have enjoyed
learning more about the details of Platforming research. For example, it was interesting to
learn that the cost of this noble metal almost killed the research project before it was
started and clearly drove the development of promoters to achieve great performance at
low-platinum loadings.
Platinum history takes us back 3,000 years to ancient Egypt, where metalsmiths were
88

skilled in working with this rare metal. A 2,500-year-old coffin of an Egyptian high priestess
was found with the coffin's platinum-engraved hieroglyphs still polished and lustrous.
The Incas created adornments from platinum but when they were invaded by the
Spanish conquistadors, platinum was declared the "solver of less value," and the
conquistadors dumped great amounts of platinum into the sea because they were fearful it
would become a cheap imitation of silver.
Finally, during the 18th century, platinum's value as a metal suited for jewelry took
hold, and in the 19th century, it became the standard mounting for the newly discovered
gemstone, the diamond. The most famous of these diamonds--the Hope, the Jonker, and
the Koh-I-Nor--are all set in platinum.
However, the largest market for platinum today is in automobile catalytic converters.
Once again, platinum is meeting the demands of society for cleaner, more
environmentally friendly automobiles. Catalytic converters and, thus, platinum, have
significantly increased air quality in recent decades.
Getting back to the beginning, platinum remains equally as important to the jewelry market
as it is to the industrial market. So, while I've learned lots about platinum since I went
searching for my mother's wedding ring, it appears as though my early lessons remain
true to the element's role in our lives. And as a testament to this material, my mother
continues to wear her ring, 63 years later, and it still sparkles.
Richard M. Gross is the corporate vice president of research and development and new
business growth for Dow Chemical Co. He has a bachelor's degree in chemical
engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a doctorate in chemical engineering
from the University of Utah.

PLATINUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Spanish platina, silver.
Atomic mass: 195.08.
History: Known since ancient times. The pre-Columbian Indians of South America used platinum, but it wasn't
noticed by Western scientists until 1735. Credit for its modern rediscovery is usually given to Antonio de Ulloa.
Occurrence: Occurs naturally in its native form in the Urals in Russia, as well as in Canada, South America,
Colombia, and Peru. Platinum can also be extracted as a by-product of copper and nickel refining.
Appearance: Silvery white, solid metal. Lustrous, malleable, and ductile.
Behavior: Very resistant to corrosion and not volatile. Platinum salts are toxic.
Uses: Used in its pure form in jewelry since it is long-wearing and extremely white. Platinum is widely used in
catalysts and has found great use in automobile catalytic converters. It is also used in semiconductors and is a
component of some anticancer drugs.

89

DARMSTADTIUM AND BEYOND

DARLEANE C. HOFFMAN, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

More than 150 years elapsed between the discovery of uranium (92)
in 1789 and neptunium (Np, 93), the first transuranium element, in 1940.
Now, 110 elements have been identified, named, and placed in the
periodic table. No longer are there four "missing" elements in the periodic
table, as there were when the first "artificial" element, technetium (43),
was produced and identified in 1937, just before World War II. Uranium
was then the heaviest element known, and the elements astatine (85,
discovered in 1940) and francium (87, 1939) were missing from the body
of the table and promethium (61, 1945) was missing from the lanthanides.
It is awe-inspiring to realize that those four missing elements, plus the 11
actinides from Np through lawrencium (Lr) and the first six transactinides from
rutherfordium (Rf) through meitnerium (Mt), have been added to the periodic table since
1937 when Tc was produced! These 21 elements have increased the number of known
elements by nearly 25% in 66 years.
Discoveries of three transactinides--elements 110, 111, and 112--were reported
between 1995 and 1996. A Joint Working Party (JWP) of the International Union of Pure &
Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)/International Union of Pure & Applied Physics was appointed
to consider the discovery claims; the evidence has been deemed sufficient for elements
110 and 111, and the GSI discoverers have been invited to propose "real" names to
replace the three-letter symbols and "systematic names" based on 0 = nil, 1 = un, 2 = bi, 3
= tri, and so mandated by IUPAC in 1979. Many of you will no doubt recall hearing Glenn
T. Seaborg's sonorous and humorous drawn-out pronunciation of the provisional
designations for elements 110 (Uun) and 111(Uuu) as "oon-oon' NIL-i-em" and "oon-oon'
OON-i-em," much to the amusement of most of us working in this field who simply used
the atomic numbers, thus avoiding these designations. Darmstadtium was approved by
IUPAC as the official name for element 110 on Aug. 16, 2003.
The production and identification of Np and the rest of the actinides were
accomplished rather quickly, as shown in the timeline. However, all the elements after
mendelevium (Md, 101) were first positively identified using "physical" rather than
chemical-separation techniques, ushering in a period of controversy. Methods other than
the classical chemical-separation techniques had to be devised for positive determination
of the atomic number (Z) of these short-lived elements, which were produced in quantities
of only a few atoms by bombardment of heavy targets with high-intensity projectiles.
Positive identification of the first transactinides, Rf and dubnium (Db) [or Ha; many
publications of chemical studies prior to 1997 use hahnium (Ha) for element 105], was
delayed until 196970 as scientists worked to develop new techniques to produce and
identify these elements. New methods based on - correlation to link the new element
to known daughter nuclides were developed. Spontaneous fission rather than -decay is
often the dominant decay mode and, although relatively easy to detect, it effectively
destroys information about the atomic number and mass number of the original nucleus
90

and has led to much controversy concerning identification of the atomic number of the
fissioning nuclide.
Element 106 was soon produced at the
Heavy Ion Linear Accelator (HILAC) at
Berkeley
(1974)
by
a
joint
Berkeley/Livermore group, but a long time
elapsed before elements 107 through 109
were reported in 198184 by researchers
using new production methods and the
velocity separator SHIP at the Universal
Linear Accelerator (UNILAC) at the
Gesellschaft fr Schwerionenforschung (GSI)
in Darmstadt, Germany. More than 10 years
passed while the GSI groups made further
improvements in SHIP and UNILAC before
production of elements 110 through 112 was
reported in 1995 and 1996.
Darmstadtium. Four different isotopes
of element 110 were initially reported by three different groups. A single event of 267110
produced in the 209Bi(59Co,n) reaction was reported in 1995 by a group led by Albert
Ghiorso at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Evidence for isotopes
269
110 and 271110 produced in reactions of lead (Pb) and bismuth (Bi) targets with 62,64Ni
projectiles was reported in 1995 by a group led by Sigurd Hofmann at GSI. A single event
of 273110 produced in the 244Pu (34S,5n) reaction was reported in 1996 by a joint
Dubna/Livermore group led by Yu. A. Lazarev at the Joint Institutes for Nuclear Research
in Russia. Each of these groups used different production reactions, so none constituted
confirmation of the others.
However, in 2002 the GSI group reported confirmation of their own results and the
production of additional isotopes of 110, 269,271110. Groups at LBNL and at the Japan
Atomic Energy Research Institute have also confirmed the earlier GSI results. The LBNL
group was unable to confirm their initial result because the SuperHILAC was shut down
permanently after the experiment was finished, and the Dubna/LLNL group did not
conduct additional experiments to confirm its report. After consideration of all the results,
the JWP said that clearly the GSI group should be acknowledged as the discoverers. The
GSI group was invited by IUPAC to propose a name for element 110 and chose
darmstadtium (Ds) after Darmstadt, near the site where the research was conducted. The
Inorganic Chemistry Division of IUPAC submitted the proposed name to the IUPAC
Bureau and Council for final approval at the IUPAC General Assembly in Ottawa last
month.
Elements 111 and 112. The GSI group initially reported discovery of elements 111
and 112 in 1995 and 1996, respectively, but JWP found that the data were insufficient to
constitute discovery. Additional results designed to confirm the initial investigations were
published by the GSI group in 2002, and JWP has now completed its examination of the
additional data. The findings have been reviewed, and the summary should soon be

91

published on the IUPAC Web page (http://www.iupac.org) for comment. JWP found that
the additional evidence presented for element 111 is sufficient to constitute confirmation
of the discovery by the GSI group, but deemed that the data for element 112 are still not
sufficient.
Attempts by the GSI group to produce element 113 using similar methods were
unsuccessful, and extrapolation from their previous experiments convinced them that
production rates for the elements beyond 112 using Pb and Bi targets had dropped so low
that further increases in the efficiency of their systems or perhaps use of different
target-projectile combinations would be required. Production of element 113 has not yet
been reported.
Now that production of the elements 110 and 111 has been confirmed and
confirmation of 112 may soon follow, what about their chemistry? The half-lives of the
longest confirmed isotopes are only 55 milliseconds (ms) for 110, 2 ms for 111, and 0.6
ms for the reported isotope of 112, hardly promising candidates for chemical studies. A
similar situation exists for Mt, whose longest known isotope is only about 40 ms. Some
longer lived isotopes of elements 110 and 112 have been reported by researchers at
Dubna in 200002, but none of these has yet been confirmed.
An isotope with a half-life of at least a second is needed for chemical studies, and its
decay characteristics must be well established in order to furnish a positive "signature" to
prove that the desired element is actually being studied. Because the production rates are
so low--often only decay of a few atoms per week can be detected--the results of many
separate identical experiments must be combined. Very efficient chemical separations
must be devised that reach equilibrium rapidly, can be conducted in a short time
compared to the half-life, and give the same results on an "atom-at-a-time" basis as for
macroquantities.
Typically, the isotope with the longest half-life and largest production rate is chosen
for chemical studies; this is not necessarily the first isotope discovered. For example, the
half-lives of the isotopes used in the first definitive chemical studies of the transactinides
are 75 seconds (261Rf), 34 seconds (262Db), 21 seconds (266Sg), 17 seconds (267Bh), and
about 14 seconds (269Hs). [The predictions of deformed shells at Z = 108110 and number
of neutrons (N) = 162164 spurred experimentalists to search for longer lived isotopes of
seaborgium (Sg), bohrium (Bh), and hassium (Hs) for chemical studies; these were
discovered and used in the first chemical studies.] Their well-known a-decay properties
were used for positive identification.
The improvement in experimental techniques for atom-at-a-time studies of elements
with both short half-lives and small production rates has permitted chemical studies of
both aqueous- and gas-phase chemistry of the transactinides through Sg. In general,
these studies have confirmed that their chemical properties are similar to those of their
lighter homologs in groups 4, 5, and 6, respectively; however, unexpected deviations from
simple extrapolation of known trends within the groups were found. Theoretical
investigations based on molecular relativistic calculations helped provide guidance for
experimentalists in designing these experiments.
Bh and Hs have only been studied in the gas phase. Studies of the oxychloride of Bh
reported in 2000 showed that it behaved similarly to rhenium and technetium, and in 2002

92

separation of Hs as a volatile oxide similar to that of osmium tetroxide was reported.

Solution chemistry of Bh and Hs has not been conducted because the aqueous chemistry
and preparation of samples suitable for measuring a-particles or fission fragments is too
slow. Very fast liquid-liquid extraction systems followed by direct incorporation of the
activity in a flowing-liquid scintillation detection system have been developed for Rf and
Db and may prove applicable in future studies of solution chemistry of short-lived species.
Another promising technique is the use of a "preseparator" such as the Berkeley
Gas-filled Separator (BGS) to separate and furnish the desired heavy-element isotope to
the chemical system so that studies of its chemistry do not first require decontamination
from other recoiling products.
These results for the lighter transactinides suggest that Mt, Ds, and elements 111 and
112 should be placed under iridium, platinum, gold, and mercury, respectively, as
members of the 6d transition series that began with Rf and is expected to end with
element 112. Mt and Ds have received little recent attention from chemical theorists, as
111 and 112 have been deemed more interesting. Relativistic calculations indicate that in
element 111, the +3 and +5 states will be more stable than in gold and that the +1
exhibited by gold may be very difficult to prepare. Element 112 is the most interesting, as
the calculations predict that the strong relativistic contraction and stabilization of the 7s
orbitals and its closed-shell configuration should make element 112 rather inert and that it
may actually behave more like a rare gas and have properties more similar to radon than
to mercury. Experiments have been designed to try to determine whether 112 behaves
more like mercury or radon, but definitive results must await discovery of a longer lived
a-decaying isotope in order to establish that element 112 is actually being investigated.

Superheavy Elements. The transactinides are defined simply as all those beyond Lr, so,
of course, this includes the long-sought "island" of superheavy elements (SHEs) predicted
in the 1970s to be near the spherical nuclear shells at Z = 112114 and N = 184. Half-lives
as long as billions of years were calculated, and the island was believed to be separated
by a "sea of instability" from the peninsula of known nuclei.

93

Production of element 288114 (174 neutrons) with a half-life of about three seconds
and element 292116 (176 neutrons) with a half-life of ~50 s was reported by a
Dubna/LLNL collaboration working at Dubna in 200002 using 244Pu and 248Ca targets
with 48Ca projectiles, but the results have yet to be confirmed. They have proposed that
these should be called SHEs, although they are still far from the 184-neutron shell. The
element 112 and 110 daughters of these -decay chains were reported to have half-lives
on the order of 10 seconds. It is extremely important to confirm these results, because
investigations of their chemical properties could then be considered if the production rates
can be increased.
Some nuclear theorists predict that element 110 with N = 182184 might be the
longest lived SHE, with a half-life of about 100 years. Others propose that the strongest
spherical shell might be at Z = 124 or 126, while still others suggest Z = 120 and N = 172.
At any rate, it now seems clear that species with half-lives long enough for chemical
studies can exist all along the way to an "island of stability"; the critical problem is how to
synthesize them.

Reactions of Pb or Bi with 87Rb or 86Kr projectiles could produce 294119, whose

half-life would only be microseconds, but it would decay to new longer lived odd-Z
elements 117, 115, and 113 via successive a-emission and end with a known Lr isotope.
Some theorists have suggested that so-called unshielded reactions in which the Coulomb
barrier is below the bombarding energy might result in enhanced production yields of very
neutron-rich nuclei. For example, the reaction 170Er(136Xe, n) would make 305122 with 183
neutrons. Reactions using radioactive beams such as 47K or 46Ar with radioactive actinide
targets have been suggested, but even these still don't reach the Z = 114, N = 184 region.
Another possibility is to use accelerated, neutron-rich fission product beams of krypton,
rubidium, and strontium with Pb and Bi targets to reach the Z = 120 and 126 region. Not
only must new reactions be investigated, but imaginative methods to increase beam

94

intensities and production rates and even to develop new kinds of accelerators and
projectiles must be found if we are to produce these longer lived isotopes that lie just
beyond our reach.
New automated systems with preseparators may be envisioned to facilitate both
aqueous- and gas-phase studies of short-lived isotopes, and techniques to "stockpile"
possible longer lived species at the accelerators where they are produced for later off-line
separation must be devised if this tantalizing new region of elements is to be explored.
Darleane C. Hoffman is a professor of the graduate school of chemistry at the University
of California, Berkeley, and faculty senior scientist in the Heavy Element Group of the
Nuclear Science Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She was awarded the
National Medal of Science in 1997, the ACS Priestley Medal in 2000, and the 2003 Sigma
Xi William Procter Prize.
DARMSTADTIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named after Darmstadt, Germany, site of Gesellschaft fr Schwerionenforschung (GSI).
Atomic mass: 269
History: Three different groups reported producing element 110 in 1995-96, but discovery was credited to the
GSI group, which was the first to confirm their results. The element was formally named only last month.
Occurrence: Artificially produced.
Appearance: Solid of unknown color.
Behavior: Highly radioactive.
Uses: No commercial uses.

95

COPPER
GEORGE M. WHITESIDES, HARVARD UNIVERSITY

I fell in love with copper as an assistant professor. How did it happen?

By happenstance flavored with a soupon of sloth, and after an offhanded
introduction.
While a graduate student at California Institute of Technology, I
worked with organolithium reagents (RLi). As the time to graduate
approached, I needed my own problem to work on. At that time, as little was
known about the properties of s-bonded transition-metal alkyls as about the
mating habits of kraken, and for the same reason--few of either had been
reliably observed. There was a radical idea that such organometallic compounds might
somehow be involved in catalysis, and their descriptive chemistry was essentially
unexplored. The area was appealing, but the question was, "Where to start?"
Several organometallic compounds of gold were known, and to my unsophisticated
eye, "RAu" looked vaguely and comfortingly like "RLi." I skimmed the literature of
organogold chemistry briefly (very briefly, since there was almost none--a great
advantage, I thought, since libraries were not my thing) and decided that gold would be a
great place to begin exploring transition-metal alkyls. Then, one day, my research director,
Jack Roberts, ambled by and asked what I was going to start on at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. I replied, "Gold organometallic chemistry." He considered this
idea for 30 seconds, then mumbled "No. Don't do that. Work on copper--it's more
interesting--and cheaper," and wandered off. And that was that--the die was cast.
He was right, of course. As I discovered over the
following years, copper was a kind of pixie dust for
organic chemistry. It turned fireworks and flames green;
it made Grignard reagents do conjugate additions; it
was essential for the Sandmeyer and Ullman reactions;
it coupled acetylenes; it was a component of exotic
heterogeneous catalysts; it promoted apparent
nucleophilic substitution reactions on aromatic halides;
STUNNING Crystals of copper
it catalyzed autoxidation reactions. None of these
sulfate (grown by Elizabeth
reactions were understood mechanistically, but all were
Tran), composed on copper
probably different. That kind of mechanistic chaos was,
foil, with a section of copper
of course, candy to an aspiring mechanistic
wire.
organometallic chemist.
PHOTO BY FELICE FRANKEL
At MIT, after considerable technical difficulty
AND ELIZABETH TRAN
(largely due to my experimental incompetence), I finally
found a copper(I) salt [(CH3)2SCuI] that was soluble in cold ether and added CH3MgI to it.
A stunningly beautiful (to me), bright yellow, fluffy precipitate immediately formed, which,
when warmed, turned black. What else could it be but CH3Cu? And copper metal on
decomposition? Such pleasure!
96

Organic reactions involving copper are interesting, but they are a tiny part of the long
and complicated relationship between this element and our species. We are, of course,
ourselves part copper: Copper-containing enzymes are essential catalysts for a number of
redox reactions. We use copper--especially copper metal--in many ways. Copper salts are
easily reduced to copper metal, and copper is one of the few metals that occur in large
quantities in nature. (The occasional availability of large lumps of native copper
contributed to the charming sociopathology of potlatch, highly refined among the Kwakiutl
of the Pacific Northwest.) Pure copper is suitable for working into ornamental objects but
too soft to use for serious mischief. That deficiency was fixed by alloying copper with tin to
give bronze, an excellent alloy for spear tips and swords, and an early example of the
willingness of our species to exercise high levels of technological creativity in the service
of weaponry. (Of course, bronze was also useful for kettles and spoons, but a spear in the
room fixes the attention.)
Silver is valuable but too soft to make durable coins: Alloying it with a little copper
gives sterling silver. Copper sheeting makes excellent roofs, splendid in their red-gold
color when new, and soothing in the soft, mottled green of verdigris when they age. And
copper wire! The world (at least the electrical world) is, in a sense, built of it. Copper is an
excellent and ductile electrical conductor, easily drawn into the wire used in countless
circuits--from the wiring of houses to the armatures of motors. Electroplating and vapor
deposition have now also made it a part of microprocessors. It has appeared yet again in
high-Tc superconductors. Who could measure the aggregated magnetic fields generated
by electrons streaming through copper wire?
In the plays acted by the elements, copper is a bit player, but one with indispensable
roles--as a component of materials, reagents, and catalysts; as a metal; and as a part of
life.nd I still love it, but now I've gone back to gold.
George M. Whitesides is Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University. He was
a member of the MIT chemistry faculty from 1963 to 1982 and joined Harvard in 1982. At the
beginning of his career, he worked on organocopper chemistry; now, among other things, he
workson self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold.
COPPER AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin cuprum, "from Cyprus." The island was a source of the metal for the Romans.
Atomic mass: 63.55.
History: Known to many ancient civilizations.
Occurrence: Somewhat rare, making up only 0.0007% of Earth's crust.
Appearance: Reddish, soft metal.
Behavior: Copper is malleable, ductile, and a good conductor of heat and electricity.
Uses: Essential in trace amounts to living systems. Copper is used in water pipes, bronze statues, and
bells; commonly used for electrical wires. It helps form the alloys brass and bronze.

97

SILVER
ALAN SHAW, CODEXIS

I was first drawn to the magic of silver's luster while standing as a

child in the British Museum, gazing at a finely polished metallic silver mirror
and asking, "Why?" Not having the benefit, at the time, of a college
education and a second degree majoring in transition-metal chemistry, the
question went unanswered.
Today, however, silver's time-honored and unique ability to reflect
almost 100% of the light that falls on it is, for me, more easily explained. It's
a result of teamwork between light and the outermost single electron. This
electron, when activated by light, absorbs energy that enables it to jump into a higher,
faster orbit around the atomic nucleus. This new orbit cannot, however, be permanently
sustained--the attraction of the nucleus is too great. As the electron falls back to its
original orbit, its absorbed energy is radiated outward in the form of light, resulting in the
eye-pleasing radiance known as luster.
To the ancients, however, silver was an object of wondrous beauty, imbued with the
mystic qualities of the moon, whose dark and mysterious nature it seemed to mirror. My
personal fascination with silver began through admiration of Greek and Roman artifacts,
but it certainly did not end there. My love of all things ancient revealed, after years of study,
a fundamental, almost deific, relationship between man and this indispensable metal that
has perpetuated into modern times, albeit in a more subtle form.
The Druids of the ancient British Isles
harvested holy mistletoe and oak leaves with
finely engraved and enchanted silver sickles. The
very shape of these swords is reflective of the
image of the crescent moon, the heavenly body
silver was believed to represent on Earth.
Alexander the Great, a devotee of the Olympian
Pantheon, believing himself to be a god in life,
was after death worshiped in association with the
IN HIS IMAGE Alexander the Great minted
sun god Helios. Was there a connection between
silver coins emblazoned with his image.
this cult and the gifting of highly polished and quite
valuable silver shields to Alexander's most seasoned veterans, the Hypaspists, an elite
group within the Agema (royal guards)? This group came to be known as the Agryaspids,
or Silver Shields, and became as famous as Caesar's 10th Legion or Napoleon's Old
Guard are to us now.
One can visualize the scene as an enemy column advanced toward the Macedonian
line, when, on Alexander's command, the shields and the full power of the sun's rays were
brought to bear. It is not hard for me to imagine Alexander claiming the authority and
divinity of the sun at such a time--hence, perhaps, his association with it after life.
The relationship between silver and the history of humankind has endured. Silver
has a number of unique properties that set it apart from other metals. These include
98

strength, malleability, and ductility; electrical and thermal conductivity; and, as already
referenced, high reflectance of light and a lesser known but increasingly important
medical application as a bactericide.
History reflects man's almost lustful quest to acquire silver, and our modern
vocabulary is replete with references to it. Indeed, over the years, silver, like no other
metal, has become synonymous with beauty, wealth, style, health, and mystique. For
example, the phrase "born with a silver spoon in your mouth" is a reference to wealth and
health. In the 18th century, babies who were fed with silver spoons were found to be
healthier than those fed with spoons made from other metals, and silver pacifiers have
subsequently found wide use in the U.S. because of their beneficial health effects.
To ask for silver service would be to expect the very best. To find oneself looking for
a silver lining is to hope for a benevolent outcome to an otherwise uncomfortable and
adverse situation. A star of the silver screen is in part a reference to the use of silver in the
film industry but also, again, a reflection of its association with beauty and style. Even in
nature, the silver birch is regarded as a tree of elegance, commonly referred to in northern
Europe as the "Queen of the Forest."
Finally, if you were a lycanthrope or indeed a vampire, according to myth, to be
struck by a silver-tipped arrow or bullet would result in instant and irrevocable death. For
me, the great author J. R. R. Tolkien so eloquently captured all of the aforementioned
characteristics when describing the Mirror of Galadriel in the epic trilogy "Lord of the
Rings."
We end as we began, with a reflection of man and his endless interaction with this
most noble of metals. For me, silver represents true majesty among the elements. If gold
claims to be its king, silver must surely be its queen.
Alan Shaw is president and chief executive officer of Codexis. He has had a long career in the fine
chemicals industry, including with Clariant, Archimica (BTP plc), Chirotech Technology Ltd., and ICI.
SILVER AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Anglo-Saxon seolfor, silver. The symbol is from the Latin word for silver, argentum.
Atomic mass: 107.87.
History: Known since ancient times. Ancient slag dumps indicate that silver was separated from lead as
early as 3000 B.C.
Occurrence: Silver occurs in ores including argentite and horn silver and in conjunction with deposits of
ores containing lead, copper, and gold.
Appearance: White metallic solid.
Behavior: Silver has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of all metals and possesses the
lowest contact resistance. It is very ductile and malleable.
Uses: Used to make photographic film, tooth filings, silverware, mirrors, batteries, photosensitive glass,
and as an electrical conductor. Silver iodide is used for seeding clouds to produce rain.

99

GOLD
ALAN LIGHTMAN, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

At first, he stood behind the green beaded curtain, simply watching

her. In the far corner of the room, she knelt on the floor and worked slowly
on a small woven basket. Every few moments, she paused to straighten her
back. Her bare arms glowed in the flickering light of the sesame oil lamp. To
him, she seemed sad. What was he doing here? he thought to himself.
Better to have stayed at his farm, where he could get soused with his sheep,
count stars in the hard empty night. He started to turn, but his foot caught a
hanging mat.
"Keb!" Her basket dropped to the floor.
Now that he saw her full face, she was even more beautiful than he remembered.
Her high cheekbones, the long curve of her neck, her lips. She wore a tapered robe of
white linen, held at her shoulders by delicate thin straps, and he could see the outline of
her breasts beneath the cloth. Awkwardly, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. His tunic
smelled of goat, onions, and manure.
"Keb," she repeated. Her hands trembled, like his.
He fumbled with something in his pocket. Could he give it to her now? He wanted to flee,
but he also wanted to ride out this sudden bursting of flutes in his brain, he wanted for
once in his life to do something right, he wanted to make love to her. His eyes moved
hesitantly around the room, to a bowl of pomegranates on a table, a terra-cotta jar, a
single narrow window with its painted wood grille. She was born in this house. Nineteen
years she had lived in this house. Her younger sisters were already married.
He would give it to her now, the necklace, made of the miraculous yellow metal that
was both warm and cool to the touch, that never tarnished, that could be hammered into a
sheet as thin as a layer of sunlight on water. The necklace had cost him 27 sacks of
radishes and spinach. He would have paid a hundred. No one had ever seen such a
necklace.
"It's for you." He held out the gift. It glinted and gleamed in the light.
She took one step toward him. It seemed to him that she looked at him with pity.
"Please," he said. How he wanted to fasten that
necklace around the curve of her neck, to hold her. He
imagined taking her away from this small stifling house,
teaching her to paint, brushing her hair in the evening. He
had inherited property, he had become something now. A
slight breeze came through the window and rustled the
beads. Somewhere, he heard chimes. Voices whispered in
another part of the house. Then the room was silent again,
so silent that he could hear the minute scratchings of a
cicada crawling across the stone floor and a muffled
thumping that must have been the beating of his heart. Would she not come closer? Why
did she look at him that way? She was a silhouette now, standing in front of the single oil
100

lamp. He could smell the lotion of terebinth on her skin.

"It is beautiful," she said, looking at him. "Give it to someone else." She touched his
hand for a moment, then returned to her basket.
Outside, he threw the necklace into the darkness. Never. He slammed his hand into
a stone post and watched as the dark blood trickled to the ground.
Alan Lightman, author of "Einstein's Dreams," is a physicist and novelist and adjunct professor of
humanities at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His most recent book is the novel "Reunion."
GOLD AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Anglo-Saxon geolo, yellow. The symbol comes from Latin aurum, shining dawn.
Atomic mass: 196.97.
History: Known to ancient civilizations.
Occurrence: Found free in nature and associated with quartz, pyrite, and other minerals. Two-thirds of
the world's supply comes from South Africa, and two-thirds of the U.S. supply is from South Dakota and
Nevada. Gold is found in seawater, but no effective economic process has been designed yet to extract
it from this source.
Appearance: Soft, shiny yellow metal that can also appear black, ruby, or purple when finely divided.
Behavior: Gold is the most malleable and ductile metal. It is unaffected by air and most reagents, and is
a good conductor of heat and electricity. Gold is generally nontoxic.
Uses: Commonly used in jewelry, although it often needs to be alloyed with other metals to give it more
strength. Gold alloys are also used to make decorative items, dental fillings, and coins. Because gold is
a good reflector of infrared radiation, it can be used to help shield spacecraft and skyscrapers from the
sun's heat. Aradioactive isotope of gold, gold-198, is used for treating cancer, and gold sodium
thiosulfate is used to treat arthritis.

101

ZINC
RONALD BRESLOW, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Zinc is an important element, especially because it plays a key role in

many enzymes that are essential to life. For this reason, we humans
consume approximately 20 mg of Zn(II) in our daily diets.
I have also had a series of more special interactions with zinc. Some
years ago, my wife, Esther, was writing her master's thesis on the enzyme
carbonic anhydrase and proposed the correct mechanism of the
enzyme--its zinc acts both as a Lewis acid, by coordinating to a developing
oxyanion, and as the coordination site for a basic hydroxide ion, the
nucleophile that adds to the carbon dioxide molecule. Later, my research group
synthesized zinc-based mimics of carbonic anhydrase and of carboxypeptidase. We also
showed that carboxypeptidase itself uses the carbonic anhydrase type of mechanism.
Another example of the special properties of zinc in enzyme catalyst systems was waiting
for me, but I didn't know it for a while. In 1974, Paul Marks, then dean of Columbia
University's medical school, came to me with a remarkable story and challenge. Charlotte
Friend of Mount Sinai School of Medicine had discovered that certain cancer
cells--pre-erythrocytes that were infected with a virus (MEL cells)--were induced to
differentiate to normal red blood cells in the presence of high concentrations of
dimethylsulfoxide. We set out to see if we could produce much more potent compounds
for this remarkable "reform" of cancer cells, learn how they worked, and perhaps even find
whether they were useful with other
types of cancer.
By a series of hypothesis-driven
syntheses of novel compounds that
were increasingly potent toward MEL
cells, we eventually came to a
compound with the acronym SAHA
(suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid), with
a hydrophobic group connected to a
hydroxamic acid unit through a
polymethylene
chain.
We
then
established that SAHA would induce
other cancer cells to transform into
normal
cells
or
go
into
apoptosis--including the entire group of
60 human cancer cell types that are
maintained for study at the National
FITTING IN An X-ray structure of SAHA
Cancer Institute. So we set out to
bound to the zinc of an HDAC.
determine the biological target of SAHA
and some related compounds.

102

We created a radioactive photoaffinity compound based on SAHA to screen cell

components, determining which ones bound the drug. At the same time, we became
aware of studies by M. Yoshida in Japan concerning a natural product, trichostatin A
(TSA), that also induced the differentiation of cancer cells. Yoshida had shown that TSA
acted to inhibit the enzyme histone deacetylase (HDAC).
We tested our photoaffinity compound with HDAC and saw that, indeed, it was
bound. Furthermore, SAHA inhibited HDAC, and the potency of our other drugs as
inhibitors of HDAC ran parallel to their potency in inducing the differentiation of MEL cells.
Our biological collaborators were able to clone and express the enzyme, so I suggested
that they examine the purified enzyme for metals, specifically for Zn(II), using atomic
absorption spectroscopy. They called back with the news that HDAC contained no metals,
but I didn't believe it. SAHA, with its hydroxamic acid group, looked like a metal ligand,
and the catalytic action of the enzyme HDAC looked like the kind of reaction that other
zinc enzymes can perform. I received another telephone call with the news that the
"purified" HDAC no longer had enzymatic activity, but that the addition of Zn(II) salts
restored its activity. "Purification" had removed the zinc, and HDAC was indeed a zinc
enzyme!
Our collaborator Nikola Pavletich was able to prepare crystals of SAHA bound to
another HDAC and determine the structure of the enzyme/inhibitor complex by X-ray. We
saw that the hydroxamic acid group was coordinated to the Zn(II) in the enzyme.
Furthermore, the structure strongly supported the idea that this enzyme uses zinc in the
same way that carbonic anhydrase does, binding the carbonyl oxygen of the acetyl group
on lysine while delivering a bound hydroxide to the carbon of that group. Our inhibitor
simply mimicked this structure.
Since that time, our consortium of chemists and biologists has been able to
determine the pathway by which HDAC inhibition by SAHA causes important anticancer
effects by regulating gene transcription. SAHA has been shown to be an effective
anticancer agent in animal trials--and for the past three years, in human trials--against a
variety of cancers. The results are very promising, and there is an excellent chance that
SAHA or some related compound will prove to be an important tool in the fight against
cancer. Zinc will once again turn out to be key in the biology that is central to life, as the
element that permits HDAC to play its role in regulating the expression of genes.
Ronald Breslow is University Professor of Chemistry at Columbia University. He received the
U.S. National Medal of Science in 1991 and the 2003 Welch Award.
ZINC AT A GLANCE

Atomic mass: 65.41. Name: From the German zink, tin.

History: Ores were used in medieval times in China and India. The pure metal was isolated first in India
in the 13th century, then in Europe by the German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf in 1746.
Occurrence: Comprises less than 0.007% of Earth's crust.
Appearance: Bluish-white, solid metal at room temperature.
Behavior: Tarnishes in air and brittle when cast. The metal is a skin irritant; otherwise, it and most zinc
compounds are nontoxic.
Uses: Mostly used for galvanizing iron, in alloys (such as brass), and in dry-cell batteries. Zinc oxide is
used in photocopiers and sunscreens; its sulfide is a phosphor used in cathode ray tubes. Small
amounts of zinc are essential to biological function.

103

CADMIUM
ROBERT L. WOLKE, WASHINGTON POST

The word "cadmium" evokes different associations in the minds of

different people. I'll consider only two. The proverbial man in the street may
think of rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries. Me? I think of how
cadmium got my name into the "Guinness Book of World Records."
Let's start with batteries. Every Ni-Cd battery bears the following
words in fine print: "Warning: Do not dispose of in fire." Okay, so we mustn't
throw them into the fireplace. But we remain haunted by the thought that
our discarded batteries might wind up in an incinerator, causing
unknown--but undoubtedly dire--consequences. The hoard of spent Ni-Cd batteries in the
possession of people who are afraid to throw them away must be enormous.
Being sealed containers of moist chemicals, all batteries may of course explode
when heated. But in addition, cadmium and its compounds are quite toxic, and an
incinerated Ni-Cd battery could introduce cadmium into the environment.
The Environmental Protection Agency sets a maximum contaminant level for cadmium in
drinking water of 5 ppb. And according to the U.S. Geological Survey's Minerals
Information statistics for 2001, about 75% of the U.S. apparent consumption of cadmium,
or a total of 2.4 million lb, went into Ni-Cd batteries. No one knows how much of this winds
up in our air and water.
As consumers, we must therefore agonize about what to do with our worn-out Ni-Cd
batteries, which contain about 4 g of Cd per AA size, other than throwing them in the trash
and feeling guilty.
According to EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, industrial sources released 2,292 lb
of cadmium into the air in 2002. To that amount, I hereby confess that I may have added 8
g in the form of the two AA batteries that I imprudently discarded. This, in spite of the fact
that I live only 40 miles from Ellwood City, Pa., where the sole cadmium recycler in the
U.S., the International Metals Reclamation Co., is located. Forgive me, but it was raining,
and I just didn't feel like making the drive.
National efforts are under way toward the goal of making it more practical for
consumers to recycle their Ni-Cd batteries--even for those who live outside of
Pennsylvania.
Now on to the "Guinness Book of World Records." Cadmium consists of eight
naturally occurring isotopes, including cadmium-113. Although 113Cd constitutes 12.22%
of the cadmium atoms in nature, it is radioactive. Cadmium, therefore, is a radioactive
element.
According to the systematics of nuclear stability, no two odd-A isobars (nuclei with
the same odd mass number) having adjacent atomic numbers can both be stable; one of
the pair must be unstable to -decay. In 1970, there was only one unresolved exception
to this rule: 113Cd and 113In, atomic numbers 48 and 49, both of which appeared to be
stable.

104

As soon as their atomic masses had been determined accurately enough to indicate
that Cd must be the unstable one by an energy excess of some 300 keV, my graduate
students and I decided to undertake an all-out search for radioactivity in 113Cd [J. Inorg.
113

Nucl. Chem., 32, 2113 (1970)].

We obtained a small quantity of separated-isotope 113CdO from Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, electrodeposited the metal, purified it by distillation, and counted it
continuously for over 300 hours in a shielded, super-low-level radiation detector. We were
able to observe the disintegration of about two atoms per hour, corresponding to a half-life
of (9.3 6 1.9) X 1015 years. (I proudly point out that we nailed down that half-life within an
experimental error of less than 2 million billion years!)
With a half-life of 500,000 times the age of the universe, cadmium hardly constitutes
a radiation hazard. But our discovery was recorded in the 1979 "Guinness Book of World
Records" as the longest lived -emitter at the time.
The record has since been broken by 50V, with a half-life of about 4 X 1017 years.
This scientific fact is ignored by today's Guinness people, however, in favor of such
Earth-shaking intelligence as the speed record for opening 300 bottles of beer. (One
minute, 47 seconds, if you must know, by a team of three Germans.)
Robert L. Wolke is professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and a
syndicated food columnist for the Washington Post. His latest book, "What Einstein Told His
Cook: Kitchen Science Explained," was a James Beard Foundation nominee for the best food
reference book of 2002.

CADMIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin cadmia, calamine (cadmium carbonite).
Atomic mass: 112.41.
History: Discovered in 1817 by German chemist Fredrich Stromeyer.
Occurrence: Obtained mostly as by-product of smelting of zinc ore, in which a cadmium-containing mineral
is a significant impurity.
Appearance: Silvery metal; soft enough to cut with a knife.
Behavior: Not volatile, but toxic in humans. Poisoning rarely occurs because very little can be absorbed.
Linked to kidney failure and high blood pressure.
Uses: Electroplating steel, in rechargeable (Ni-Cd) batteries, in alloys, and in some nuclear reactor control
rods. Cadmium sulfide is a yellow powder that is used as a pigment. Other cadmium compounds are used
in the phosphors of black and white television sets and in the blue and green phosphors in color television
sets.

105

MERCURY
RUDY M. BAUM , C&EN WASHINGTON

It is among the most seductive of elements. Quicksilver. The only

metal that is liquid at room temperature. Indeed, mercury's chemical symbol,
Hg, derives from the Latin name for the element, hydrargyrum--literally,
liquid silver.
It is cool, dense, shiny, and slippery. It is irresistible.
Mercury is one of the handful of elements that have been known since
antiquity. Alchemists were beguiled by it, convinced that it held the key to
transmuting base metals into gold.
And like so many seductive things, mercury is dangerous. The ancients also knew
that mercury was highly toxic. Compounds of mercury have been used in medicine and as
disinfectants for centuries. Calomel--Hg2Cl2--was long the only treatment for syphilis,
although the treatment was nearly as awful as the disease.
Even almost 40 years ago, when I discovered a
small plastic bottle filled with mercury in the storage
locker in my seventh-grade science classroom, I knew
that mercury was poisonous. That it should not be
handled. That it should not be trifled with.
That knowledge didn't stop me and a few of my
scientifically oriented friends, of course. The attraction
of quicksilver was far too great.
DROPPING IN Droplets of
"You can put a penny in it and it will coat it like mercury on a green surface. The
that!" one said. "Can't get it off, either."
surface tension of mercury is so
So in went the penny, and sure enough, out it
high that the smaller droplets
came shining like a newly minted dime. But more than
form almost perfect spheres.
that, the penny had that unmistakable slipperiness you
associate with mercury. And you couldn't rub it off. What had happened? Did the mercury
react somehow with the copper of the penny? We didn't know where to turn, and we
certainly weren't going to ask our science teacher, because we knew we weren't
supposed to be performing this particular experiment.
We wanted to do something with the mercury. We thought we might be able to make
a barometer, but the problems associated with filling a glass tube with mercury and
somehow sealing one end of it were beyond us technically. We proved it was conductive
with a battery, wire, and light bulb. We ran it through plastic tubing, fascinated by the
lightning-quick flow of the metal. Although we were reasonably careful, we probably
contaminated the classroom with more mercury than some government agency deems
acceptable.
I mentioned the mercury to my father over dinner, and he recalled his service in
Europe in World War II. He and his brother Walt were both in the infantry, and they met
twice while they were crossing Europe and serving in the occupation forces after the war
ended. On one of those occasions, Dad met his brother at a small railroad freight yard in
106

Germany. Walt was among a contingent of Army engineers accompanying a freight train
transporting a shipment of mercury. Dad recalled Walt opening up the doors of one of the
boxcars to show him a single layer of flasks of mercury spaced evenly across the floor of
the railcar. They were so heavy they couldn't be packed any more densely. Dad didn't
remember where the train was coming from or where it was going, but he did remember
that it carried that load of mercury.
I can't say that my early exposure to mercury affected my much later decision to
become a chemist. Those seventh-grade experiences were soon a distant memory.
Mercury isn't a particularly interesting element chemically, and it's so poisonous that it
doesn't play a role in chemistry sets, even those of my boyhood. (I went to college
expecting to major in biology; my shift to chemistry had much more to do with the Duke
University chemistry faculty than my early experiences with a chemistry set.)
But I've always retained a mild fascination with mercury. I still find it unfortunate that
mercury has been banished from thermometers for safety reasons. A mercury
thermometer has more gravitas than one filled with a red liquid. And a frisson of fear, as
well: I remember clearly C&EN reporting in 1997 the death of Dartmouth University
chemistry professor Karen E. Wetterhahn after she was exposed to methyl mercury while
preparing a nuclear magnetic resonance standard.
When C&EN Editor-in-chief Madeleine Jacobs mentioned more than a year ago that
we should celebrate C&EN's 80th anniversary in 2003 and asked whether I had any ideas
for a special issue of the magazine, my eyes went to the periodic table hanging on my
office wall. What's element 80? Why, it's my old friend mercury. Other anniversaries are
designated silver, gold, and diamond, I thought, so why not call this our "mercurial"
anniversary? It was a silly idea, but it started the discussions that led to this special issue
of C&EN. We hope you enjoy reading it.
Rudy M. Baum is C&EN's deputy editor-in-chief. He has covered a variety of topics in
chemistry, the interface of chemistry and biology, and science and society for the magazine for
more than 20 years.

MERCURY AT A GLANCE
Name: Named after the planet Mercury, which was named for the Roman god of eloquence, skills, and
commerce. The symbol comes from the Latin for liquid silver, hydrargyrum.
Atomic mass: 200.59.
History: Known since ancient times.
Occurrence: Rare in Earth's crust. It is primarily found in cinnabar ore.
Appearance: Silvery white, liquid metal.
Behavior: The only metal that is liquid at room temperature. It alloys easily with most metals and is very
volatile. The element vapors are toxic, as are all mercury compounds. It is a cumulative poison that
affects the central nervous system and the mouth, gums, and teeth.
Uses: Used in thermometers, barometers, diffusion pumps, and other instruments. It is also used for
making batteries, switches and other electrical apparatus, some pesticides, and antifouling paint.
Mercury is the basis of dental amalgams and preparations. Gaseous mercury is used in mercury-vapor
lamps and advertising signs.

BORON
107

E. J. COREY,HARVARD UNIVERSITY

Nature and evolution appear to have bypassed the element boron in

forming the living world, even though boron is next to carbon in the periodic
table. Boron escapes mention in textbooks on biochemistry and at best can
claim trace nutrient status. Yet it is an element of great versatility and
individuality. Long in the domain of inorganic chemistry, boron has
increasingly acquired an organic face. That is why I succumbed to the
invitation of C&EN to write this essay, even though my favorite molecules
are carbogens, members of the family of carbon compounds (see "The
Logic of Chemical Synthesis," John Wiley & Sons, 1989).
There are a few things about boron that one does not forget. Boron nitride is as hard
as diamond and similar in structure. Boric acid is cheap and useful. When dissolved in
alcohol, it forms ethyl borate, which burns with a beautiful green flame (light emission from
an electronically excited state of BO2?). Boron-oxygen bonds are very strong. Compounds
of boron with BH and/or BC bonds are highly reactive and easily oxidized. Whereas
hydrocarbons such as C2H6 and C4H10 are stable at 25 C in air, the boron equivalents
B2H6 and B4H10 burn spontaneously, an obvious reason for nature to avoid such boron
compounds in living systems.
The understanding of the chemistry of boron that we now possess did not come
easily. Preparing boron equivalents of the hydrocarbons was technically difficult, and their
structures turned out to be surprisingly complex compared to their carbon cousins. The
pioneering work of Alfred Stock, Hermann I. Schlesinger, E. Wiberg, and Anton B. Burg,
together with structural studies by Hugh C. Longuet-Higgins and William N. Lipscomb, laid
the foundations of modern boron hydride chemistry, which is dominated by the fact that
boron has more bonding orbitals (4) than electrons (3). Schlesinger's simplified syntheses
of NaBH4 and B2H6 led to extensive application of these compounds as selective reagents
for organic synthesis, especially in the work of Herbert C. Brown; many analogous boron
compounds are now indispensable general reagents.
The boron halides, especially BF3, are widely used as acidic catalysts in synthesis.
The available p orbital of BF3 (electron deficient and isoelectronic with CF3+) is
responsible for the strong Lewis acidity and the massive industrial use of this reagent.
Electron deficiency in BX3, BH3, and higher boron compounds such as B10H14 has
enormous chemical implications, including the existence of large numbers of polyhedral
cluster compounds, for instance, polyhedral boranes, carboranes, metalloboranes, boron
nitrides, and heteroboranes. The understanding of the complex three-dimensional
architecture of these compounds represents a triumph of modern molecular orbital theory
(Lipscomb, Kenneth Wade). Electron delocalization can even be seen in the dimer of BH3,
which is held together by three-center two-electron BHB bonds, leading to a cyclic
structure (pictured), in stark contrast to the acyclic structure of ethane, H3CCH3.

108

What intrigues me most about boron are the

possibilities for catalytic asymmetric (enantioselective)
synthesis when it is embedded in a suitable chiral
molecular environment. For instance, we found that a
simple (S)-proline-derived chiral BN compound (1,
pictured) combines at nitrogen with BH3 (for example,
from Me2SBH3). This complex can then bind to and
reduce an achiral ketone, as a second substrate, to
form enantioselectively a chiral secondary alcohol. I
like to think of 1 as a molecular robot that picks up one
achiral reactant, then a second, and snaps the two
together
in
one
preferred
three-dimensional
arrangement to form a chiral product, which the robot
then releases. In fact, 1 is even more versatile. When
protonated at nitrogen by a strong acid (CF3SO3H), it
becomes a chiral super Lewis acid that can serve as
an effective catalyst for a wide range of
enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions [Angew. Chem.,
Int. Ed. Engl., 41, 1650 (2002); J. Am. Chem. Soc., 125,
6388 (2003)].
Sometimes, boron outsmarts us. During the 1950s, the U.S. government had a
program to develop boron hydrides as rocket fuels based on the calculated energy
release for combustion in O2 to form (HO)3B and H2O. Unfortunately, much less energy is
released, possibly because the actual product is HOBO at flame temperatures. For many
years, it was hoped that organoboron compounds could be delivered into the brain for
neutron beam therapy of brain tumors, taking advantage of the high neutron absorption
cross section of 10B. This goal has so far not been realized. It is safe to say that boron
chemistry is still underdeveloped.
E. J. Corey, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1990, is the Sheldon Emory Research Professor at
Harvard University. He is the recipient of more than 60 honorary degrees and awards.
BORON AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Arabic buraq, borax, its most important ore.
Atomic mass: 10.81.
History: Boron compounds have been known for years, but the pure form was not isolated until 1808 by
British chemist Sir Humphry Davy and independently by French chemists Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac and
Louis-Jacques Thnard.
Occurrence: Makes up 0.0003% of Earth's crust by mass. It is never found in its pure form in nature, but
occurs as orthoboric acid in certain volcanic spring waters and as borates in colemantie. Important
sources of boron are the ores rasorite (kernite) and borax (tincal), which can be found in the Mohave
Desert. Extensive borax deposits are also found in Turkey.
Appearance: Black-brown, solid metalloid.
Behavior: Crystalline boron is chemically inert. Excessive amounts of boric acid and borates are
poisonous, although they were once used in medicines.
Uses: An essential micronutrient for plants. Boric acid is used to make borosilicate glass, or Pyrex.
Boron is used in fission-reactor control rods to capture neutrons and regulate the power produced. It is
also used with silicon in making p-type semiconductors and eye disinfectant and in pyrotechnics to
make a green color.
109

ALUMINUM
GREGORY H. ROBINSON, THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

Perhaps more than all others, the 13th element on the periodic table is
one of utter contrasts. Although once highly valued as a "precious metal,"
the price of a kilogram of this element today is considerably less than one's
morning cup of gourmet coffee; alloys of this element are often dense and
durable, yet the pure element is a light and soft metal; although this element
is reasonably reactive, it is also readily passivated, rendering it essentially
rustproof.
Even its position on the periodic table--gracefully residing between the
only nonmetallic element of group 13, boron, and the oddly mercurial metal of gallium--is
perhaps indicative of how extraordinary element 13 is. There is not even complete
agreement on the spelling and pronunciation: Americans typically employ aluminum, while
significant portions of the remaining English-speaking world prefer aluminium. Aluminum,
like most elements, has its share of interesting trivia: For example, a 2.73-kg pyramid of
"precious" 1884 aluminum metal sits atop the Washington Monument.
While Hans Christian Oersted is acknowledged as the first to isolate aluminum in
1825 in Copenhagen, Denmark, the eminent German chemist Friedrich Whler is
generally regarded as the first to secure a pure sample of the element by chemical
reduction in 1827. The intriguing international tale of the discovery of the economical
production of aluminum independently by two young men, the American Charles M. Hall
and the Frenchman Paul L. T. Hroult, via electrolysis of alumina dissolved in cryolite, is
well documented. Certainly, the aluminum industry as we know it today is due to the
creative genius of Hall and Hroult. My fascination with aluminum, however, has less to
do with the actual element and more with the relationship between Frank Fanning Jewett
and Hall.
Jewett, educated at Yale University in chemistry and mineralogy, had a passion for
travel. Indeed, he studied briefly at Universitt Gttingen, spending time in the laboratory
of Whler. In 1880, the 36-year-old Jewett was appointed professor of chemistry and
mineralogy at Oberlin College. Thus, the stage was set for the well-traveled professor and
the prodigious student. Jewett is the (most often) anonymous "professor" at Oberlin who
opined to his chemistry class, where Hall was in attendance, that great financial rewards
awaited the person who could devise an economical means to produce aluminum metal
from its ubiquitous ore. The role of Jewett in Hall's life proved crucial in the seminal
discovery that would ultimately spawn the Aluminum Co. of America, Alcoa (2002
revenues of $20.3 billion), and the worldwide aluminum industry.
The initiative and drive of Hall remain impressive. For an amateur scientist to
doggedly pursue a scientific problem of such magnitude, and ultimately succeed in such
an endeavor, is almost unimaginable. Records indicate that Jewett was a counselor,
mentor, adviser, and friend to Hall. Furthermore, Jewett often provided materials and
laboratory space to the budding entrepreneur. Jewett, a modest man by all accounts,
apparently was not interested in sharing the praise, fame, or financial rewards that would
110

soon befall his student. As Oberlin College's Norman C. Craig has so elegantly stated,
Jewett was "content to report to his Yale classmates that his greatest discovery was the
discovery of a man--Charles Hall" [Chem. Heritage, 15, 36 (1997)].
In my mind, the Jewett-Hall relationship epitomizes the idyllic professor-student
dynamic. It is this relationship that I envision when I am working with students: a
synergistic pursuit of the scientific unknown. To be sure, the stakes are much lower in my
day-to-day struggles in the laboratory. The problems that my students and I face are much
smaller in magnitude, and any potential immediate impact is often ambiguous.
Nonetheless, the Jewett-Hall relationship drives me in an oddly personal manner as
I strive to improve my teaching skills and hone my research capabilities. Might my
perspective on this relationship be a rather naive interpretation? Almost certainly. Is this
simply an outdated commentary on the contemporary professor-student dynamic? Most
clearly. Could this all be little more than a "nonprofessorial" waste of time? Absolutely not!
The professor-student dynamic represents much of what I find uniquely attractive in
academia. I have observed parallels to the Jewett-Hall relationship in athletics: In tennis, it
is that perfectly executed service ace down the middle of the court; in basketball, it is that
gracefully arching jumpshot from the corner, hitting "nothing but net"; in golf, it is that
splendid tee shot on the par 5, 18th hole--you know, that one shot that keeps bringing you
back time and time again.
Gregory H. Robinson is a distinguished research professor of chemistry at the University of Georgia. His
research interests, the organometallic chemistry of the main-group metals, are tempered by his recent
obsession with golf. The author acknowledges the gracious assistance of Norman C. Craig (Oberlin
College) and Richard K. Hill (University of Georgia) with this essay.

ALUMINUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From Latin alumen,alum.
Atomic mass: 26.98.
History: Discovered in 1825 by Danish chemist Hans Christian Oersted.
Occurrence: Aluminum is the most abundant metal in Earth's crust, but it is not found free in nature.
Today, nearly all of the world's aluminum is obtained by isolation from aluminum oxide derived from
bauxite ore.
Appearance: Silvery white, lightweight metal.
Behavior: Soft, nonmagnetic, and nonsparking. Pure aluminum is easily formed, machined, and cast,
and it can be alloyed with a variety of metals. It is also a good conductor of electricity and an excellent
reflector of radiation. The metal is generally nontoxic but can be harmful when ingested.
Uses: Used to make cans, kegs, wrapping foil, and household utensils. It has numerous applications in
the vehicle, aircraft, and construction industries.

111

GALLIUM
OLIVER SACKS, NEW YORK CITY

I don't really have a favorite element--I love them all. But the first that
pops into my mind, at least today, is gallium.
Why gallium? Not a common element, not one likely to be lying
around the house, but one I was introduced to quite early on, by my Uncle
Tungsten (as we used to call my Uncle Dave, who owned a tungsten
lightbulb factory). Uncle possessed what was, to my eyes, a quite wonderful
thermometer that he used for testing the temperature in the furnaces in his
factory. This, he showed me, contained gallium; it was the only stuff such a
thermometer could contain, for gallium had the widest temperature range of any metal in
the liquid state: It would melt in the heat of the hand but not boil until well over 2,000 C
(higher than the melting point of platinum or of the quartz of which the thermometer itself
was made).
Uncle gave me a lump of gallium to play with, and I can
feel to this day the intense surprise I experienced when this
lump, by no means soft, started to melt and trickle through my
fingers as I held it. I later used a mold to make a teaspoon
from it, and I would give this to unsuspecting guests and
watch gleefully as they tried to stir their tea with it, only to find
the seemingly solid spoon getting shorter and shorter and
ending up as a glittering puddle at the bottom of the glass.
And glitter it did--one had only to slosh liquid gallium round a
hemispherical bowl to get an instant, brilliant, concave mirror.
A strange optical illusion appears if one melts gallium in
a cup: There seems to be a transparent liquid skimming and
floating above a silver background. Is this due to the strongly
Sacks
concave meniscus of liquid gallium? I do not think I ever saw
this, by contrast, with mercury, which has a strongly convex meniscus. And once melted,
gallium may remain liquid, superfluid, for many hours, even if the room temperature is well
below its melting point. The liquid may form a skin, wrinkled with fine lines, and when it
finally solidifies, it may do so in shallow quadrangular prisms and zigzags like medieval
fortifications.
I also had a little stick of indium, another element that intrigues me, partly because,
like tin and zinc, it emits a "cry" or "squeal" when bent. (With my little bar, it was more like
a crackling.) One day, just recently, I carelessly left the indium on top of some gallium I
had in a bowl, and I was startled to find, within hours, that the bar seemed to have partly
dissolved and that there was now a pool of liquid metal at the bottom of the bowl, despite
its being a rather cold day. Clearly, the two elements, merely by being in contact, had
fused together to form a eutectic alloy with a substantially lower melting point than that of
pure gallium. I was reminded of how Berzelius had been sent samples of metallic sodium
112

and potassium, which were put together in the same container for convenience, and when
he opened the package, he found only a pool of liquid metal, the two elements having
spontaneously alloyed at room temperature, just as my indium and gallium had.
When I came to learn about the periodic table and its history, I was intrigued to learn
that gallium was the first element to be predicted by Mendeleev based on its place in
Group III (he called it "eka-aluminum"), and how this prediction was vindicated, just six
years later, helping to convince Mendeleev's critics of the fundamental truth of his periodic
law.
Many decades later, I was fascinated to learn that there was a huge pool containing
200 tons of ultrapure liquid gallium deep beneath the Caucasus, an essential part of the
Soviet solar neutrino detector. A passionate swimmer, I had fantasies of swimming, or
rather floating, on this unique lake of metal. I was shocked when I read, a few years ago,
that thieves had come by with siphoning equipment one night and almost managed to
steal the whole lot. The great gallium heist was foiled only at the last moment.
Oliver Sacks is a neurologist practicing in New York City. He is the author of "Uncle Tungsten:
Memories of a Chemical Boyhood," as well as "Awakenings" and "The Man Who Mistook His
Wife for a Hat."
GALLIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin Gallia, an old name for France.
Atomic mass: 69.72.
History: Discovered spectroscopically in 1875 by French chemist Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran. In
the same year, he obtained the free metal by electrolysis of a solution of the hydroxide in KOH.
Occurrence: Gallium minerals are rare, but up to 1% gallium occurs in the ores diaspore, sphalerite,
germanite, and bauxite. It is also recovered as a by-product of burning coal.
Appearance: Silvery metal. Extremely soft and can be cut with a knife. The metal expands upon
solidifying.
Behavior: One of the few metals (with mercury, cesium, and rubidium) that can be a liquid at room
temperature. It has one of the longest liquid ranges of any metal and has a low vapor pressure even at
high temperatures. Gallium salts generally have low toxicity.
Uses: Gallium arsenide is capable of converting electricity directly into coherent light and is a key
component of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and some integrated circuits. Gallium is also used in
semiconductors and solid-state devices, microwave equipment, low-melting alloys, mirrors, and
high-temperature thermometers. Radioactive gallium is used in medical imaging.

113

INDIUM
CELIA HENRY, C&EN WASHINGTON

A couple of years ago, composer Richard Bone was approached to

present a piece at an electronic music festival in St. Petersburg, Russia.
"I hadn't performed in 20 years, but for some unknown reason I said
yes," he says. He was afraid that getting his equipment to St. Petersburg
would be a "nightmare," so he decided to compose a "minimal piece of
slow-moving music and use a video to accompany it."
Bone found inspiration for that piece in the most unlikely of
places--the Periodic Table of the Elements. The combination of music and
video is known as "Indium," a 30-minute composition consisting of three distinct sections.
In the accompanying video, the scene changes every 10 minutes to match the changes in
the music. It falls into the genre of experimental music known as ambient music.
Bone got his start in pop music and says that he is still something of a pop
songwriter, because most of his pieces are only three or four minutes long. "This was the
first time I had ever attempted to compose something that was 30 minutes long and try to
keep it interesting and moving," he says. It was written as three separate pieces that Bone
then had to flow into each other to make one continuous piece of music.
Interestingly, although indium ultimately provided the inspiration for the finished
piece, the idea was originally planted by another element. A fan of the Spanish surrealist
painter Joan Mir, Bone visited the Fundaci Joan Mir in Barcelona, where he saw the
"Mercury fountain," which was created by Alexander Calder for the 1937 World's Fair in
Paris. In this sculpture, liquid mercury is piped from a pool and flows down a series of
curved metal pieces back into the pool. The sculpture was created as a political statement
against the seizure of the Almaden mercury mines by Francisco Franco during the
Spanish Civil War.
"I could watch that mercury flow forever,"
Bone says. "I came back and wanted to do a piece
that slowly evolved like flowing mercury."
But he didn't want to call a piece "Mercury"
because that had already been done, so he looked
elsewhere for an appropriate name. "I somehow
stumbled across a periodic table and saw the word
indium," Bone says. "I'd never heard of it, so I
looked up the description of it. The description
almost perfectly described the music and the video
that I wanted to do."
Indium is a soft, lustrous, silvery white metal.
MUSIC TO MY EARS Richard
It is useful for making alloys with low melting points.
Bone's musical tribute to indium.
For example, an alloy of 24% indium and 76%
gallium is a liquid at room temperature. The element was discovered spectroscopically in
1863 by Ferdinand Reich and his assistant Hieronymous T. Richter while they were
114

searching for thallium in zinc ore. The element was named for the brilliant indigo line in its
spectrum. The pure metal was first isolated in 1867 by Richter. Until 1924, about a gram
represented the entire world supply of the isolated metal. Indium was originally thought to
be rare, but it is actually about as abundant as silver.
The definition of indium that Bone found "evoked in me the music I was creating." He
printed the definition and taped it over the keyboard where he could see it as he worked
on the piece. "There was something about the description of that element that seemed to
capture what I wanted to create in the music," he says.
He took the definition to Jim Karpeichik, a local videographer, and told him that he
wanted to create a visual that evolved and moved very slowly. Karpeichik filmed ocean
scenes at the beach in Rhode Island, slowed them down, and colorized them.
Bone's approach to composing "Indium" was unusual for him. Typically, he
improvises on the keyboard, looking for an unusual sound that he hasn't worked with
before that can inspire him melodically. The work slowly starts to evolve from there. Often,
he doesn't have a title for a work until he's done. "This was going to be a live performance
piece, originally," Bone says. "I needed to have some very clear concept of what I was
going to do."
The music festival fell through when the Russian government declined to fund it, but
the festival producers also owned a record company. The Russian record company
Electroshock Records released the album "Indium" in December 2002. In the U.S., it is
exclusively available from the online ordering sites http://www.eurock.com and
http://gemm.com. Another interesting tidbit, given that this is C&EN's 80th or "mercurial"
anniversary: The second track on the album is called "Mercurial Wave."
Celia Henry is an associate editor for science, technology, and education at C&EN. A music
lover with broad-ranging tastes, Celia discovered a new musical genre while writing this essay.
INDIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin indicum, violet or indigo. It was identified by the bright violet light it emitted during
spectroscopic analysis.
Atomic mass: 114.82.
History: Discovered in 1863 by German chemists Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymous T. Richter while
looking for traces of thallium in samples of zinc ores.
Occurrence: Typically occurs along with zinc, iron, lead, and copper ores. Canada produces the majority
of the world's supply of indium.
Appearance: Soft, silvery white metal with a brilliant luster.
Behavior: Moderately toxic by ingestion and affects the liver, heart, and kidneys. It is a suspected
teratogen.
Uses: Alloyed with other metals to give them a lower melting point. Also used in transistors and
thermistors and to wet glass.

115

THALLIUM
JEROME O. NRIAGU, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN ARBOR

To many people, thallium is synonymous with rat poison. It is more

toxic to mammals than mercury, cadmium, and lead and has been
responsible for many deliberate, accidental, occupational, and therapeutic
poisonings of people since its discovery in 1861. For the past 30 years or so,
I have been fascinated by the risks associated with the ongoing release of
this highly toxic and unpredictable metal into our environment.
Public angst and concern were first drawn in the late 1960s to reports
of widespread contamination of the Great Lakes' ecosystems with toxic
metals. At the time, I was a graduate student at the University of Toronto. Of the various
groundbreaking studies on the hazards of heavy
metals in the Great Lakes basin, I was captivated by
reports that alluded to the fact that symptoms typical of
thallium poisoning were being observed in many
wildlife populations in the Great Lakes basin, and
especially one report that claimed that nine out of the
34 bald eagles found sick or dying in 1971-72 in parts
of the basin in the U.S. were poisoned by thallium. For
some inexplicable reasons, these early reports on
poisoning of wildlife by thallium were ignored by the
scientific community and no efforts were made to CHECKUP Scan of a normal
conduct necessary follow-up studies. Nevertheless, human heart after injection of
they aroused my curiosity and served as my initiation radioactive thallium-201. The
into the literature on the environmental chemistry and test can reveal defects in blood
supply.
toxicity of thallium.
Thallium is an enigmatic element to study because of its highly divergent properties
predicated upon its oxidation status. Its paradoxical nature became obvious after its
discovery as attempts were made to place the new element in the periodic classification of
the elements. The physical properties of elemental thallium, including specific gravity,
hardness, appearance, melting point, and electrical conductivity, were found to be similar
to those of lead. The chemical properties of many Tl(I) (thallous) salts resemble those of
lead, but the valency and other features of thallium were found to be too divergent from
the lead family of elements.
On the other hand, Tl(I) resembles the alkali metals in flame spectra; solubility of the
hydroxide, sulfate, and carbonate in water; ready oxidation of the metal in air; existence of
thallium alums; and isomorphism of some of its salts with those of potassium, cesium, and
rubidium. But the absence of isomorphism and divergent properties of many of its
common salts precluded thallium from the family of alkali metals. In his periodic
classification of the elements, Dmitry Mendeleyev offered the clinching argument in favor
of placing thallium among the aluminum group of elements based on the chemical
116

properties of thallic salts. Variations in chemical personality and nonconforming behavior

of thallium make for a fertile field for research but provide a minefield in any attempts to
adequately assess its risks in the environment.
Thallium elicits some of the most complex and serious toxicities in living things,
involving a wide range of organs and tissues. A recent study with planktonic communities
showed that Tl3+ ions, a common form in aquatic environments, are about 34,000 times
more toxic than cadmium ions [Environ. Sci. Technol., 37, 2720 (2003)]. This is serious,
considering that organisms (especially mammals) at the top of the food chain are the most
susceptible to thallium toxicosis. Recently, we have found elevated levels of thallium in
Great Lakes fish [Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., 67, 921 (2001)], which has raised the
issue of bioaccumulation and biomagnification of this element in aquatic food webs and
the potential risks to fish-eating members of the food chain. I keep wondering whether the
dismissal of the early reports of thallium poisoning of bald eagles and other wildlife should,
in fact, be regarded as a major scientific oversight of our time.
Compared with many heavy metals, thallium has a short history and what appears to
be a rosy future. Its traditional uses (in rodenticides and insecticides, pigments, wood
preservatives, and ore separation; in mercury lamps to increase the intensity and
spectrum of the light; as catalysts in chemical syntheses; and so forth) are being phased
out in deference to its toxicity. At the same time, there is increasing demand for thallium in
the high-technology and future-technology fields.
Among the growing uses for thallium are in the semiconductor and laser industry, in
fiber (optical) glass, in scintillographic imaging, in superconductivity, and as a molecular
probe to emulate the biological function of alkali-metal ions. Recycling of thallium in
commercial products is not yet a serious business, and one has to be concerned about
the long-term environmental effects of the growing technological applications of one of the
most toxic and eccentric metals known to humankind.
Jerome O. Nriagu is a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor. He is the editor of "Thallium in the Environment" as well as many other volumes on
heavy metals in the environment.
THALLIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek thallos, green twig or shoot, after the color of its spectral lines.
Atomic mass: 204.38.
History: Discovered in 1861 by Sir William Crookes.
Occurrence: Thallium can be obtained as a by-product of producing sulfuric acid or refining zinc or lead.
Appearance: Silvery white metal.
Behavior: Thallium compounds are extremely
Uses: TI is used in fiber and low-melting glass. Many traditional uses have been phased out because of
its toxicity.

117

CARBON
GEORGE A. OLAH, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Carbon is the key element not only of terrestrial life but also of
minerals (carbonates) and fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal), and it is a minor
but essential component of our atmosphere. Carbon is produced in the
stars by nuclear synthesis from hydrogen that originated from the initial Big
Bang. Over the eons, asteroids hitting Earth may have carried carbon to our
planet.
Elemental carbon is found in nature as its allotropes--diamond and
graphite--which are of vastly differing abundance and thus also of differing
value. In the 1980s, a new group of allotropes called fullerenes or buckyballs--named after
R. Buckminster Fuller, who designed famous geodesic domes resembling soccer
balls--was recognized, first spectroscopically (for which Robert F. Curl Jr., Sir Harold W.
Kroto, and Richard E. Smalley received the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry) and later
produced in electric discharge devices using carbon
electrodes (Donald R. Huffman and Wolfgang Krtschmer).
These new carbon allotropes promise significant applications.
Carbon has a remarkable ability to bind with itself to form
chains, rings, and complex structures. The variety of carbon
compounds with bound hydrogen (hydrocarbons) and other
elements (oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus, for example),
which are generally called organic compounds, is practically
unlimited.
The very heart and essence of chemical transformations C60
and hence of modern chemistry is an understanding of
chemical reactions and their intermediates. Carbocations (the positive ions of carbon
compounds) and related electron-deficient species represent the most important
intermediates in all of chemistry. I was fortunate to have discovered ways to observe
carbocations as persistent, long-lived species.
The related development and use of superacids, billions of times stronger than
sulfuric acid, and superelectrophiles have changed the field of chemistry. The realization
that carbon, in many of its electron-deficient species, including carbocations, can
simultaneously bind (coordinate) to five, six, and even seven neighboring atoms or groups
is significant. This has extended Kekul's concept of the limiting four valency of carbon to
higher coordinate carbon compounds and has opened up new fields of hypercarbon
chemistry.
My discoveries also provided insights into the electrophilic activation of CH and
CC single bonds and formed the basis of the development of new and improved
hydrocarbon transformations. These have significant applications in the petroleum and
chemical industries for improved production of high-octane gasoline (via alkylation and
isomerization) and the direct conversion of methane (natural gas) to methanol and higher
hydrocarbons without producing syngas.
118

From plant life over the ages, new fossil fuels can be formed. The process is so slow,
however, that within our human life span we do not have time for nature to replenish what
we are rapidly using up. A challenging new approach that we are pursuing is to reverse
the process and produce hydrocarbons from carbon dioxide and water via methanol, thus
chemically recycling carbon dioxide. In the laboratory, we already know how to do this,
and progress is being made toward bringing about the feasibility of such an approach. The
limiting factor is the energy needed for generating hydrogen from water. Using alternative
energy sources--but first of all atomic energy, albeit improved and made safer--will
eventually give us needed energy.
Much is said these days about a "hydrogen economy," emphasizing hydrogen as
the clean, inexhaustible fuel of the future. However, the safe handling and dispensing of
volatile hydrogen--for which no infrastructure exists--is difficult and costly.
I believe a much preferable way of storing hydrogen is in the form of methyl alcohol
("methanol economy"). Methanol is a convenient liquid that can be produced by reduction
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It can be catalytically converted into ethylene and
propylene and through them to higher hydrocarbons. This can provide an inexhaustible
source of hydrocarbon products and fuels, which are now obtained from oil and gas.
Furthermore, in recent years, with colleagues at California Institute of Technology and the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, we have also developed a new, direct methanol fuel cell that
produces electric power without the need of hydrogen. Thus, methanol is both a fuel and a
source of hydrocarbons. By recycling excess CO2 into methanol instead of just storing or
sequestering it, we can also mitigate global warming. It is to this effect that a major
research effort, with my colleagues associated with the Loker Hydrocarbon Research
Institute at the University of Southern California, is directed.
George A. Olah is a professor of chemistry and director of the Loker Hydrocarbon Research
Institute at the University of Southern California. He won the 1994 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for
his work on carbocation and hydrocarbon chemistry.
CARBON AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin carbo, coal.
Atomic mass: 12.01.
History: Known since ancient times.
Occurrence: Carbon occurs naturally as crystalline graphite or diamond, or amorphously in charcoal,
carbon black, coke, and white carbon. A new molecular allotrope, C60, or buckminsterfullerene, was
discovered in 1985.
Appearance: Nonmetal solid. Graphite is black or silver-black. Diamond comes in various colors.
Behavior: Not volatile. Readily bonds with many elements and itself, forming millions of compounds.
Uses: Essential component of all organic molecules, including nucleic acids, proteins, and
carbohydrates. The C-14 isotope is used for carbon dating. Graphite is used as a lubricant and in
pencils. In addition to being valued as a gem, diamond is often used as an abrasive. Carbon dioxide has
numerous uses, including refrigeration.

119

SILICON
ROALD HOFFMANN, CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Similarity and difference nourish the mind at play, and not just for a
boy whose fate was to be a refugee. My introduction to the periodic table
actually came through a science story about silicon buried in the pages of a
comic book I found lying around on the S.S. Ernie Pyle, the troop carrier
that brought us to America in 1949.
The story was into similarity; it invoked no less an icon of analogical
thinking than Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleyev. Silicon was under carbon;
surely it could not be denied its Mendeleyevian birthright, to give us all that
carbon did? In the heyday of silicon chemistry, it was just a matter of time and chemistry.
Or maybe of different ambient conditions; silicon-based life on another planet made such
good science fiction sense.
I was anxious to learn English, to speak without an accent, to fit in; of the
life-enhancing differences, such as that between boys and girls, there were only stirrings. I
lapped up that vision of an alternative, yet like, universe.
But silicon is different. Yes, one can make Si analogs of hexane and cyclohexane.
The differences emerge earlier in reactivity than in structure. Most importantly,
unsaturation is strongly disfavored for silicon, as it is for other main-group elements below
the first row. At a normal SiSi distance, p bonding is just not worth very much. So doubleand triple-bonded molecules have high-lying filled and low-lying unfilled orbitals. This
makes for reactivity to acids, bases, and radicals. Silylenes, SiR2, are also very stable; put
these trends together and an equilibrium such as H2Si = SiH2 H3Si SiH, highly
endothermic for carbon, is nearly thermoneutral and faces a small activation energy for
silicon. Or, should you want something still more striking, it takes less energy to dissociate
H2Si = SiH2 into two silylenes than it takes to break the single bond in H3SiSiH3. Five and
six-coordinate structures also become accessible for neutral compounds of Si.
Just how different silicon is shows up in the equilibrium structure of Si2H2. In a
triumph of computational chemistry (not by me, alas), Si2H2 was predicted to have the
striking nonclassical dibridged structure, which was then confirmed experimentally.
The bond energies of CE and SiE (E = an element) are similar (within 50 kJ per mol) for
a large variety of Es. The exception is SiO (and SiF), which is nearly 100 kJ per mol
stronger than CO. Coupled to the unhappiness of Si with unsaturation, silicon's love of
oxygen leads to an overwhelming difference between a world of CO multiple bonds and
the universe of silicates. Contrast gaseous CO2 and solid polymeric SiO2.
Poor carbon, to have no 2- and few 3-D polymers. Compare clays, micas, zeolites,
aerogels, amethyst and carnelian, lapis lazuli, asbestos, porcelain, and glass--just to pick
a sampler of silicates.
Silicon can certainly support chirality. Its chemistry sports helices. So why has this
element essentially been dealt out of life, at least out of animal biochemistry? The
abundance of silicon in Earth's crust is second only to oxygen. Much less common

120

elements--take copper or molybdenum--are co-opted by life; one would have thought that
nature's evolutionary tinkering surely would have found ample use for silicon.
I'm not quite fair. The element, through silica, is of immense utility as a structural
material in diatoms and radiolarians. A typical one, Cyclotella cryptica, is 22% SiO2 by dry
weight. There are a lot of those little guys, too. Silicates are also essential for higher plants.
Horsetails, which once grew into tall trees, accumulate enough silica to make them used
as scouring brushes. There's a lot of silica in rice and in grasses in general.
But almost none in bacteria and animals. It's a great puzzle. Though there are
advocates of the way of clay, it appears that the road to life was through isomeric
variability and a balancing act of metastable yet kinetically persistent small organic
molecules and one-dimensional polymers. Poor silicon, capable of supporting isomerism
but pulled away from SiSi catenation by that seductive bond to abundant oxygen!
How unexpected then (little help from science fiction here) is our
here-and-now-and-still-growing in silico world. This is silicon's revenge! Or the evolution of
electronics and computers might be seen as only the latest extension of human cultural
appropriation of those elements underused in biology. Following (for silicon) that constant
of civilization--ceramics. And glass.
In the excitement of building a theory, in the desperate and thrilling labor of trying to
understand, the primal urge is to simplify. Not just in science, though our craft is prone to
special reductive tendencies. Simplifying to excess, we make things the same. But the
beauty of this world is as much in the workings of chance and in the infinite variety that
being not quite the same provides. So it is for silicon and carbon, as it is for people.
Roald Hoffmann is the Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters at Cornell University.
He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1981.

SILICON AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin silex, flint.
Atomic mass: 28.09.
History: Jns J. Berzelius is credited with discovering silicon in 1824.
Occurrence: On Earth, silicon is the second most abundant element, making up 25.7% of the crust by
weight.
Appearance: Amorphous silicon is a brown powder; crystalline silicon is dark gray with a bluish tinge.
Behavior: Pure Si is covered in a layer of SiO2, rendering it inert to air or water.
Uses: Si is used in lasers, transistors, and other solid-state devices.

121

GERMANIUM
BETHANY HALFORD, C&EN WASHINGTON

If the elements in the periodic table were pictures in a high school

yearbook, germanium would be that geeky, nondescript kid that no one
remembers. Part of germanium's problem is its status as the middle child of
the main group, sandwiched between elemental overachievers carbon and
silicon on one side and tin and lead on the other.
When Mendeleyev conceived the periodic table, germanium hadn't
even been discovered. I imagine him as a father with an overwhelming
brood, leaving a place for an errant child, knowing that it has to be around
somewhere. It doesn't even get respect from spellcheck, which insists on renaming it as a
flower.
But as elements go, germanium is a late bloomer. It took the inventions of the
transistor and crystal diode in the 1940s to transform it from chemical curiosity to
important industrial material. Before 1945, only a few hundred pounds of the element were
produced each year. But by the end of the 1950s, annual worldwide production had
reached 40 metric tons.
Finding steady work in solid-state electronics, germanium held onto its high-tech
reputation through the 1970s. And when sister silicon edged in on its territory, germanium
moved on to more intriguing applications: polymerization catalysts, fiber-optic
communication networks, and infrared night-vision systems.
The U.S. government even designated germanium as a strategic and critical
material, calling for a 146,000-kg supply in the national defense stockpile for 1987. Like
the brainy, adolescent wallflower who grows up to make a fortune as president of a
high-tech company, germanium had made a metamorphosis.
Its cachet has come at a cost, though. In 1998, the price of 1 lb of germanium was
almost $800; 1 lb each of silicon, tin, and lead could be bought for less than $5.
My own personal experience with germanium, and its high cost, came the summer
before I started graduate school when I worked with noted main-group organic chemist
Peter P. Gaspar at Washington University in St. Louis. I was to make several hundred
grams of (CH3)2GeCl2 using Gaspar's clever synthetic protocol [Synth. React. Inorg.
Met.-Org. Chem., 20, 77 (1990)]. Perhaps because he was reluctant to let an
inexperienced student like me work with pricey germanium powder--I had given him a
purchase order for several thousand dollars' worth of the stuff--Gaspar suggested I call
some chemical suppliers and see if any would be willing to discount their older stock. A
little bit cocky, I was hurt at his lack of faith in my synthetic skills.
One supplier gave me a bargain price on some decade-old "five nines" pure material
that had been taking up space on his shelves. Gaspar had said that less pure material
tended to work better in the reaction, so I agreed. I figured the stoichiometry in my
notebook for the germanium I needed if it was only 5/9 pure. I told Gaspar of the deal.
"I thought I told you that less pure material worked better," he said.
122

"Yeah, it's only five nines pure," I countered.

He stared at me, unmistakably annoyed. Irritated at his lack of enthusiasm, I skulked
away. Only when the dusty old bottle arrived did I learn that "five nines" pure means
99.999%.
Gaspar once showed me a half-kilo ingot of germanium metal that a company had
given him in the halcyon days before the government began stockpiling the stuff. I can still
remember the sleek, cool feel of the dark metal. By the way Gaspar cradled the
bread-loaf-shaped object in his hand, I could tell it was one of his treasures. I was
paralyzed by the thought that he might actually ask me to grind the material up and use it.
For this essay, I called Gaspar to ask if he still had the ingot or if some unlucky student
had to grind it up in the six years that had passed. "I keep it as a curiosity," he said, but
conscious of its value, would not elaborate. "It's in a safe place."
When I asked Gaspar what he thinks about my theory of germanium as the main group's
middle child, he said he could see the parallel, but added--in his wise professorial tone of
voice--that germanium has never had plain-Jane status in chemistry. On the contrary, "the
most important thing about germanium was the fact that it started as a twinkle in
Mendeleyev's eye," he said. "It might have been found much later than it was if it weren't
for the fact that it had to be there if the periodic table was correct."
Bethany Halford is an assistant editor at C&EN. Five nines of the time spent on this essay
went into writing this sentence.
GERMANIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin Germania, Germany.
Atomic mass: 72.64
History: In 1871, Mendeleyev used his periodic table to predict the existence of a silicon-like element.
German chemist Clemens Winkler discovered it 15 years later.
Occurrence: are. Found in coal and compounds such as argyrodite.
Appearance: Gray, solid metalloid.
Behavior: Germanium is a semiconductor but exhibits poor conductivity.
Uses: Doped germanium materials are used to make transistors for miniature electronics.

123

TIN
SANDY GERRARD, ENGLISH HERITAGE

It was in 1979, while taking refuge from yet another blizzard in a

rather inadequate shelter on top of a Welsh mountain, that the opportunity
of digging in a somewhat more exotic location was first mentioned. At the
time, I was an undergraduate studying archaeology at Lampeter in
mid-Wales, and the new excavation opportunity was a tin mill at Colliford,
somewhere in Cornwall. At this time, no British tin mill had ever been
properly excavated, but I think it was the thought of six weeks in sunny
Cornwall that persuaded me that it would be a good idea to be involved.
I will remember the first three days of that dig for the rest of my life. Dense fog,
combined with torrential rain and powerful winds tragically known as the Fastnet Storm,
coincided with our arrival. Once the winds had abated, the sun shone, and very rapidly it
became apparent as we dissected the mill and the surrounding dressing floors that we
were revealing a very complicated and informative story.
The mill, throughout its life, from at least 1507 until around 1600, had crushed tin
from the nearby opencast quarry, but it had been abandoned and refurbished on several
occasions, each time becoming more efficient. A wide range of artifacts provided an
insight into the character of the tin processing operations, and domestic rubbish gave us a
glimpse into the lives of the tinners who had worked here. The true complexity of the site
only became apparent during the post-excavation process and preparation of the final
report.
Understanding the mill proved challenging
and rewarding, and it was during this process that
I was smitten and decided I wanted to find out
much more about the industry in which this mill
had played a part. The landscape around the mill
was littered with the earthworks and other
structures left by the tinners. The obvious next
step was to record and hopefully understand what
could only be described as a confused mass of
DIGGING DEEP View of the interior
humps and bumps.
So it was on the last day of January 1983 of the stamping mill at Colliford. The
is
the
water-filled,
that I set off with a plane table to tackle the wheelpit
earthworks in the valley bottom next to the mill. I stone-lined channel on the right. The
really had no idea whether it would be possible or channel leading under the two near
even worthwhile, as nobody else had ever tried to ranging rods carried material in
tackle this type of survey. I certainly did not know suspension from the stamps situated
when I plotted the first point on the table that the adjacent to the wheelpit.
results would be so informative that for the next 20
years I would be spending large blocks of time surveying and interpreting tinwork
earthworks all over Cornwall and Devon.
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The survey work revealed that it was possible to demonstrate exactly how the
tinners had used different methods to extract tin. By doing a detailed analysis of the
streamwork plans in particular, I could identify the precise methods used to extract the
cassiterite and to recognize earthworks of different dates. Much has yet to be achieved
regarding the absolute dating of the tinworks, but pollen analysis near the Colliford tin mill
indicated that at least part of the tin streamwork was abandoned before 600 to 700 A.D.
Many of the surviving streamworks in the southwest of England will be much more recent
than this, as most probably belong to the late medieval period (1300 to 1500).
The scrutiny of streamwork earthworks has been the most productive aspect of the
detailed survey of tinworking remains, but other types of tinwork lend themselves to this
form of examination to a greater or lesser extent. Analyses of the surface workings
associated with early forms of mining--including the shallow shafts known as lode-back
pits and the opencast quarries known as openworks or beams--have provided a valuable
insight into the earliest forms of mining. Together with investigations of the contemporary
documentation, the surveys have allowed us to build a remarkable picture of the industrial,
technological, and social character of early tin exploitation in Britain.
Sandy Gerrard is a designation archaeologist for English Heritage. He has directed several
archaeological excavations and surveys and has published extensively on the early tin industry.
TIN AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Anglo-Saxon tin, named for the Etruscan god Tinia. The symbol is from the Latin word
for tin, stannum.
Atomic mass: 118.71.
History: Known to ancient civilizations.
Occurrence: Often found as tin oxide, also called cassiterite. The metal can be isolated by heating the
ore in the presence of carbon.
Appearance: Silvery white metal. Two known allotropes are white tin, which is metallic and malleable,
and gray tin, which is brittle and powdery.
Behavior: Resists corrosion. Trialkyl- and triaryltin compounds are toxic.
Uses: Often used as a protective coating on other metals. Tin is alloyed with various metals to make foil,
cans, solder, and pewter. Because it melts at a fairly low temperature, tin is ideal for casting. Bronze, an
alloy of 80% copper and 20% tin, was used in ancient times to make tools and decorations. Stannic
oxide and stannic chloride are used to make ceramic glazes and fabric treatments. Tin is also a major
player in the Pilkington process for making glass panes.

125

LEAD
BASSAM Z. SHAKHASHIRI, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON

As a child in my native Lebanon, I collected ancient coins, digging

Phoenician and Roman coins from olive groves near my hometown and from
other locations. Several times, my parents took me to areas where
archaeologists were carefully digging for artifacts. Occasionally, I would show
some of my coins to one of the archaeologists and he would tell me in French
or English what it was made of and how old it was. I was intrigued by the
solidity of the coins, and I wanted to know more about their composition. I
was told that most were alloys of copper. None had gold, but one or two may
have had some silver. The coins felt heavy, and I wondered if there was lead in them.
One of my classmates was overweight, and we nicknamed him "lead." Later on,
when we learned about the symbols of the elements, we referred to him simply as Pb, an
abbreviation of the Latin plumbum, from which we also get the word plumbing. A Jesuit
archaeologist told me that lead is mentioned in the Bible many times, that alchemists
believed it was the oldest metal, and that they tried to change it into gold. He also told me
that lead is poisonous. This fascinated me because I wondered how a solid piece of metal
could be eaten. The Romans used lead to make pipes, some of which may still be in use.
Later, I read that the Romans also used lead in cookware and drinking cups and that lead
poisoning may have contributed to the fall of the Empire.
In high school and later as a freshman at the American University of Beirut, I learned
more about lead. I was astonished to discover that lead is the end product of three series
of naturally occurring radioactive elements and that lead has more than two dozen
radioactive isotopes. In my sophomore year at Boston University, I learned that lead was
in a gasoline additive--an organometallic compound called tetraethyl lead. I learned that
lead is a major component of automobile batteries, that it was widely used in paint, and
that it is used in soldering. Later, I learned that even in ancient times, some physicians
believed that lead was poisonous, but it continued to be used in medicines and cosmetics
until the 20th century.
Concerns over lead exposure in recent decades reflect heightened societal
concerns for health and safety. All developed countries have banned two uses of lead that
were once almost universal--tetraethyl lead and lead-based paint for residential use. The
use of lead shot for hunting waterfowl has also been banned in the U.S. because
bottom-feeding birds can ingest spent shot. Hunters must use steel shot instead. Older
U.S. cities that have lead pipes or heavily soldered pipes are replacing them at
considerable expense. There is continuing concern about lead glazes still used in some
ceramics made in developing countries, but the lead found in fine china and crystal glass
does not readily leach out and is not a concern.
Until recently, lead poisoning was diagnosed by its symptoms, but it is now
diagnosed by analyzing its presence in blood by atomic absorption methods. The
mechanism is not well understood, but lead is believed to bind to proteins involved in

126

neurological signaling and development that otherwise would

Removing lead from the body safely remains a major challenge.
Today, lead is essential to the manufacture and operation
of many high-tech products. Lead solder is a reliable method of
connecting transistors and other electronic components, and
without leaded glass, we could not safely sit in front of our
computer screens. Lead is the best material for nuclear
radiation shielding and allows for the safe operation of CAT
scans and other imaging diagnostics.
I have been a Wisconsin Badger for more than 30 years.
The nickname of the state, and the mascot of the University of
Wisconsin, Madison, are derived from lead. Lead mining in
southwestern Wisconsin was one of the state's first industries.
During the 1830s, lead miners, mostly young, single men, came
up the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers from St. Louis and
points south to spend their summers digging for lead. Not
wanting to waste time on frills like housing, they lived in
dugouts in the sides of hills. Some residents said they lived like
badgers, a derogatory label they adopted with pride.
Bassam Z. Shakhashiri is professor of chemistry at the University of
Wisconsin, Madison. His annual "Once Upon a Christmas Cheery in the
Lab of Shakhashiri" is in its 34th year and is presented on PBS and
cable stations.

bind to calcium or zinc.

GETTING THE LEAD

OUT
University
of
Wisconsin, Madison, mascot
Bucky Badger, named after
Wisconsin's
miners,
potassium

former

pours
iodide

lead

colorless
solution

into a colorless solution of

lead nitrate, forming brilliant
yellow, solid lead iodide.

LEAD AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Anglo-Saxon laedan, lead. The symbol is from the Latin word for lead, plumbum.
Atomic mass: 207.2.
History: Known to ancient civilizations. Alchemists believed lead to be the oldest metal and associated it
with the planet Saturn. They also believed it could be transmuted into gold.
Occurrence: Usually obtained from galena (lead sulfide). Elemental lead is found only sparingly.
Appearance: Bluish white, soft metal.
Behavior: Lead is moderately toxic by ingestion and is a cumulative poison. Lead is very soft, highly
malleable and ductile, a poor conductor of electricity, and very resistant to corrosion.
Uses: Used in batteries, glass, solder, radiation shielding around X-ray equipment and nuclear reactors,
cable covering, plumbing, and ammunition. Lead was once used extensively in paints but has been
phased out of most to eliminate health hazards.

127

NITROGEN
PETER NAGLER, DEGUSSA AG

Nitrogen is all around us, making up 78% of the air we breathe, yet we do not
notice its presence; an atmosphere of 100% nitrogen, although nontoxic, is
fatal. Leguminous bacteria, living in the root nodules of plants such as clover,
have an advantage over other living things, as they can convert atmospheric
nitrogen to nitrate, providing this essential element for the growth of legumes.
This feat of biology was not matched by chemistry until 1914, when Fritz
Haber established an industrial process for the manufacture of ammonia
from atmospheric nitrogen, for which he received the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry in 1918.
Although nitrogen was initially thought to be unreactive, this simple diatomic molecule
does have interesting chemical properties. Some elements can "burn" in nitrogen, among
them magnesium at 300 C and lithium even at room temperature, producing crystalline
metal nitrides. Complexes of molecular nitrogen with transition metals had been predicted
for many years, but the first organometallic compound of dinitrogen, [Ru(NH3)5N2]Cl2, was
only reported in 1965. Most of the fascinating chemistry of nitrogen is, however, reserved
for its inorganic and especially organic compounds, notably amines, nitro compounds, and
their more complex relatives.
Throughout my time in the chemical
industry, I have been fascinated by the
prevalence of nitrogen in the most
important and essential components of life
on Earth. Imagine a world without nucleic
acids and DNA for recording the program
of life; without amino acids and peptides to
carry out the instructions of the genome; or
without the alkaloids, a source of
inspiration to synthetic and medicinal
chemists and the basis of many
pharmaceuticals of use and abuse.
Amino acids, the building blocks of the
cell's protein factory, occur in only 20
different types in mammalian proteins, yet
from these 20 simple molecules an almost FREEZE FRAME Nitrogen helps form the
backbone of proteins. Shown here, a crystal
infinite variety of structural proteins and
structure of BRCA2 bound to single-stranded
enzymes can be built, and they can
catalyze chemical processes far more DNA.
efficiently and selectively than our chemical
efforts. The natural amino acids are also remarkable in that they all are constructed by
nature in the l form in proteins. What event early in the history of life on Earth led to the
chirality of amino acids is a question that has always intrigued me. It may be that catalysis
128

on a primitive inorganic surface favored the l form over the d, or the selection of l amino
acids could have been an effect of polarized light.
There is also a theory that life on Earth was seeded by complex molecules from the
interstellar void. Indeed, a variety of simple nitrogen compounds, such as cyanides,
isocyanides, and formamide, have been found in interstellar gas. More evidence has
recently emerged to show that the simplest amino acid, glycine, is also present in outer
space.
Another vital property of nitrogen as a basic element of life is its ability to form
hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bonds between amino acids control the folding of proteins into
a-helices and -sheets. In DNA, the hydrogen bonds to nitrogen are of even more
importance. The realization that adenine only paired with thymine and that cytosine only
paired with guanine (Watson-Crick pairing) was one of the keys to deciphering the
structure of DNA. Base pairing through the hydrogen bonds of the nitrogen bases is also
essential for the transmission of genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA and
hence to instruct the protein synthesis factory.
Nitrogen is essential to life, but we must always remember that nitrogen can be
destructive as well. Haber's work on ammonia synthesis was not undertaken to
manufacture cheap fertilizer, although this was one of the outcomes of his discovery.
Rather, it was the need for nitric acid to manufacture explosives when wartime blockades
prevented importation of natural potassium nitrate from Chile that drove Haber to find an
alternative process. This Janus-like aspect of nitrogen to be an element for good and for
evil had already been recognized by Alfred Nobel. Having made his fortune from the
manufacture of dynamite from nitroglycerine and kieselguhr, he left it to found the prizes
which bear his name, and which a number of researchers in the chemistry of nitrogen
compounds have received. The search for ever more potent explosives for both peaceful
and military purposes continued after Nobel's death, and led in 2000 to the preparation by
Philip Eaton of octanitrocubane, perhaps the most powerful explosive ever to be made.
Both the good and the dark side of the chemistry of nitrogen continue to fascinate
chemists today, and this essential element will surprise researchers studying its
compounds well into the future.
Peter Nagler is head of the fine chemicals business unit at Degussa AG. After many years
working with amino acids, he is, like nitrogen, generally noncombustible and nontoxic.
NITROGEN AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek nitron genes, nitre (potassium nitrate) forming.
Atomic mass: 14.01
History: Discovered by Scottish physician Daniel Rutherford in 1772.
Occurrence: Nitrogen makes up about 78% of Earth's atmosphere by volume. Nitrogen is "fixed" from the
atmosphere by bacteria in the roots of certain plants such as clover. It is obtained commercially through the
fractional distillation of liquid air.
Appearance: Colorless, odorless gas.
Behavior: The gas is largely inert, but its compounds are vital components of foods, fertilizers, and explosives.
Uses: Liquid nitrogen is used to freeze foods and preserve biological specimens. The gas is used as a
nonreactive "blanket gas" in the semiconductor industry and welding.

129

PHOSPHORUS
C. DALE POULTER ,UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
Phosphorus, an element of tremendous importance in commerce and
research, was first isolated by Hennig Brandt in 1669. Following the
standard practice of alchemists of his era, he protected his invention as a
"trade secret" in hopes that he had discovered the Philosopher's Stone.
Brandt's monopoly was broken a decade later by Robert Boyle, often
regarded as the father of chemistry for his insistence on publishing
experiments in sufficient detail so they could be reproduced by others. The
description that Boyle and his assistant Abrose Godfrey Hanckwitz gave to
the Royal Society of London is a fascinating account of their research with phosphorus. It
begins with "As is before shewed, take Urine well putrefied in a Tub" and concludes with
"If the Privy Parts be therewith rubb'd, they will be inflamed and burning for a good while
after." I wonder who volunteered for that experiment!
I was introduced to the wonders of phosphorus at the
tender age of three. This was near the end of World War II,
when Mom and I were living with my grandmother and three
aunts, one of whom I convinced to give me a few kitchen
matches. My combustion experiment soon got out of control,
and I spent the next hour or so at the front window of my
grandmother's house nervously watching firemen fight a grass
fire in the field across the street. At the same time, phosphate,
from Coca-Cola, was an important component in an unrelated
set of experiments to develop a concoction I called "chemical
MAGICAL Joseph
dog food." Numerous formulations, most of which featured
Wright's "The Alchemist in
coffee grounds floating on a highly colored liquid, were
Search of the
prepared from as many different ingredients as I could find in
Philosopher's Stone
the kitchen. The consumer evaluations I conducted with my
Discovers Phosphorus."
grandmother's dog Mitzi were negative, and I eventually
dropped the project.
In grade school, my research activities became more organized. Several of my
playmates and I formed a "chemistry club." We combined our chemistry sets and set up a
laboratory under the front porch of my house--I don't think Mom and Dad ever knew about
it. By and large our experiments, many of which were more advanced versions of the
earlier combustion study, were successful. We had fun, actually taught ourselves some
chemistry, and survived with no permanent injuries. The house survived as well!
I didn't learn very much about phosphorus in college or in graduate school.
Phosphorus played a minor role in my graduate and postdoctoral research--P2O5 to dry
solvents and Wittig reagents to synthesize olefins. Imagine: nine years of advanced
education and training with five years of specialization in organic chemistry--the chemistry
of compounds from living organisms--and virtually no mention of phosphorus.

130

I was reintroduced to phosphorus by Hans Rilling, a biochemist at the University of

Utah, when we began a long, productive collaboration to study the mechanisms of the
reactions used by nature to join isoprene units. The substrates for our enzymes were
diphosphate esters--molecules beautifully designed to be stable at physiological pH, but
easily activated once inside the active site of an enzyme. One of the first hurdles I faced
was how to prepare substrate analogs for mechanistic studies from precious, lovingly
synthesized alcohols. The reactions used then gave miserable yields of at most a few
milligrams of product. Over the next several years, my students and I developed a
practical solution based on a simple displacement using inorganic pyrophosphate. We
published a detailed description of the procedure in Organic Syntheses over the
objections of a member of the editorial board who regarded our use of a vortex mixer,
lyophilization, and chromatography on cellulose to purify the nonvolatile water-soluble
products as being "too unfamiliar and biochemical" for organic chemists. Since then, my
organic colleagues have become much less hydrophobic.
Over the years, my group has become increasingly dependent on phosphorus. In
addition to the isoprenoid diphosphates, we rely heavily on recombinant DNA technology.
Consider a few of the beauties of phosphate esters in this regard: reverse transcription for
making cDNA libraries from RNA, polymerase chain reaction for synthesizing customized
DNA, cutting and pasting of DNA to make templates for generating recombinant proteins,
chemical synthesis of DNA, and high-throughput DNA sequencing. These "tools of the
trade" for today's chemist studying biosynthesis were unimaginable only three decades
ago when I entered the field.
C. Dale Poulter is the John A. Widtsoe Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University
of Utah. He has received the ACS Ernest Guenther and Repligen Awards for his work on
isoprenoid biosynthesis and is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Organic Chemistry.

PHOSPHORUS AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek phosphoros, bringer of light.
Atomic mass: 30.97.
History: Discovered in 1669 by German physician Hennig Brandt.
Occurrence: Widely distributed in many minerals. Phosphate rock, containing apatite, is an important source.
Appearance: Solid nonmetal. Ordinary phosphorus is a waxy white solid. Phosphorus has white, red, and black
allotropes. White phosphorus is soft, while red phosphorus is powdery.
Behavior: White phosphorus catches fire spontaneously in air. When exposed to damp air, it glows in the dark in
a process known as chemiluminescence. It reacts vigorously with all the halogens.
Uses: An essential component of living systems found in nervous tissue, bones, cell protoplasm, and DNA,
mostly as phosphate. Compounds are also used in fertilizers, insecticides, detergents, and foods.

131

ARSENIC
M. FEROZE AHMED, BANGLADESH UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

Arsenic was known to me as a homeopathic medicine from my

boyhood. I learned that arsenic is a poison but in small doses builds
resistance against the common cold, asthma, coughs, scabies, and a
variety of other diseases. My chemistry teacher then introduced arsenic as
the third element in Group VA in the periodic table. The presence of arsenic
in lethal doses in food, water, or air is not noticeable to human senses of
sight, smell, and taste, which makes arsenic a perfect homicidal and
suicidal agent. In the late 1980s, I further studied the element while deriving
environmental quality standards for Bangladesh, but my understanding was limited to its
evil reputation as a poison and its inhibitory effects on biological activities.
Arsenic is a ubiquitous element in nature and is widely distributed in air, water, soils,
rocks, plants, and animals in variable concentrations. It is the 20th most abundant element
in Earth's crust and the 12th most abundant element in the biosphere. The cycling of
arsenic in the environment is regulated by natural processes and human activities. Thus,
humans all over the world are exposed to small amounts of arsenic, mostly through food,
water, and air.
But the presence of high levels of arsenic in groundwater,
the main source of drinking water in many countries around
the world, has drawn the attention of the scientific community.
As an environmental engineer with an interest in water
supplies, I became fully involved in arsenic research in 1995.
My international links with Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, the University of Cincinnati, Columbia University,
and the United Nations University in Japan helped me to POISONED Arsenic
conduct intensive work on arsenic-release mechanisms in contamination of drinking
groundwater, arsenic removal technologies, and the fate of water is wreaking havoc in
arsenic in the environment. In addition, I extensively studied Bangladesh, prompting
the status of arsenic problems in Bangladesh and regional many scientists such as
countries; participated in, as well as organized, several Bibudhendra Sarkar to
international events; conducted advanced training on arsenic; help.
and edited, published, and distributed five documents on arsenic, most of which are
available free online.
The status of arsenic changed in 1987 when inorganic arsenic present in drinking
water was classified as carcinogenic. Arsenic is known to be nonessential for plants but
an essential trace element in several animal species, while its presence in humans is an
issue of debate. On the basis of an epidemiological study conducted in Taiwan, arsenic
content in drinking water associated with an excess lifetime skin cancer risk of 105 was
calculated to be 0.17 mg per L--too low for measurement. The joint Food & Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee
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on Food Additives confirmed a provisional tolerable weekly intake of 15 mg per kg of body

weight for inorganic arsenic in 1988. WHO, therefore, recommended a provisional
guideline value of 10 mg per L for arsenic in drinking water in 1993, which has been
adopted as a standard for arsenic in drinking water in many developed countries. Many
developing countries, including Bangladesh, for technical and economical reasons, have
retained the earlier WHO guideline value of 50 mg per L as the national standard or as an
interim target. The estimated number of people exposed to arsenic exceeding 50 mg per L
from drinking water in Bangladesh, India, China, and Nepal is 29 million, 5.3 million, 5.6
million, and 0.6 million, respectively. Concerns have been raised about arsenic
contamination in the food chain through irrigation with contaminated water.
I have visited various places in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Nepal; lectured on
arsenic; and exchanged views with the regional scientists. Thousands of arsenicosis
cases have been confirmed in Bangladesh and West Bengal. The common adverse
effects of chronic arsenic exposure are melanosis, keratosis, hyperkeratosis, some cases
of skin cancer, gangrene, peripheral vascular disorder, and other adverse health effects.
Fortunately, the arsenicosis prevalence rate is still much lower than the estimated risk at
the present level of contamination. The poorest people are most likely to be worst affected
by arsenicosis, not only physically, but also socially and economically. My present
activities at the government and nongovernment levels are targeted toward providing
sustained access to arsenic-safe drinking water.
Much remains to be learned about arsenic. The interindividual variation in susceptibility
to arsenic toxicity is still a puzzle. The precise mechanism of action of arsenic in human
systems is yet to be fully understood. The silent presence of arsenic in the environment,
particularly in drinking water and the food chain, is a potential threat to humankind and
deserves greater attention from the scientific community around the world.
M. Feroze Ahmed is a professor of civil/environmental engineering at Bangladesh University of
Engineering & Technology, Dhaka. He received the Dr. Rashid Gold Medal in 2001.

ARSENIC AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek arsenikon, yellow orpiment (a powdered pigment).
Atomic mass: 74.92.
History: Arsenic compounds were mined by the ancient Chinese, Greeks, and Egyptians. The element was first
isolated by Albertus Magnus, a German alchemist, in 1250.
Occurrence: Occasionally found as a free element, but mostly it is found in a number of minerals.
Appearance: Either yellow or steel gray, very brittle crystalline, nonmetal solid.
Behavior: Arsenic is stable in dry air. Its gray form tarnishes and burns in oxygen. Arsenic salts and arsine gases
are poisonous. Arsenic is carcinogenic and possibly teratogenic.
Uses: In alloys, arsenic is used in semiconductors, pesticides, wood preservatives, and glass. It is also used in
bronzing.

133

ANTIMONY
NINA ULRICH, UNIVERSITY OF HANNOVER, GERMANY

Antimony is one of the least famous chemical elements. If you ask

someone on the street about it, you'll be met with a blank stare. Not like the
response you would get if you mentioned everyday elements such as
oxygen or elements famous for their toxicity, such as arsenic. Even a
chemist might respond: "Well, antimony, it's just like arsenic. Toxic, you
know. Its chemical properties are quite similar, fifth main group. But less
useful, except maybe for some alloys."
That was also my point of view when I started antimony speciation
analysis 10 years ago. But I quickly realized that this element has been part of history for a
long time and has many important functions in the present. In the future, there could be
even more applications, especially in the medical field.
Antimony's use is first documented by the ancient Egyptians. They loved the
beautiful colors of compounds like the bright orange antimony sulfide, especially for
cosmetic purposes. But even in that period, antimony was taken as medicine for different
fevers and skin irritations, as old papyri show. And medicine stayed one of the main fields
for antimony application (besides alchemy). In the 13th century, Roger Bacon described
several of its properties, and in the 17th century, Theodor Kerckring wrote the first
monograph of a chemical element about antimony. In addition, antimony is part of the
canon of homeopathy and has been widely applied in the past few centuries.
Back in the early-20th century, antimony was discovered to be extremely useful in
the therapy of tropical diseases, especially leishmaniasis. This is a deadly parasitic
infection; there are millions of people at risk and, according to the World Health
Organization, an estimated 2 million cases occur every year. In some areas of South
America, leishmaniasis is endemic and its cutaneous form is simply viewed as a children's
disease. The more severe form, visceral leishmaniasis, however, leads to fever and
massive enlargement of the intestines, liver, and spleen and,
sadly, when untreated it has a mortality rate of 98%. The
vector is a small insect, a sand fly, that lives in human houses,
and the reservoir contains not only humans but also many
kinds of mammals and even some reptiles like crocodiles.
Therefore, it is nearly impossible to exterminate the disease.
Although the mechanism of antimony toxicity to the
parasite remained unclear, several therapeutic agents have
been developed. In the early years, mainly trivalent antimony
had been applied, which showed a nice ability to kill the
parasite but unfortunately also to kill the human host. So the AFFLICTED A young
antimony was switched to the pentavalent oxidation state in Sudanese boy with
the 1950s, resulting in much lower toxicity. Nowadays, mainly visceral leishmaniasis.
sodium stibogluconate (pentostam) and meglumine antimonite (glucantime) are used.

134

In the past decade, health officials noted that the disease was becoming resistant to
antimony treatment. That led to increased efforts for the development of new therapeutic
agents and the understanding of their mode of action. New techniques--both on the
biomedical and on the chemical side--were developed for cell samples. Scientists
succeeded in cultivating the parasite cells, the amastigotes, on media, giving the
opportunity for direct investigation of antimony toxicity on them.
Meanwhile, in analytical chemistry, advances were being made in the field of speciation
analysis, which deals with different oxidation states and the chemical bindings of metals
and metalloids. Ideally, the conformation of the chemical compounds can directly be
determined. Although there are numerous problems--for example, the stability of the
compounds, the low concentrations of the species, and insufficient separation--much
progress has been made in the past few years. It has been possible to differentiate
between trivalent and pentavalent antimony in cell samples. In addition, the formation of
chemical bindings between organic compounds in the cells, such as enzymes or proteins,
and antimony has been observed.
The chemical analysis led to these results for the biological processes: The pentavalent
antimony is reduced in the amastigote cells to the trivalent oxidation state. Afterward, the
trivalent antimony takes effect on the parasite. The antimony resistance of some strains of
the leishmaniasis parasite is possibly caused by the inability of these cells to effect the
reduction, thereby interrupting the chemical reactions. In addition, some cell groups show
a reduced antimony uptake or accelerated antimony excretion.
Speciation analysis in combination with biomedical experiments has helped explain
much about the biochemistry of antimony in leishmaniasis. But much more research is
needed before the mode of action of antimony in the parasite is fully understood. This
knowledge then might be used as a basis for the development of new therapeutic agents
that are more toxic to the parasites and cause fewer side effects.
Nina Ulrich is a professor of inorganic chemistry at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry,
University of Hannover, Germany.

ANTIMONY AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek anti and monos, not alone. The symbol is from the Latin stibium, mark.
Atomic mass: 121.76.
History: Antimony was recognized in compounds by ancient civilizations and was known as a metal at the
beginning of the 17th century.
Occurrence: Found in many minerals.
Appearance: Bluish white, solid metal.
Behavior: Antimony is highly toxic.
Uses: Addition of antimony to alloys increases the hardness and mechanical strength of lead and other metals.

135

BISMUTH
NEIL BURFORD, DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY

Bismuth is the heaviest nonradioactive element and is essentially a

nontoxic neighbor of lead and thallium in the periodic table. It is mined as
bismuth oxide (Bi2O3, also known as bismite) or bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3,
bismuthinite), and the brittle, silvery elemental form is one of a few
substances (water is another) for which the solid is less dense than the
liquid.
Although bismuth has been extensively used in alloys,
pharmaceuticals, electronics, cosmetics, pigments, and organic synthesis
("Chemistry of Arsenic, Antimony, and Bismuth," N. C. Norman, editor, Kluwer Academic
Publishers, 1997; "Organobismuth Chemistry," Hitomi Suzuki and Yoshihiro Matano,
editors, Elsevier, 2001), the chemistry of bismuth is perhaps the least well established of
the group-15 elements (known as the pnictogens). Compounds of bismuth typically have
low solubility in most solvents, so that definitive formula assignments are usually based on
X-ray diffraction studies of crystalline samples that have been isolated in small or
indefinite quantities. Most isolated compounds are unique rather than members of a
series of related compounds illustrating fundamental chemical trends.
The bioutility of bismuth compounds has a
250-year history that includes numerous medicinal
applications [Chem. Rev., 99, 2601 (1999)]; however,
the mechanisms of bioactivity are not understood.
Moreover, as for most compounds of bismuth, the
chemical characterization of biorelevant complexes
remains incomplete. Although the "heavy metal"
designation has impeded application of bismuth
CRYSTAL CLEAR Crystals of
chemistry in medicine, two compounds have been
bismuth have a pink sheen that
extensively used for gastrointestinal medication for
is unusual among metals.
decades.
Pepto-Bismol
contains
bismuth
subsalicylate (BSS), and De-Nol contains colloidal bismuth subcitrate (CBS). The use of
these compounds for the treatment of travelers' diarrhea, non-ulcer dyspepsia,
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug damage, and various other digestive disorders
extends from the previous use of bismuth compounds in the treatment of syphilis and
tumors, in radioisotope therapies, and in the reduction of the renal toxicity of cisplatin.
Systematic synthetic studies coupled with bioactivity assessments of tropolone
derivatives [Coord. Chem. Rev., 163, 345 (1997)] and thiobismuth compounds [Dig. Dis.
Sci., 43, 2727 (1998)] have revealed relationships between specific structural features
and bioactivity. Assessments have included antimicrobial behavior against Clostridium
difficile, Helicobacter pylori (a bacterium associated with the pathogenesis of
gastroduodenal ulcers), Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis,
as well as gastric ulcer healing efficacy studies in rats.
The binding of bismuth to proteins of exposed ulcer tissue and the formation of a
136

protective coating is proposed as a mode of action for the ulcer-healing behavior of some
bismuth compounds. In this context, the chemistry of bismuth complexes involving
biomolecules as ligands represents an important component in understanding aspects of
the bioactivity. The thiophilicity of bismuth has prompted speculation that sulfur-containing
biomolecules represent the primary target for pharmaceuticals such as CBS and BSS.
Bismuth complexes involving biomolecules have been characterized by 13C NMR
spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy [Coord. Chem. Rev., 185186, 689
(1999); Pure Appl. Chem., 70, 863 (1998)]. More definitive data are obtained using mass
spectrometry, which enables formula assignments for molecules and molecular fragments,
and, specifically, the identification of new bismuth complexes involving weakly donating
functional groups [Inorg. Chem., 42, 3136 (2003)]. Most important is the identification of
glutathione and cysteine complexes of bismuth, which provide support for the thiolation of
bismuth as the primary biochemical fate of bismuth pharmaceuticals [Chem. Commun.,
2003, 146].
The array of medicinal uses for bismuth compounds indicates a diverse biorelevance
for the element that has not yet been unequivocally defined. The indisputable
antimicrobial activity of various bismuth compounds at appropriate concentrations, the
relatively low elemental human-cell cytotoxicity, and the apparent gastric cytoprotective
properties of certain bismuth salts highlight the chemistry of bismuth as an important focus
for the development or discovery of new gastrointestinal pharmaceutical agents. The
efficiency of such developments will depend on the systematic assessment of bismuth
chemistry as a foundation for understanding biochemical interactions.
Neil Burford is the Harry Shirreff Professor of Chemical Research and a Canada Research
Chair in the department of chemistry at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He
received his B.Sc. from the University of Cardiff and a Ph.D. from the University of Calgary in
1983.

BISMUTH AT A GLANCE
From the German weisse masse, white mass.
Atomic mass: 208.98.
History: Known since the 15th century; was often confused with tin and lead.
Occurrence: Found in the ores bismite and bismuthinite.
Appearance: Mostly white, heavy, brittle metal with a pinkish tinge at room temperature.
Behavior: The most diamagnetic metal. One of the few species that expands from a liquid to a solid.
Uses: Metallurgists often use it in alloys so that a metal's volume will remain the same when it solidifies. Bismuth
alloys are also used extensively in fire alarms and fuses; a large electrical current will melt the alloy, breaking the
circuit.

137

OXYGEN
CARL DJERASSI, STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Oxygen is a tricky subject to be offered on a silver platter. No such

platter is large enough to cope with any but the smallest morsels from the
giant pantry filled with oxygen-containing goodies. Rather different from an
element with a three-digit atomic number, where modest hors doeuvres
suffice.
One need not be a chemist to know that without oxygen a human life
would cease in seconds or minutes rather than decades. But as an organic
chemist who has practiced his art for more than half a century, I must
concede that without oxygen I would not have published a single paper, because most of
my chemical life was spent grazing in steroid pastures. Few classes of organic molecules
are as interesting as steroidscovering the gamut from sex hormones, oral
contraceptives, bile acids, corticoids, vitamin D, and cardiac glycosides to anabolic drugs
of abuseyet this panoply of biological diversity is based on a single chemical template:
the tetracyclic C17H28 steroid skeleton. A thin paperback written solely in two letters (C and
H) becomes the steroid Bible of Life through addition of a third letter, O, that natureand
occasionally clever chemistsintroduce into select places on that template. I shall cite
one example.
Arguably the hottest topic in synthetic organic chemistry around 1950 was
cortisonethe glamour steroid that had been anointed with the 1950 Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine. Pictures of helpless arthritics dancing within days of cortisone
administration flooded the media. The fierce competition was described in breathless
prose by Harpers Magazine in 1951: The new ways of producing cortisone come as the
climax to an unrestrained, dramatic race involving a dozen of the largest American drug
houses, several leading foreign pharmaceutical manufacturers, three governments, and
more research personnel than have worked on any medical problem since penicillin. In
chemical shorthand, it meant discovering how to introduce oxygen into the inaccessible
C-11 position of ring C of some readily available plant sterol. And while a single issue in
the 1951 Journal of the American Chemical Society recorded the completion of no less
than three such successful solutions, the earliest submission date bore the unlikely
address, Syntex, S.A., Laguna Mayran 413an industrial area of Mexico City across
from a tortilla standin marked contrast to the fancy Rahway, N.J., and Cambridge,
Mass., addresses of our competitors.
The following year at a Gordon Conference, Robert B. Woodward from Harvard,
Lewis H. Sarett from Merck, Gilbert Stork from Columbia, and I from Syntex demonstrated
the inherent collegiality of science by composing a spoof under the authorship of F.
Nathaniel Greene and Alvina Turnbull titled Partial Synthesis of Cortisone from
Neohamptogenin (a putative constituent of a potentially inexhaustible source: New
Hampshire maple syrup). Whereas our earlier, testosterone-drenched claims in JACS had
each trumpeted the first successful introduction of a C-11 oxygen function into a steroid
138

devoid of functionality in ring C, we now jointly proclaimed the first successful

introduction of a 3-keto group into an 11-oxygenated steroid devoid of functional groups in
ring A.
The subsequent 40 years of
my research career featured a shift
from synthesis to the application of
physical methods. But even here,
steroids were the focus of all our
studies and oxygen the key to our
successes. If it had not been for our
choice of the carbonyl function and its
associated strong Cotton effect, we
never would have arrived at the
generalizations derivable from optical
rotatory dispersion and circular ACTING UP Scheele, Mme. Lavoisier, and Priestley in
dichroism or drawn many mechanistic Oxygen simulate Lavoisiers famous experiment on
conclusions from the mass spectra of oxygens role in respiration.
such oxygen-containing substrates.
But as a chemist turned playwright, let me end with some lines from Oxygena
play I wrote with Roald Hoffmann:
ASTRID: First to the discovery: No one will question that oxygen confers great
benefit on mankind, right?
BENGT: Oxygen was good for people before it was discovered!
And then Mme. Lavoisiers conclusion of the play: Imagine what it means to
understand what gives a leaf its color! And how it turns red. What makes a fever fall, a
flame burn. Imagine!
Carl Djerassi is a playwright, novelist, and professor of chemistry emeritus at Stanford University. He
has won both the National Medal of Science (for the first synthesis of a steroid oral contraceptive) and the
National Medal of Technology (for promoting new approaches to insect control).
OXYGEN AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek oxy genes, acid forming. The name came from an incorrect belief that oxygen was
needed to form all acids.
Atomic mass: 15.99.
History: The discovery of oxygen is usually credited to English chemist Joseph Priestley in 1774. It was
discovered independently by Carl W. Scheele in Uppsala, Sweden, but published later.
Occurrence: O2 makes up about 20.95% of the atmosphere by volume. Ozone, O3, is a reactive gas; in the
upper atmosphere, it blocks harmful solar radiation.
Appearance: Colorless, odorless gas at room temperature; pale blue as a liquid and a solid; faintly blue with a
brackish odor as gaseous ozone.
Behavior: Oxygen supports combustion and combines with most elements to give both solid and gaseous
oxides.
Uses: Essential for respiration. Oxygen is used in steelmaking, in metal cutting, and in the chemicals industry to
make methanol and ethylene oxide.

SULFUR
139

AMOS B. SMITH III, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

To many people, the element sulfur quickly brings to mind unpleasant

memories of rotten eggs and unwelcome encounters with skunks. While
true that many sulfur-containing compounds, such as mercaptans,
thioethers, and disulfides, possess remarkably foul odors, elemental sulfur
(S) in pure form is completely odorless, tasteless, and by and large
nontoxic.
Referred to in Genesis as brimstone, meaning "a stone that burns,"
elemental sulfur, which does readily burn in air, has been known since
ancient times. The word derives from sulvere and sulphur (Sanskrit and Latin,
respectively). Major sulfur deposits are found in the salt domes ubiquitous to the Gulf
Coast of the U.S.; sulfur is the 16th most abundant element in nature. Recovery is by
melting with superheated water, a commercial process developed by Herman Frasch in
the 1890s and still in use today.
Sulfur is also a major by-product of and can be extracted from coal, ores, and
minerals such as gypsum, cinnabar, barite, and pyrite (fool's gold). From an economic
perspective, most of the world's sulfur production is used to make sulfuric acid (H2SO4),
approximately 40 million tons every year just in the U.S. Fertilizers and lead-storage
automobile batteries consume a large portion of this supply, with smaller amounts used as
insecticides, as dyeing agents, in the manufacture of gunpowder, and to vulcanize natural
and synthetic rubbers to impart desirable mechanical properties.
Since sulfur is positioned directly under oxygen in the periodic table, one might
suspect relatively simple behavior at the atomic level. This is certainly not the case!
Indeed, Jerry Donohue, in his authoritative treatise, "The Structures of the Elements,"
argues, "Of all of the elements, sulfur presents the most confusion and complexity in this
respect." Unlike sulfur's near neighbors, such as N, O, Cl, and Br, or P, As, Se, and Te,
which in elemental form exist respectively as diatomic molecules or take on polymorphic
networks, the four isotopes of sulfur [32S (95.1%), 33S (0.74%), 34S (4.2%), and 36S
(0.016%)] combine to form a uniquely large number of allotropic forms (compare Sn,
where n = 112, 18, and infinity). Of these, only eight have been characterized
crystallographically. The most common form, stable at room temperature and atmospheric
pressure, is orthorhombic sulfur (S8). Here, eight sulfur atoms bond covalently in
crownlike rings. This allotrope, also known as rhombic sulfur, Muthmann's sulfur, and a-S,
was among the first substances to be examined crystallographically by William Bragg in
1914.
The chemistry of sulfur is equally complex; it combines with many elements to yield
a bewildering array of both organic and inorganic compounds. Common inorganic
compounds include sulfur hydrides, carbon disulfide (CS2), sulfur selenides, and sulfur
halides (SX6). Oxides of sulfur are particularly important, possessing both beneficial and
deleterious properties. Sulfur dioxide (SO2), for example, finds beneficial use in
preserving fruits and vegetables and in the brewing and wine-making industry as both an
antioxidant and an antibiotic. Sulfur dioxide and its close relative, sulfur trioxide (SO3),
represent serious hazards, arising in the environment principally by burning of sulfur-rich

140

fuels such as coal and oil or by smelting ores. Released into the atmosphere and
combined with water, these pollutants form sulfuric acid and in turn acid rain, a cause of
huge economic damage.
In combination with nitrogen, sulfur forms
sulfur nitride (S4N4), precursor to the
sulfur-nitrogen inorganic polymer (SN)x, which
was shown in 1975 by my colleagues at the
University of Pennsylvania, Alan G. MacDiarmid
and Alan J. Heeger, to be a metal at room
temperature with a conductivity similar to iron.
This pioneering work eventually led to the
fundamental discovery of organic conducting
polymers, and in turn to the award of the Nobel
Prize in Chemistry to MacDiarmid, Heeger, and
CLUMPED Sulfur produces a monoclinic
Hideki Shirakawa in 2000.
shape when crystallized out of solution.
Organosulfur
compounds,
equally
widespread in nature, are essential for all living organisms. Particularly important are the
amino acids cysteine and methionine. Cysteine possesses the unique thiol (SH)
functionality, which plays a critical role in the folding and three-dimensional structures of
proteins through formation of cross-linking disulfide bonds. Methionine, in the form of
S-adenosylmethione, is nature's methylating agent. Other important sulfur-containing
biomolecules include keratin, biotin, thiamine, coenzyme A, glutathione, and lipoic acid.
In synthetic chemistry, sulfur plays a central role, especially in its oxidized forms.
Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), a commonly used organic solvent with invaluable solubility
properties, is the key reagent in the widely used Swern oxidation of alcohols.
Enantiomerically pure sulfoxides, sulfoximines, and derivatives make superb chiral
auxiliaries and reagents for many asymmetric reactions (for example, Davis oxidation and
Johnson resolution), while sulfones and dithianes are utilized extensively to form - and
-carbon-carbon bonds (for example, Julia olefination and Corey-Seebach umpolung
chemistry). In our and others' laboratories, dithianes have found extensive use in monoand multicomponent fragment unions for the construction of complex natural products
possessing important bioregulatory properties.
Amos B. Smith III is the Rhodes-Thompson Professor of Chemistry and a member of the
Monell Chemical Senses Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
SULFUR AT A GLANCE
Atomic mass: 32.07.

Name: From the Sanskrit sulvere and the Latin sulphur.

History: Known to ancient civilizations.

Occurrence: Found near hot springs, geysers, and volcanoes.

Appearance: Pale yellow, brittle solid.
Behavior: Elemental sulfur is relatively nontoxic, but its simple derivatives can be harmful. SO2 is indicated in
atmospheric air pollution.
Uses: Used in fireworks, gunpowder, fungicides, and preservatives.

SELENIUM

141

LIU TUNGSHENG, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, BEIJING

I I n 1935, a terrible disease was spreading wantonly in some rural

areas of Heilongjiang province in northeastern China. Women of
childbearing age and children were its primary victims. Particularly cruel,
the disease frequently occurred without warning and led to the death of a
large number of people. At the time, nobody understood the cause of this
disease, so it was called "Keshan disease" because it was first reported in
Keshan County of Heilongjiang province. Today, Keshan disease is known
to be an endemic myocardial disease. It still occurs in some rural areas.
The idea that environmental selenium deficiency could be the cause of Keshan
disease came about as the result of the discovery of a special ecological phenomenon in
the Keshan disease region. In the summer of 1967, my colleagues and I went to
Heilongjiang province to investigate the geological and geochemical environment of the
disease districts. We were surprised to learn that local residents believed that Keshan
disease was coming from the local water and soil, because, they reasoned, a person
could avoid the disease by moving from the disease district to another place. In particular,
we were told by a local veterinarian that sheep in the disease district were contracting
white muscle disease. The main pathological change for white muscle disease is injury of
the sheep's heart. This was noted as similar to the pathological changes seen in Keshan
disease patients. The cause of the white muscle disease was attributed to selenium
deficiency in the environment. And, indeed, by adding appropriate selenium in the form of
Na2SeO3, white muscle disease can be treated and prevented in sheep. So we had a clue
for investigating Keshan disease in humans.
For the next 10 years, Chinese scientists studied Keshan disease in three ways.
First, they used fluorospectrophotometry with 2,3-diaminonaphthalene to determine trace
levels of selenium. Simultaneously, a multidisciplinary research team consisting of both
Earth and medical scientists was established and studied environmental geology,
geochemistry, geography, hydrology, soil science, epidemiology, nutrition, and pathology.
The investigation plan was based on a unique geo-ecological phenomenon that I had
previously discovered, that is, that Keshan disease has a distribution that forms a belt
crossing China from northeast to southwest. The belt region is a transitional area from the
eastern plane, which has a wetter climate, to the western mountains, which are drier and
where weathering and leaching actions are strong and both loss of water and soil erosion
are serious problems.
A research team took samples of rock, soil, water, and staple food grains (corn,
wheat, millet, and so on). Human hair specimens were obtained from people who lived in
the disease districts and in the nondisease districts. A number of chemical components,
including selenium and more than 10 other trace elements, as well as some organic
compounds, were analyzed. The data indicated that the concentrations of selenium are
lower in the disease-district samples.
So we suggested that adding selenium to the diets of local residents could halt the
spread of Keshan disease. Chinese medical scientists carried out a series of animal
studies designed to determine the metabolic, toxicological, and biochemical

142

characteristics of selenium supplementation. On the basis of the results of these studies,

residents of disease-prone districts took supplements of Na2SeO3 under medical
supervision. At the same time, a series of biochemical and environmental observations
were made. Ten years' worth of data show that taking Na2SeO3 tablets is an effective
measure for controlling the spread of Keshan disease.
While we still do not know for certain whether selenium deficiency is the only factor
leading to Keshan disease, it is certainly one of the most important factors. And we can
also say that lack of selenium in the environment is potentially harmful to the health of
humans and animals and is thus worth our attention.
Liu Tungsheng is a research professor at the Institute of Geology & Geophysics, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Beijing. Hong Yetang, a professor at the Institute of Geochemistry,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, contributed to this essay.
SELENIUM AT A GLANCE

Name: From the Greek selene, moon. Atomic mass: 78.96.

History: Discovered in 1817 by Swedish chemist Jns Jakob Berzelius after analyzing an impurity that was
contaminating the sulfuric acid being produced at a factory in Sweden.
Occurrence: Occurs naturally in the rare minerals eucairite, crooksite, and clausthalite. Obtained commercially
as a by-product of copper refining.
Appearance: Exists as two allotropes: red and gray. Red selenium, the less stable of the two, is an amorphous
powder; gray selenium is a silvery metal.
Behavior: Burns in air, but is unaffected by water. Although ordinarily a poor conductor of electricity, gray
selenium is a photoconductor, meaning it becomes an excellent conductor in the presence of light.
Uses: Used in photoelectric cells, photocopiers, solar cells, and semiconductors. Because it is a powerful
photoconductor, gray selenium is valuable as a light sensor and is used in robotics, light-switching devices, and
light meters. Compounds containing selenium are useful in controlling dandruff and are often added to shampoos.

143

TELLURIUM
DONALD C. DITTMER, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

The discovery of tellurium by Franz J. Mller in 1782 almost went

unnoticed. He was examining the gold-containing ores of Transylvania,
from one of which, aurum paradoxum, a supposedly pure sample of
antimony (a neighbor of tellurium in the periodic table) had been obtained.
After many experiments, the possibilities--antimony, bismuth, or an alloy of
both--were eliminated. Mller called the new element, for that was what he
had found, "metallum problematicum." He published his findings in an
obscure journal, Physikalischen Arbeiten der eintrchtigen Freunde in Wien,
of which only two volumes were issued. The title of his work was equally obscure: "An
Investigation of the Supposed Native Antimony from the Mariahilf Mine in the Facebaj
Mountains Near Zalatna." In 1798, Mller's discovery was rescued from oblivion by Martin
H. Klaproth, who examined the "problematical metal" and named it tellurium.
Elemental tellurium exists mainly in right- and left-handed helical chains of atoms,
and reduction yields colored anions, Ten2, in addition to colorless Te2. The first organic
compound of tellurium, diethyl telluride, was reported in 1840 by Friedrich Whler. Since
then, many chemists have investigated organic tellurium chemistry, with most activity
being concentrated in the past 50 to 60 years.
Mller was made Baron von Reichenstein in 1795 for his
skills in mining administration, and he no doubt would be
interested in the roles that tellurium is playing in recent times,
for example, in the conversion of solar energy into electricity
via CdTe, in the possible coating of the highlands of the planet
Venus, in an episode of the 1950s TV science fiction program
"Space Patrol," in triggering and catalyzing chemical reactions,
GOLDEN TOUCH Gold
and in alloys. The retail cost of tellurium varies from about $60
telluride, or calaverite, is a
to $560 per mole, depending on form and purity.
rare mineral but an
Elemental tellurium originally was put on the list of
important source of gold.
"extremely hazardous substances," but a review of the study
This photomicrograph
by the Environmental Protection Agency indicated that sodium
shows calaverite crystals
tellurate was used instead of tellurium. The LD50 is now given
in a quartz matrix.
as 5,000 mg per kg for mice. Ingestion of tellurium by humans
causes garlic-like "tellurium breath" because of the formation of dimethyl telluride.
Tellurium compounds in microgram amounts occur fairly widely in plants (for example,
onions, peas, and tea leaves), and larger quantities (3173 g per g) are found in garlic
buds.
My interest in tellurium came as the result of an attempt to prepare
telluracyclobutene, a four-membered cyclic compound with one tellurium atom and a
carbon-carbon double bond, to be used as an electron donor in semiconductor formation.
Treatment of epichlorohydrin (chloromethyloxirane) with sulfide ion gave
3-hydroxythiacyclobutane, a precursor of thiacy-clobutene (which does form a
144

semiconducting material), but treatment with telluride ion gave allyl alcohol and elemental
tellurium. This represents a nucleophilic reduction in which the powerful nucleophilic
telluride ions, Te2 or Ten2, are oxidized and the organic compound is formally reduced.
The first nucleophilic reduction by telluride ion, reported by W. V. Farrar and J. Masson
Gulland (J. Chem. Soc. 1945, 1114), was the unexpected conversion of
1,2-dibromoethane to ethylene by sodium telluride, with elemental tellurium also being
produced.
The driving force for these reactions is caused by the high nucleophilicity of Te2 and
the thermodynamic instability of Te2 with respect to elemental tellurium. Nucleophilic
attack by telluride ion on an organic compound with an electrophilic site or sites opens a
pathway whereby oxidation to the element occurs with concomitant transformation of the
original organic compound to a new compound.
My coworkers found that Sharpless-Katsuki asymmetric epoxidation of primary
allylic alcohols; conversion of the alcohol function to an electrophilic site with a good
leaving group, typically a tosylate or mesylate; followed by treatment with telluride ion
obtained by reduction of elemental tellurium produce new chiral secondary and tertiary
allylic alcohols [J. Org. Chem., 58, 718 (1993)]. Similar results for the synthesis of allylic
amine derivatives have been obtained via O-tosylates of aziridinemethanols or
oxazolidinonemethanols [J. Org. Chem., 62, 7920 (1997); Tetrahedron Lett., 40, 2255
(1999); and 42, 5789 (2001)].
Mller's discovery is an interesting element whose unique properties, which may be
inferred from its position in the periodic table, make it useful in a variety of organic
chemical transformations as well as in the construction of alloys and other solid-state
materials such as semiconductors and solar cells.
Donald C. Dittmer is a professor emeritus at Syracuse University. His research interests
include telluride-induced nucleophilic reductions

TELLURIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin tellus, earth.
Atomic mass: 127.60.
History: Discovered in Transylvania in 1782 by Franz J. Mller but forgotten until mentioned in a 1798 paper by
German chemist Martin H. Klaproth. Klaproth named the element, but gave full credit for its discovery to Mller.
Occurrence: Occasionally found native, but more often found in calaverite or other minerals. Recovered
commercially as a by-product of copper refining.
Appearance: Silvery white as a crystal, exhibits a metallic luster when pure, and is usually obtained as a dark gray
powder.
Behavior: Very brittle, with low conductivity. It burns in air or oxygen.
Uses: Primarily used as an alloying agent with copper, steel, or lead. It is also used in blasting caps and ceramics

145

POLONIUM
CHERYL HOGUE, C&EN WASHINGTON

Were these scientists making a Polish joke? I was an adolescent with

my nose deep into a book on heroes and heroines, soaking up a story
about Marie Curie. I was learning how this extremely smart scientist spent
hours in mind-numbing labor stirring a boiling concoction as she processed
pitchblende in a quest to figure out exactly what in this uranium ore made it
more radioactive than uranium itself. On July 18, 1898, she and husband
Pierre discovered a new element. They named it polonium, after Marie's
homeland, Poland.
"Poland!" I shouted to my book. Of all the nations in the world, how could the Curies
name an element after a country whose citizens were the butt of all the jokes making the
rounds at my school? Wasn't her name Marie? So very French! And did she not earn her
degrees, work, marry, and die in France?
But I soon learned how much Marie, born Marya Sklodowska, loved her native
country and yearned to return there, though she never did move back. A crack appeared
in my adolescent outlook on life, allowing the thought to slip in that just maybe there was
more to Poland than jokes.
Polonium, Marie's dear polonium, number 84 on the periodic chart, was the first
element discovered via its radioactivity. In their work with pitchblende, the Curies next
identified radium (named after the Latin word for ray). In 1899, Andr Debierne, a
colleague of the Curies, teased out a third radioactive element from pitchblende--actinium.
Though polonium was the first highly radioactive element the Curies identified,
radium became the star of their work. Marie, writing in December 1904, explained why:
"Polonium, when it has just been extracted from pitchblende, is as active as radium, but its
radioactivity slowly disappears." We know now that polonium's most stable isotope has a
half-life of 138.39 days compared with the 1,620 years of radium's longest lived isotope.
The Curies never isolated polonium, which is formed as one of the decay products of
radium.
Though the scientific community was at first doubtful about the existence of
polonium, the element was at last ensconced on the periodic table in 1905. All of its
isotopes are radioactive.
Polonium has had a minor flare of celebrity in debate between creationists--who
believe the universe, Earth, and the life upon it were created some 6,000 years ago during
a seven-day period called Genesis Week--and those who subscribe to the Big Bang
theory. At issue are "halos" of color found in granites. These halos are areas of damage in
the crystalline structure of the rock.
Physicist Robert V. Gentry, a creationist, contends that these halos were formed
through -particle emission. He says the size of these circles is linked to the amount of
energy released during radioactive decay. He concludes that polonium provided the
proper amount of energy to form these halos. Given polonium's half-live, measured in
146

days, the radioactive decay of this element could form these circles of damage only if
granites were created instantaneously, he argues.
This contrasts with the standard geological model for
rock formation, which holds that the crystalline structure of
granites developed though the slow cooling of magma deep
within Earth over millions of years.
Not surprisingly, mainstream geologists refute Gentry's
idea. They say these halos weren't caused by polonium.
Instead, they say the circles of damage are probably due to
the decay of other radioactive elements with a longer
half-life--or that they aren't even created through
radioactivity.
Neither the creationists or Big Bangers are budging.
Polonium, meanwhile, is merrily forming and decaying.
Marie Curie
With its short half-life, polonium isn't easy to come by.
While the Curies processed pitchblende in a cast-iron basin to get polonium, the modern
method, developed in 1934, involves bombarding bismuth-209 with neutrons to get
polonium-210.
Oh, yes, polonium has its limited commercial uses. This metal is a source of
-radiation and a heat source in space vehicles. It is also used in industrial equipment to
eliminate static electricity.
Polonium is highly radioactive--it's hot. Its decay releases 140 W per g. This element
should be handled with great care.
And that's no joke.

Cheryl Hogue is a senior editor who writes about environmental pollution for C&EN. She
doesn't tell ethnic jokes but delights in limericks and puns.

POLONIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named for Poland, the native country of scientist Marie Curie.
Atomic mass: (209).
History: Discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898 while studying a material called pitchblende.
Occurrence: Formed chiefly through the decay of radioactive uranium and thorium.
Appearance: Silvery metal.
Behavior: Extremely toxic and radioactive. About half of a sample will evaporate within two days if kept at 55 C.
Polonium dissolves readily in dilute acids but is only slightly soluble in alkalis.
Uses: Used in nuclear batteries, antistatic agents, and film cleaners. It is also used as a neutron source, as a
lightweight heat supply for space satellites, and as a source of

147

-radiation for research.

FLUORINE
NANCE DICCIANI,SPECIALTY MATERIALS, HONEYWELL

Fluorine is an element of many mosts: It is the most reactive of all of

the elements, the most powerful oxidizing agent, and the most
electronegative. But its true strength and the secret of its success lies in the
compounds it forms--some of the most stable and inert substances known
to man. These compounds have enabled a steady stream of scientific and
commercial advances: Staying warm and dry in a downpour, cooking with
the ease of a nonstick pan, and beaming a "cavity free" smile are all
available thanks to the fluorine atom.
Fluorine occurs naturally as a mono-isotope 19F9 and is not a rare element: About
0.07% of Earth's crust is comprised of fluorine, mostly as the minerals fluorapatite and
fluorite (CaF2), the main constituent of the ore fluorspar. Although very few naturally
occurring organofluorine compounds are known to exist, many man-made
fluorochemicals have been developed over the years, all of which have fluorspar as their
starting point. The unique properties, pervasive influence, and lasting impact of these
compounds have given fluorine a distinction as "the little
atom that could."
Fluorochemicals touch millions of peoples' lives in
meaningful ways every day, especially in health care and
quality-of-life products. At the top of a very long list: the
inorganic fluorides used in drinking water and dental
products, the one out of every five active pharmaceutical
products that is fluorinated, and the synthetic blood
substitutes and inhalation drug delivery systems that use
fluorocarbons.
Fluorochemicals also underscore a wide range of
commercial successes. Growth in the industrial and
LIFTOFF! The National
household refrigeration and air conditioning industries is
Space Centre in Leicester,
based largely on the use of low-toxicity, nonflammable,
England, features a Rocket
and energy-efficient fluorocarbon fluids. Fluoropolymers
Tower
composed
of
and fluoroelastomers are used widely in homes, buildings,
ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene
automobiles, aerospace applications, and wherever high
copolymer.
performance is required--performance such as excellent
thermal, flame, electrical, chemical, and solvent resistance and low oxygen and moisture
permeability. Other low-molecular-weight perfluoroalkyl-based materials provide oil-,
water-, and soil-repellent surface properties for textile, fiber, and paper coatings; and
similar materials are used as surfactants to stabilize aqueous fire-fighting foams.
Fluorocarbons are also used as fire extinguishants in aerospace and other critical areas.
Modern high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries used in handheld electronic devices rely
on LiPF6.
148

And there's even more. Consider, for example, agrochemicals, where about 17% of
active materials used as pesticides and fungicides are based on fluorinated compounds.
The manufacture of silicon chips relies on the wet and dry etch processes utilizing
materials such as ultra-high-purity HF and NF3. Elemental fluorine is used to prepare UF6,
used by the nuclear industry for uranium enrichment. Electrical utilities rely on the high
dielectric strength of SF6, also manufactured using direct elemental fluorination, for
high-voltage circuit breakers and transformers. And within the chemical processing
industries, catalysts include BF3 and SbF5, KF is used as a fluorinating agent, and AlF3 is
used to process aluminum.
Today, the innovative use and application of fluorine chemistry and fluorinated
materials continues unbounded, especially in growth areas of optoelectronics, electronics,
life sciences, and high-performance materials. And what's on the horizon is even more
exciting: Imagine "smart dust" where supermicrosensors allow us to gather vital data on a
scale previously unimaginable; new materials capable of making more effective repairs to
the human body; and pharmaceuticals customized for use, compatibility, and delivery.
It's hard not to get caught up in the future potential of fluorine chemistry. Recently,
following a speech I gave to an industry group, a chemist half-jokingly told me, "I'm glad to
see the fluorine (F) pin on your jacket lapel, because without it, you're not fulfilling your
role as a leader in the chemical industry." I couldn't agree more. In the 117 years since it
was first isolated by Henri Moissan, fluorine has become a powerful foundation for
chemical exploration, discovery, and innovation. Who would have imagined that fluorine
would serve as the foundation for so many of today's modern marvels and tomorrow's
most promising innovations?
Nance Dicciani is president and CEO of Specialty Materials, a strategic business group of
Honeywell. She holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and has more than 25 years of
experience in the chemical industry.
FLUORINE AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Latin fluere, flow.
Atomic mass: 19.00.
History: Fluorine was first identified by Karl W. Scheele in 1771. It was first isolated in 1886 by French chemist
F. Henri Moissan. His reward was the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1906.
Occurrence: Found in fluorspar, cryolite, and other minerals.
Appearance: Pale yellow gas. The free element has a characteristic odor.
Behavior: Fluorine is the most reactive element and reacts with practically all substances. It reacts with water to
produce oxygen and ozone. Fluorine gas is corrosive and toxic.
Uses: An essential trace element for mammals. Fluorine and its compounds are used in producing uranium and
more than 100 commercial fluorochemicals. Certain fluorocarbons were used in air conditioning and refrigeration
but have been phased out because they damaged the ozone layer.

CHLORINE
149

CYNTHIA BURROWS, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

As an anion, chlorine is rather ordinary. Sodium grabs all the press

from NaCl as the dietary culprit in hypertension, while silver's the key to
AgCl's action in photography. Arguably, chloride plays a more important
role in the antitumor drug cisplatin, Pt(NH3)2Cl2, although its function there
is to get lost (that is, hydrolyze) so that platinum has room to bind to DNA.
Sadly, the 1 oxidation state of chlorine is often glossed over as the
necessary counterion to an exotic metal ion or complex cation, the
necessary yin to complement the yang.
Conversely, molecular chlorine, Cl2, has held a starring role in history, both for its
benefits to human health and for its detrimental effects on the environment. Carl Wilhem
Scheele, a Swedish pharmacist, first described the greenish yellow gas in 1774 after
dropping hydrochloric acid onto manganese dioxide. Sir Humphry Davy recognized the
gas as an element in 1810 and named it based on the Greek word for its color, khloros.
Chlorine was by this time already in use. In the small town of Javelle, France,
chlorine added to alkaline water created l'eau Javelle ("bleach" in English, NaOCl in
chemspeak) that was used in the fabric industry in the late-18th century.
The mid-19th century saw one of the most
dramatic improvements in human health: Bleach began
to be used as a disinfectant in hospitals, and
chlorination of the water supply in London during a
cholera outbreak in 1850 saved many lives. Chlorine
continues to be the disinfectant of choice in the food
industry, in swimming pools, and in the drinking water
supply in most developed countries.
SHORE LEAVE Morton Salt
The Chlorine Chemistry Council argues that the
maintains a plant near the south
element also has an enormous economic impact,
end of Utah's Great Salt Lake.
contributing 2 million jobs and around $50 billion to the
annual U.S. economy in one way or another. Only a fraction of that is in the form most
consumers would easily recognize: household bleach and swimming pool chemicals. We
tend to overlook the fact that the C in PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipes is chloride, and
without chlorine we wouldn't have Saran wrap, nylon, microprocessors, soccer balls, or
plastic toys. Even less obvious to most is the role of chlorine in the wood and paper
industry (as a bleach) and in the processing of metals and the production of other
materials such as titanium dioxide. Chlorocarbon compounds range from the good
(chloroquine, an antimalarial) to the bad (DDT and chlorofluorocarbons) to the downright
ugly (polychlorinated biphenyls). All are synthesized by chlorination of hydrocarbon
precursors.
Where does all this chlorine come from? I can literally see tons of it out my window.
Elemental chlorine does not exist naturally on our planet but is manufactured by
electrolysis of seawater. The vast deposits of salt created during millions of years of
continental upheaval and slow evaporation of the ancient Lake Bonneville are mined on
the shores of the present-day Great Salt Lake. Through elaborate extraction procedures,

150

the various chloride salts can be separated. Some of this salt ends up on your french fries
(NaCl), and some you throw on your sidewalk in the winter (CaCl2). The MgCl2 is
electrolyzed to produce Mg0, a lightweight metal used in the auto industry. Of course, the
by-product of magnesium production is elemental chlorine, which can be responsibly used
for all of the above-mentioned health and manufacturing applications.
The dark side of Cl2 production is that too much of it is released directly into the
atmosphere. According to the Environmental Protection Agency's Toxics Release
Inventory, the biggest U.S. point source of atmospheric Cl2 is 50 miles upwind of my
house on the western shore of Great Salt Lake. Magnesium Corp. of America released 42
million lb of Cl2 into the skies of Utah's West Desert in 2000, about 90% of the U.S. total
for that year.
A little bit of chlorine is a great way to kill bacteria, but higher concentrations turn Dr.
Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. More than twice as dense as air, chlorine can settle to the ground as it
did in Ypres, France, in April 1915, accounting for thousands of fatalities. Responsible use
of chlorine will ensure its continued applications toward improvement of human health and
lifestyle without waging war on the environment.
Cynthia Burrows is a professor of chemistry at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and
senior editor of ACS's Journal of Organic Chemistry. She and her family enjoy camping and
rockhounding in Utah's mineral-rich West Desert.

CHLORINE AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek khloros, greenish yellow.
Atomic mass: 35.45.
History: Discovered, yet misidentified as a compound, by Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1774.
Identified as an element by Sir Humphry Davy in 1810.
Occurrence: Found in nature dissolved in salts in seawater and in the deposits of salt mines. Today, most
chlorine is produced through the electrolysis of aqueous sodium chloride.
Appearance: Yellowish-green, dense, sharp-smelling gas.
Behavior: Liquid chlorine burns skin, and gaseous chlorine irritates mucous membranes. Breathing high
concentration of the gas can be fatal; chlorine was used as a poison gas during World War I.
Uses: Chlorine is essential to living systems and is also one of the top chemicals manufactured in the U.S. for
commercial uses. It is an excellent disinfectant for swimming pools and water supplies, and its compounds are
used in plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), stain removers, and bleach. Sodium chloride is common table
salt.

151

BROMINE
ARI GREENSPAN, P'TIL TEKHELET

My amazement at the bromine atom stems neither from a

sophisticated analysis in the lab nor from its wide commercial applications,
but from the increasing awareness of freezing cold water trickling into my
wet suit while scuba diving. I was in search of a brilliant blue dye lost for
1,300 years in the sands of the sea.
People have always wanted to look great in clothing, but this was
difficult to accomplish in ancient times. Almost all dyes then were plant
based, which meant that colored fabrics would eventually fade. There were,
in fact, only three dyes known in antiquity to be extremely permanent and intense. These
were Tyrian purple (Argaman in the language of the Bible), royal blue (Tekhelet), and
scarlet (Tola'at Shani). While scarlet was derived from an insect, both purple and blue
were extracted from a snail, and the bromine atom plays a fascinating role in the creation
of these colors.
Back then, Tyrian purple adorned the clothing of priests and kings, and was adored
by the multitudes for its intensity and permanence. If you had even a stripe of purple on
your garment, you would certainly be noticed in an otherwise drab sea of brownish,
greenish, yellowish wraps. In ancient Rome, emperors were said to "take the purple upon
themselves" as they dressed in royal togas dyed completely purple, and the historian
Pliny cites "the mad lust for purple" at that time. But by the middle of the 4th century, if you
weren't the caesar or one of his cadre, you could be put to death for wearing any purple at
all. Thankfully, things changed and the fashion industry was born, all because a little snail
in the Mediterranean had the ability to take bromine from the sea and bind it to indigo,
forming dibromoindigo--Tyrian purple.
The permanence of this snail dye is astounding. I
traveled to the organic repository of the Israeli Antiquities
Authority to see a purple ball of wool from Qumran, dating
back to Roman times. As dusty boxes of bone and
parchment were pushed aside, a magnificent tuft of
Murex-dyed wool was revealed--as vibrant today as the
day it was dyed.
The Bible commands that a blue string be worn on
the corners of the Israelites' prayer shawls, a blue dyed BIBLICAL Though extract
with mollusk extract. The process of making blue dye for from the Murex trunculus snail
this ancient Jewish rite was lost as a result of Roman is yellow, the dibromoindigo
edicts and restrictions over 1,300 years. But my buddies dye is responsible for both the
and I were determined to rediscover its secret. On a brilliant purple and blue of
blustery fall day, we donned our wet suits and air tanks to antiquity.
search for the small, slow Murex trunculus snail that
houses the exquisite chemistry of nature's art.

152

As we rose from the deep with a cache of 150 snails, in a cove near the Crusader
fortress of Akko, I felt like a link in the chain of history in the quest for the biblical blue dye.
The Arab children crowding around our hoard of snails were shouting their word for
mollusk, "chilzun, chilzun." I trembled as I realized that their "chilzun" echoed the Talmud's
Aramaic name for the creature--"chilazon." With great excitement we began to extract dye
from the snail.
Our first glimpse of this proud bromine-based dye from hoary antiquity revealed a
humble, clearish yellowish substance. Exposure to the air triggered a complex enzymatic
reaction that transformed the liquid through the entire color spectrum until, within minutes,
before our very eyes, the single drop of dye was an intense deep purple.
But if the snail we collected was identical to the one described by the rabbis over two
millennia ago, why did it not produce the proscribed blue for our fringes? Why were we
seeing only purple? The amazing answer to this conundrum, which baffled 20th-century
scientists for decades, was discovered in the chemistry lab. In order to use this
odoriferous dye, the snail extract must be reduced to achieve a solution. When this
process is performed indoors, the result is a purple dye. But if, while in its reduced state,
the dibromoindigo is exposed to the sun for a few minutes, the bromine invisibly breaks
away from the molecule, leaving behind only indigo, the brilliant biblical blue.
The Talmud equated the color of the Tekhelet dye to the color of the depths of the
ocean and heights of the sky. We now understand how the chemistry of a lowly sea snail
and the exalted bromine atom yield a world rich in color, complexity, and permanent
beauty.
Ari Greenspan is a dentist practicing in Jerusalem and the director of the P'til Tekhelet.
(http://www.tekhelet.com). His interests range from biblical archaeology to medieval painted
glass and from blacksmithing to gold-leaf illumination.
BROMINE AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek bromos, stench.
Atomic mass: 79.90.
History: Although it was first produced by a young German chemistry student, bromine's discovery is credited to
French chemist Antoine-Jrme Balard, who published a paper on it in 1826.
Occurrence: Occurs in seawater, underground salt mines, and deep brine wells, as well as some minerals.
Appearance: The only nonmetal that is a liquid at room temperature. Reddish-brown in color.
Behavior: Very volatile and extremely toxic. Bromine can cause severe burns on skin and its noxious vapors can
irritate the nose and throat.
Uses: Mostly used as silver bromide in photographic film. Bromine was once used primarily in producing a leaded
gasoline additive, ethylene dibromide, that prevents lead compounds from accumulating in engines, but the
increased use of unleaded gas lowered demand for the additive. Also used in fire retardants, tear gas, fumigants,
disinfectants, and pesticides.

153

IODINE
PETER J. STANG,UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

I first encountered iodine as a young child during the second World

War, when my mother applied a mysterious purple-brown solution--with
quite a sting--to disinfect a bruised, scraped knee. Little did I know then
what iodine was or that nearly a half century later it would become one of
my favorite elements.
My next encounter with iodine occurred as a teenager in Hungary,
when I acquired it in the neighborhood pharmacy as part of my extensive
home chemistry set and mixed it in small amounts with self-made
smokeless gunpowder to impress my friends with its purple vapor.
Iodine, element 53 with a relative atomic mass of 126.90447, was first isolated by
Bernard Courtois in 1811 from the ash of seaweed (by treating kelp with H2SO4). It was
named by J. L. Gay Lussac in 1813, and its name derives from the Greek word iodes,
meaning "violet-colored," reflecting the characteristic lustrous, deep purple color of
resublimed crystalline iodine as well as the color of its vapor. Potassium iodide (KI) was
used as a remedy for goiter (Derbyshire neck), an enlargement of the thyroid gland, as
early as 1819. The thyroid is responsible for the production of thyroxine, a
metabolism-regulating hormone. Iodine is an essential trace element for humans and
plays an important role in many biological organisms. In modern times, KI is
recommended for the treatment of radiation poisoning.
Early sources of iodine were the
saltpeter deposits in Chile, whereas
contemporary sources also include
natural brines and salt wells. It is
generally liberated from brine via chlorine
gas. Annual production of I2 exceeds
10,000 tons, Japan being the dominant
producer. It is the heaviest of the common
halogens, and its isotopes range in mass
from 117 to 139; the natural isotope, 127,
occurs in 100% abundance. Radioactive
isotopes include 124, 125, 128, 131, and
132 and can be used as radioactive tracer
elements. It readily dissolves in such organic solvents as chloroform, carbon tetrachloride,
ethanol, benzene, and ethyl ether to form beautiful purple solutions, but it is only slightly
soluble in water.
Iodine readily forms compounds with most other elements in the periodic table. It
occurs most commonly in monovalent form with an oxidation state of 1. It forms relatively
weak bonds with first-row elements, including carbon, the typical CI bond dissociation
energy being only about 55 kcal per mole. Organoiodine compounds have been used
154

since the mid-1800s, notably in Wurtz coupling reactions, the Williamson ether synthesis,
and Hofmann's alkylation of amines.
Currently, the most important and common use of organoiodine compounds
involves various metal-mediated cross-coupling reactions where they serve as premier
electrophilic partners in Heck, Negishi, Suzuki, Sonogashira, Stille, and similar
cross-coupling protocols. These metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions are extensively
employed in preparative organic chemistry, the synthesis of complex natural products,
and the manufacture of drugs, as well as in supramolecular and materials chemistry.
Because iodine is the largest, least electronegative, and most polarizable of the
common halogens, it is also capable of forming stable polycoordinate high-valent (with a
value of up to 7, IF7) compounds. The most common polyvalent organic iodine
compounds are I(III) and I(V) species. The first stable polyvalent organic iodine compound,
the trivalent PhICl2, was prepared by the German chemist C. H. C. Willgerodt in 1886.
In the 1980s, we and others developed alkynyliodonium salts, RC CI+PhX (X=OTs,
OTf, BF4, etcetera), the newest member of the family of polyvalent organoiodine
compounds, which may serve as electrophilic acetylene equivalents. This has
engendered a renaissance in polyvalent organoiodine chemistry. Arguably, the most
useful and widely employed contemporary polyvalent organoiodine compound is the I(V)
Dess-Martin periodinane that has emerged as the reagent of choice for the oxidation of
primary and secondary alcohols to aldehydes and ketones, respectively. Because of its
ready availability; its convenience of use; its unique, selective oxidizing property; and,
most importantly, its functional group tolerance, the Dess-Martin periodinane is widely
employed in the synthesis of complex natural products of biological and medicinal
interest.
Among the more common, everyday uses of iodine are the following: in halogen lamps,
as a salt additive (to prevent goiter), and in ink pigments. Tincture of iodine is used as a
topical antiseptic to kill bacteria. Silver iodide is used in the preparation of some
photographic films.
Peter J. Stang is distinguished professor of chemistry and dean of the College of Science at
the University of Utah. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the
American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Since 2002, he has been the editor of the Journal of the
American Chemical Society.
IODINE AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek iodes, meaning violet-colored.
Atomic mass: 126.90.
History: Discovered in 1811 by French chemist Bernard Courtois.
Occurrence: Found in seaweed and brine wells. It is also found in Chilean saltpeter, caliche, old salt brines, and
salt wells.
Appearance: Lustrous, violet-dark gray, nonmetal solid.
Behavior: Forms compounds with most elements. Volatilizes at ambient temperatures into a blue-violet gas with
an irritating odor. It is only slightly soluble in water. Pure iodine is highly poisonous.
Uses: Essential to many species, including humans. It is part of thyroxine, a hormone produced by the thyroid
gland; a lack of iodine causes goiter

ASTATINE
155

DALE R. CORSON, CORNELL UNIVERSITY

In 1938-40, I served two years as a postdoctoral fellow in the Radiation

Laboratory of the University of California, Berkeley, helping construct a new
60-inch cyclotron that produced 32-MeV -particles.
With construction nearing completion, the laboratory staff met in a
special session one evening in the fall of 1939 to discuss experiments
designed to exploit the newly available high-energy particles. In the course
of the discussion, Emilio Segr pointed out the obvious fact that once one
looked at the Periodic Table of the Elements, adding an -particle to a
bismuth nucleus of atomic number 83 could produce a nucleus of element 85, which had
been until then missing in the periodic table.
The next day, Robert Cornog, a graduate student colleague who possessed a small
piece of bismuth, and I bombarded the shiny metal for a short time with the 32-MeV
-particles. I had a nearby laboratory with instrumentation I had built, anticipating the new
research opportunities. At the conclusion of the short bombardment, we carried the
bismuth to my laboratory and placed it in front of an ionization chamber connected to a
linear amplifier. The oscilloscope screen recording the output of the amplifier was alive
with large pulses, characteristic of -particles. We clearly had something of interest.
After some preliminary experiments seeking to sort out the radioactivities we had
produced, it was clear that I was going to need help if I were to pursue the effort with vigor.
Cornog was already occupied with the discovery of tritium, working with Luis Alvarez.
Kenneth MacKenzie was a graduate student ready for a dissertation project, and I invited
him to help me. He proved to be an ingenious and energetic colleague.
We identified the many radiations we had produced: two groups of a-particles,
-rays, X-rays, low-energy electrons, and some energetic positrons. Curiously, all these
radiations possessed the same 7.5-hour half-life, except for the positrons. We later
showed that these came from copper contamination in the bismuth.
For a reason I do not know, our 7.5-hour half-life is now recorded in the literature as
7.2 hours. The precision of our measurement did not permit this large an experimental
error. It probably has to do with the volatility of the radioactive product we were seeking to
identify.
We applied all the ingenuity and imagination we could muster, seeking to determine
the origins of all the observed radiations. We finally arrived at the correct radioactive
decay scheme after a lengthy series of experiments designed to check one possibility
after another. Fortunately, bismuth has only a single stable isotope (209). Through an (
-2n) process--that is, an -particle enters the bismuth nucleus and two neutrons leave
it--the element 85 nucleus with atomic mass number 211 is produced, with a half-life of 7.5
hours. The 21185 nucleus decays in two ways: 40% of the time, it decays by capturing a
K-shell electron to go to 211Po, which then decays with a very short half-life, emitting an
a-particle, to go to stable 207Pb; 60% of the time, 21185 decays with emission of an
-particle followed by a process to go to 207Pb. We failed to identify the process.
Identification of the nucleus emitting the X-rays following the K-capture process was
vital in nailing down the disintegration scheme. We employed the critical absorption edges

156

in tungsten and platinum absorbers to show that the X-rays are polonium X-rays, as
demanded by our decay scheme.
Segr's help was essential in determining the general
chemical properties of 85. Some of the properties are similar
to those of iodine, its lower homolog. It also exhibits metallic
properties, more like its metallic neighbors Po and Bi.
There was some investigation of element 85's
behavior in guinea pigs. I collaborated with J. G. Hamilton,
an M.D., in one experiment. In this study, element 85 was
injected in the animal, and a few hours later tissue samples
were examined for 85 activity. The element was
concentrated in the tiny thyroid gland in much the same way
RINGING IN A 1939
iodine would be, establishing the physiological similarity to
photograph of the 60-inch
iodine.
cyclotron group at the
The literature now records some 20 different isotopes
University of California,
of 85. Small amounts of some naturally occurring 85
Berkeley. (From left) Don
isotopes have been found, but probably no more than a few
Cooksey, Corson, Ernest O.
grams total in the entire Earth's crust. I have appeared in the
Lawrence, Bob Thornton,
John Backus, W. W. Salisbury, "Guinness Book of World Records" for having discovered
the rarest substance on Earth.
(above) Alvarez, and Edwin
In a note to Nature in 1947, MacKenzie, Segr, and I
McMillan.
proposed the name astatine (from the Greek word meaning
unstable) for this element, in keeping with the naming of the other halogens where the
name relates to some property of the substance.
Dale R. Corson is a professor of physics emeritus and president emeritus of Cornell University.
He is a Public Welfare Medalist of the National Academy of Sciences and a Bueche Medalist of
the National Academy of Engineering.

ASTATINE AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek astatos, unstable.
Atomic mass: (210)
History: First produced in 1940 by Dale R. Corson, K. R. MacKenzie, and Emilio Segr at the University of
California, Berkeley, by bombarding a bismuth isotope with

particles.

Occurrence: The rarest of the 92 naturally occurring elements; less than 30 g exists on Earth at any one time as
a natural by-product of uranium and thorium decay.
Appearance: Solid nonmetal of unknown color at room temperature.
Behavior: Highly radioactive; decays very quickly.

157

THE NOBLE GASES

NEIL BARTLETT, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

The Periodic Table of the Elements, as set out by Dmitry Mendeleyev or

Lother Meyer, had not allowed for the discovery of a group of elements
between the highly electronegative halogens and the electropositive alkalis.
So the discovery of the unreactive monatomic gas argon by Lord Rayleigh
and William Ramsay in 1895 came as a total surprise. James Dewar even
indicated that the new gas could be an allotrope of nitrogen, N3, a
suggestion seconded by Mendeleyev! Within three years, however,
Ramsay (and coworker Morris Travers) had also discovered helium, neon,
krypton, and xenon. They established their monatomic and unreactive
nature.
With the advent of the Rutherford-Bohr atom (1913), electron
configurations of these unreactive monatomic elements soon came to have
a central role in the emerging electronic theories of chemical bonding. In
their 1916 papers, both G. N. Lewis and W. Kossel pointed to the electron
configurations of these elements as especially stable. In each theory, the
chemical properties of atoms of other elements were tied to the gain or loss
of electrons from the configuration of the nearest monatomic gas. So
successful were these theories in accounting for a wide range of chemical
properties of the elements that the monatomic-gas electron configurations
came to be thought of as chemically inviolate. This was fostered by early
failures to make compounds of the gases (including an attempt by Henri
Moissan to prepare an argon fluoride in 1895). Nevertheless, in his classic
1916 paper, Kossel made an astute observation relevant to the chemical
reactivity of these elements.
On the basis of the first ionization potentials of the gases, Kossel
noted that xenon was most likely to have the capability of forming fluorides
and oxides. He also allowed that a krypton fluoride might be made. Similar
predictions were made later, by Andreas von Antropoff (1924) and by Linus
C. Pauling (1932), based on chemical trends in the periodic table. These
predictions led D. M. Yost (with student A. L. Kaye) to attempt (in 1933) a
xenon fluoride synthesis. That attempt failed. So matters rested until 1962.
It was the discovery of the remarkable oxidizing properties of platinum hexafluoride
in making the salt O2+PtF6 that led (via the recognition that O2 and Xe have nearly the
same first ionization potentials) to the oxidation of xenon by PtF6. Later in 1962, Howard H.
Claasen, Henry Selig, and John G. Malm, at Argonne National Laboratory prepared XeF4.
Syntheses of XeF2, XeF6, XeOF4, XeO2F2, XeO3, and perxenates (XeO64 salts) were
quickly reported from there and elsewhere. Even the highly unstable tetrahedral tetroxide
XeO4 was made (J. L. Houston, 1964). A fluoride of krypton, prepared and correctly
identified as KrF2 (George C. Pimentel and J. J. Turner, 1963), was first reported as KrF4
158

(Aristid V. Grosse and coworkers, 1963), but no compound above Kr(II) has ever been
established. Although the easier ionization of radon leads one to expect the most
extensive chemistry for that element, the high instability of even the most stable isotope
has severely limited studies of it. L. Stein, of Argonne, established (in 1962) the existence
of a fluoride--probably RnF2--but he and others were unable to confirm the existence of
oxides or relatives of the perxenates.
The first ionization potentials of the noble gases provide a measure of how firmly the
outer electrons are held by the effective nuclear charge. This hardness or softness of the
valence electron set correlates well with the physical properties of the gases. The first
ionization potentials are as follows: He, 24.6; Ne, 21.6; Ar, 15.8; Kr, 14.0; Xe, 12.1; and
Rn, 10.7 eV.
Clearly, helium has the least polarizable electron cloud. This accounts for its low
melting and boiling points and its low solubility in aqueous media, and hence its
application in mitigating the bends as a diluent for oxygen in deep-water diving. In contrast,
highly polarizable xenon has high solubility and is an excellent anesthetic. The low
ionization potentials of the heavier gases also account for their chemistry.
In all of the known chemical compounds of the noble gases, the noble-gas atom has
a net positive charge. We can take the difluorides as representative. In each, the
noble-gas atom can be viewed as having lost an electron to the two F ligands. One way to
picture this is to make the pseudo halogen Ng+ (transferring the electron to an F to make
F), the Ng+ combining with the second F to make the classical electron-pair-bound
[NgF]+ (Ng = noble gas). Each difluoride is then represented as a resonance hybrid of
the canonical forms {F[NgF]+} and {[FNg]+F}. Bond energies in the isoelectronic relatives
of the NgF+ species, ClF, BrF, and IF, do not vary greatly, so it is reasonable to assume
the same to hold for the NgF+ species.
So, in making the difluoride from the constituent atoms via such species, the energy
term that changes most from one Ng to another is the ionization potential. In support of
this, we note that the heats of atomization (in kilocalories per mole) of XeF2 (65) and KrF2
(23) differ by almost the same energy as the first ionization potentials, about 44 kcal per
mol. On this basis, since the first ionization potential of Ar is 42 kcal per mol higher than
that of Kr, it can be supposed that the heat of atomization of ArF2 would be less than that
of KrF2 by roughly that amount. Since the heat of atomization of KrF2 is only 23 kcal per
mol, this implies that ArF2 cannot be made.
Because of the high electronegativity of the positively charged noble-gas centers,
any ligands for those centers must themselves be electronegative. The ligands must also
be small to provide high Coulomb energy. The known chemistry is in accord with this. For
compounds that can be prepared and manipulated at ordinary laboratory temperatures,
ligands are, so far, few. They are, for xenon: oxygen (S. M. Williamson et al., 1963; N.
Bartlett, and coworkers, 1969), nitrogen (D. D. DesMarteau, 1981) and carbon (D.
Naumann; H. J. Frohn, 1989); and for krypton (G. J. Schrobilgen, 198889): oxygen, and
nitrogen. In all, the nitrogen and carbon ligands, to be effective, require linkage to other
electronegative centers. The large size of the chlorine ligand means that XeCl2 can only
be made and used at cryogenic temperatures. The high bond energy of O2 also leads to
high thermodynamic instability of all oxides. XeO is only bound with respect to singlet

159

oxygen, most likely 1D [O]. (E. H. Appelman of Argonne used XeF2 in aqueous solution to
prepare the first examples of perbromates, and this could have involved attack of bromate
by XeO as a singlet oxygen carrier.)
Because of its lower effective nuclear charge, xenon is more easily oxidized than
krypton. It is also a better Lewis base. Krypton is not oxidized by PtF6, and in the solvent
anhydrous HF (aHF), forms no complexes with transition-metal ions as xenon does. The
HF-solvated Ag2+ ion (silver has the highest second ionization potential of any transition
metal) oxidizes Xe at ordinary temperatures (Zemva et al., 1990) to make XeF2. With the
solvated Au2+ ion, however (Konrad Seppelt, 2001 03), no oxidation of Xe occurs. Xenon
is a sufficiently good Lewis base, however, to coordinate with Au2+ to form a variety of
coordination complexes. It similarly complexes with Au3+ and with other metal ions. It is
possible that Kr and Ar could also act as Lewis bases, but evidently they cannot compete
with HF.
Many recent findings, including the first evidence for an argon compound, have come
from matrix-isolation studies at the University of Helsinki in Finland (Markku Rsnen and
coworkers). These studies have established the existence of a large variety of novel
compounds, all stable up to 40 K. Included are HXeOH, HXeCCH, HKrCN, HKrCCH, and
HArF. The last requires comment, because of the nonexistence of ArF2.
In all of these compounds, the vibrational spectroscopic findings indicate that the
canonical form ([HNg]+Y) contributes importantly to the binding of the molecules. The tiny
proton is highly electronegative, and it bonds covalently to Ng in these molecules. The
proton affinities of the noble gases are the following: He, 1.8; Ne, 2.2; Ar, 3.0; Kr, 4; and
Xe, 6 eV.
Attachment of a proton to the more polarizable gases therefore gives significant
energy toward bonding. Of course, this requires a small electronegative coligand, of which
F has no superior; but OH, CN, and CCH are also small ligands with high electron
affinities.
All of the noble-gas compounds are easily reduced, and the compounds can
effectively carry their ligands as radical species, readily available to more reactive
elements. For example, KrF2, which is less bound than F2 itself, will oxidize Xe to XeF6!
More electronegative cationic species such as KrF+ are even more potent (for example,
the synthesis of BrF6+, Ronald J. Gillespie, and Schrobilgen, 1974). Some of the potential
reagents are very fragile and will need to be used at cryogenic temperatures, but the
elimination of an atom of an almost inert gas can simplify the chemistry.
Neil Bartlett is an emeritus professor in the department of chemistry, University of California,
Berkeley, and an emeritus senior scientist in the Chemical Sciences Division of Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory. Bartlett succeeded in preparing the first noble-gas compound in
1962.The Royal Society (London) awarded him its Davy Medal in 2002.

160

COURTESY OF NEIL BARTLETT

START OF SOMETHING NEW Bartlett's oxidation of xenon by
PtF6, shown here, sparked the field of noble-gas chemistry.

THE NOBLE GASES AT A GLANCE

Name: Noble gases, inert gases. The six noble gases are found in the far right column of the periodic table.
Helium's (He) name originates from the Greek helios, meaning sun; neon (Ne) from the Greek neos, meaning
new. Argon (Ar) derives from the Greek argon, meaning inactive; krypton (Kr) from the Greek kryptos, meaning
hidden. Xenon (Xe) comes from the Greek xenos, stranger, while radon's (Rn) name hails from the element
radium.
Atomic mass: He: 4.00; Ne: 20.18; Ar: 39.95; Kr: 83.80; Xe: 131.29; Rn: (222).
History: Helium was discovered on Earth in 1895 by Scottish chemist Sir William Ramsay, though some credit
the discovery of helium (in the sun's spectrum) to Janssen and Lockyear in 1868. Ramsay discovered most of
the remaining noble gases--argon in 1894 (with Lord Rayleigh) and krypton, neon, and xenon in 1898 (with
Morris M. Travers). Radon was discovered in 1898 by Fredrich Ernst Dorn.
Occurrence: Helium comes from natural gas deposits within Earth and can be isolated from air. Helium has the
lowest boiling point of any element--4.2 K. Neon, argon, and krypton are obtained from fractional distillation of
liquid air. Radon comes from radium decay.
Behavior: These elements were considered to be inert gases until the 1960s, because their oxidation number of
zero prevents the noble gases from forming compounds readily. All noble gases have the maximum number of
electrons possible in their outer shell (two for helium, eight for all others), making them highly stable.
Uses: Helium is used in balloons and in deep-sea diving to dilute oxygen that divers breathe. Neon, argon, and
krypton are used in lighting. Radon is radioactive and hazardous.

161

THE LANTHANIDES

JOOP A. PETERS, DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, THE NETHERLANDS, AND DOUGLAS J.

RABER, BOARD ON CHEMICAL SCIENCES & TECHNOLOGY, THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

Both of us are organic chemists by training, and until the end of the 1960s, we knew only
vaguely where the lanthanides were located in the periodic table. For the most part, our teachers
had treated this heretical family of elements only in the last hurried classes of the relevant
courses. So our knowledge about these elements was limited to awareness of the very similar
chemical properties of all these elements and the understanding that together with scandium and
yttrium they are also called, mistakenly as it turns out, rare earths.
Things changed drastically after reading an intriguing paper by C. C. Hinckley [J. Am.
Chem. Soc., 91, 51 (1969)], in which he reported on the use of paramagnetic Eu(III) complexes
for the resolution of 1H NMR spectra. Soon after, we tried these complexes out on our samples
and were very excited to see that our 60-MHz 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra changed
from featureless heaps into well-resolved first-order spectra. But the use of lanthanide chelates
as aids in NMR structure determination was not to be an area of major growth. The application of
Eu(III) chelates for spectral resolution was soon superseded by the introduction of high magnetic
fields and multidimensional techniques in NMR spectroscopy. Nevertheless, we remained
fascinated by the structures, magnetic properties, and complexation reactions of the elements in
this family.
For Mendeleyev, each discovery of a new rare-earth element meant a new puzzle, because
each of them showed very similar chemical behavior that made it difficult to assign positions in his
periodic table. This unique chemical similarity is due to the shielding of 4f valence electrons by
the completely filled 5s2 and 5p6 orbitals. The beauty of this family of elements is that, although
the members are very similar from a chemical point of view, each of them has its own very
specific physical properties--including color, luminescent behavior, and nuclear magnetic
properties. While exploring the possibilities of the latter for structural analysis, our paths crossed
in the 1970s, and the lanthanides appeared to catalyze not only a fruitful professional
collaboration but also a personal friendship.
Our mutual interests in the structures and magnetic properties of lanthanide complexes led
to a long-distance collaboration that has now entered its fourth decade. Our intellectual curiosity
has generated useful science, trans-Atlantic travel, and early forays into the use of e-mail to
transfer data and manuscripts. Like the lanthanides used as phosphors in television screens, the
experience has been enlightening.
At that time, studies of the coordination chemistry and the physical chemistry of the
lanthanides were flourishing, but only a few, albeit important, practical applications existed. The
major chemical one probably was the use of lanthanide-exchanged faujasite as a cracking

162

catalyst used to refine crude oil into gasoline and other fuels. Such cracking catalysts are, from
an economic point of view, probably the most successful catalysts ever developed. In many
aspects of the automotive industry, lanthanides are becoming increasingly important. One can
find them in catalytic converters and in alloys for very stable and powerful permanent magnets
used in the antilock braking systems, air bags, and electric motors of the vehicles of the future.
The importance of these applications is reflected in the distribution of rare earths by use:
automotive catalytic converters, 15%; petroleum refining catalysts, 16%; and permanent
magnets, 8%. At the disposal of the modern synthetic chemist is an array of lanthanide-based
catalysts that exploits the high charge density and small differences in ionic radius among the
lanthanides to achieve high reactivities and selectivities.
Most applications of lanthanides are based on their physical properties. First of all, there is the
traditional use for staining glass and ceramics. Nowadays, one can find them everywhere. The
TV screens and computer monitors that we use for our communication across the ocean have
lanthanide phosphors. The glass fibers used for data transport contain lanthanides, and our
offices and houses are illuminated with energy-saving tricolor lanthanide-based luminescent
lamps. The new euro banknotes that were introduced in Europe in 2002 are protected against
counterfeiting by Eu(III) compounds that luminesce in red, green, and blue upon excitation with
UV light.
During our mutual visits in the early 1980s, we would daydream about potential applications of
lanthanides in medicine. The first medical applications in this field became reality shortly after the
development of magnetic resonance imaging and the introduction of this technique in medical
diagnosis. MRI is an NMR technique that visualizes, with a very high resolution, the morphology
of the body. The intensity of each voxel in a three-dimensional image reflects the intensity of the
1
H NMR signal of the water in the corresponding part of body. The intensities of these signals
and, consequently, the contrast of the images are dependent on magnetic relaxation of the
nuclei.
Relaxation can be enhanced by paramagnetic compounds, and the lanthanide ion Gd(III) with
its seven unpaired electrons is the paramagnetic champion of the periodic table. This ion is ideal
for improving the contrast in MRI scans. Gd(III) chelates such as Gd(DTPA) and Gd(DOTA) have
been developed [Prog. Nucl. Magn. Reson. Spectrosc., 28, 283 (1996)] that have a very low
toxicity, even at the relatively high doses in which they are applied. These contrast agents are as
safe as an aspirin, and they have contributed to the success of MRI in clinical diagnostics.
Nowadays, about 30% of MRI scans are performed after administration of a Gd(III)-based
contrast agent.
Currently available contrast agents distribute rather unselectively over the extracellular space.
Consequently, much of the research in this field is aimed at the development of more specific
contrast agents by linking Gd(III) chelates to moieties that can bring about an accumulation of the
contrast agents in the region of interest. The increased knowledge of receptors allows the design
of contrast agents for molecular imaging--contrast agents that respond to, for example, functional
groups that are overexpressed due to disease. Moreover, smart contrast agents are being
developed that can report parameters such as concentration of enzymes, pH, pO2, and
temperature.
The radioisotopes of the lanthanides show a variety of radiation characteristics that are suitable
for applications ranging from diagnostics with positron-emitting tomography to radiotherapy. In
163

the latter case, targeting is essential to limit damage to healthy tissue. Excellent results have
been obtained with DOTA-type chelates conjugated to cyclic tumor-targeting peptides. The
radiodiagnostic techniques are in a way complementary to the MRI contrast techniques. The
sensitivity of the radiodiagnostic reagents is much higher than that of the MRI contrast agents
(nM and mM concentrations are required, respectively), but on the other hand, the resolution of
radiodiagnostic techniques is much lower.
The luminescent properties of the lanthanides also have been utilized in medical diagnosis.
A variety of luminescent bioassays and sensors have been developed that take advantage of the
unique luminescent properties of these elements, such as a relatively long-lived emission.
The applications of lanthanides are numerous, but we have presented only a small and
quite personal selection. We expect that many new and exciting applications will emerge in the
future. There is, however, no need to worry that these elements will be depleted in the near
future. The first black stone containing lanthanides was found by the Swedish army lieutenant
Arrhenius in 1787 near Ytterby, a small village not far from Stockholm. The ruins of the resulting
mine were designated by ASM International as a historical landmark in 1989. The lanthanides are
sometimes called the rare earths, a name that dates to the 18th century and misleadingly
suggests that their abundance is low. At present, the world reserve of rare earths is estimated to
be about 150 million metric tons, in the form of rare-earth oxides, while the annual consumption is
only about 120,000 tons.
The lanthanides have played an important role in our lives. They initiated our collaboration
and friendship, and they helped us in our careers, during which the lanthanides have gained
significantly in importance and will undoubtedly continue to do so. Our conclusion is a simple one:
Teachers and textbooks can no longer treat the lanthanides as an insignificant footnote to the
periodic table.

RAINBOW Electron micrographs of lanthanum chloride crystals.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROB BERDAN

Joop A. Peters is universitair hoofddocent at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, and
Douglas J. Raber is senior scholar with the Board on Chemical Sciences & Technology at the National

164

Research Council in Washington, D.C. Peters and Raber have maintained a long-term research
collaboration ever since they met in 1979.

LANTHANIDES AT A GLANCE
Name: From the Greek lanthaneis, to lie hidden. Also called rare earths.They are lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce),
praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium(Gd),
terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu).
Occurrence: Despite their name, the lanthanides are not particularly rare. La, Ce, and Nd are more common
than lead.
Behavior: The lanthanides are all very reactive and electropositive. The chemistry is dominated by the +3
oxidation state. Despite the high charge, the large size of the Ln(III) ions results in low charge densities.
Lanthanide compounds are predominantly ionic in character.
Appearance: Silvery white, but they tarnish in air.
Uses: Lanthanide silicides improve strength of low alloy steels; other lanthanides are used for lenses and
magnets.

165

THORIUM
SETH H. GRAE, THORIUM POWER

Thorium was discovered by the Swedish chemist Jns J. Berzelius in

1828. He named it after Thor, the Norse god of thunder and war, because of
its power. Thorium is the most efficient nuclear reactor fuel, so there have
been many attempts to produce reactor fuel from thorium, including current
unrelated efforts by Thorium Power and by institutes in India.
Thorium oxide has the highest melting point of all oxides, which can
provide a safety benefit as a nuclear reactor fuel. Thorium is estimated to be
three times as abundant as uranium, holding more untapped energy than all
oil, coal, natural gas, and uranium combined, with vast reserves in the U.S., Australia,
India, Canada, and many other countries. Thorium is also responsible for most of the
internal heating of Earth.
Thorium is stockpiled around the world. When rare-earth elements are separated
from monazite sands for use as a fuel-cracking catalyst in the petroleum industry, a
by-product is thorium. Although hundreds of tons of thorium are stockpiled from this
process, only small amounts are used in commercial processes and products. In the U.S.,
a commercial use of thorium was small quantities in the wicks of camping lanterns. I have
been told that Coleman stopped this use when it found out that people were testing
Geiger counters on the wicks. In addition, small quantities of various forms of thorium
have been produced for nonenergy uses such as ceramics, magnesium-thorium alloys,
and welding electrodes.
I first heard of thorium in 1992 from Alvin Radkowsky, who designed the thorium fuel
that Thorium Power is now developing. Alvin was the original chief scientist for the U.S.
Naval Reactors Program for Adm. Hyman G. Rickover, and he also headed the design
team for the first nuclear power plant on land, at Shippingport, Pa. That reactor used
thorium in its first core and was the first reactor under former president Dwight D.
Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace program, which began 50 years ago.
When Radkowsky's former professor, Edward Teller, asked him in 1986 if he could
come up with a fuel design to address proliferation concerns, Radkowsky turned back to
thorium as the answer. Radkowsky passed away last year, but his work led to the fuel
design now being developed and tested in Russia to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium
and to stop the production of new weapons-suitable plutonium. Radkowsky spent most of
his career in the U.S. Navy program during the Cold War and was amused by how times
change; his technology is being tested in Russia to dispose of plutonium from warheads.
The project has been headed in Russia by academician Nikolai N.
Ponomarev-Stepnoi, vice president of the Kurchatov Institute, where the first Soviet
atomic bomb was developed. The work in Russia has determined that the thorium fuel
design will dispose of more plutonium per year in a reactor than any other method, and
current estimates are that the costs will prove to be significantly less than any other
method. In addition, fuels that burn plutonium without thorium actually produce large
quantities of new weapons-suitable plutonium in the spent fuel; this is not the case with
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thorium fuel. The fuel also results in dramatically less toxic spent fuel, with much less
spent fuel for the same amount of electricity generated.
Reps. Jim Gibbons (R-Nev.) and Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) have taken up the cause of
thorium fuel for plutonium disposition in Russia. They have traveled to Moscow to speak
with scientists and engineers and witnessed the thorium fuel ampules in a test reactor in
Moscow. These congressmen are leading the effort to secure government funding for the
project.
Promising new thorium fuel technologies eventually may lead governments and the
nuclear power industry to uncover the untapped energy potential of thorium for peaceful
energy uses.

Seth H. Grae is president of Thorium Power, a Washington, D.C.-based company developing

nuclear fuel designs to stop the production of weapons-grade plutonium and eliminate
plutonium stockpiles. He holds a B.A. from Brandeis University, a J.D. from American
University, and an L.L.M. and M.B.A. from Georgetown University.

THORIUM AT A GLANCE
Name: Named for Thor, the Norse god of thunder.
Atomic mass: 232.04.
History: Discovered in 1828 by Swedish chemist Jns Jakob Berzelius.
Occurrence: Occurs naturally as a weakly radioactive isotope. Much of Earth's internal heat has been attributed
to thorium and uranium decay. Thorium is primarily obtained from the minerals thorite and thorianite.
Appearance: Silvery white metal.
Behavior: Radioactive with a high melting point. The powdered metal is a fire hazard. The pure metal resists
corrosion but tarnishes in air when contaminated with the oxide.
Uses: Used in fabricating portable gas lamps, filament wire, breeder reactor fuel, gaslight mantles, and crucibles.
Thorium oxide is used as a catalyst in the production of sulf uric acid and the conversion of ammonia to nitric acid.

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