Man & Metals

Osamah Hindi 8A

IntroIn this PPT I will investigate the relationship between the reactivity of a metal and its date of discovery. I think that the less reactive the metal is, the earlier it will be discovered because it will not react with oxygen or water or oxidize.This relates to Human Ingenuity because we are studying how humans extracted metals, the reactivity of each metal and how we study them.

AluminumAluminum was first discovered 1808, by Sir Humphrey Davy.Aluminum is the most abundant metal, and the only elements that are more plentiful than it are Oxygen and Silicon. Aluminum is ductile, strong, light-weight and used for all different sorts of tasks, such as building, commonly know for Aluminum Foil.Aluminum makes up 8% of the Earth’s crust’s weight.

CobaltCobalt was discovered in 1735 by George Brandt, it gains it name because “kobald” in German means goblin of evil spirit, that caused health problems for silver and copper miners.It has magnetic properties, like Iron.It is crucial to life, considering that Vitamin B-12 contains Cobalt.Cobalt is used mainly in super alloys for the engines.

CopperCopper has a shadowy background however is believed to have been first used in approximately 3900 BCE to create Bronze.Copper is used mainly in housing structures, where it is used in wiring, heating, and plumbing.In Greek, “kyprios” which is the Island of Cyprus, where ancients mined copper.

GoldGold has been known since prehistoric times, and the date cannot be specifically stated.Gold’s chemical symbol is Au, and Aurum means shining dawn, considering that gold is shiny and yellowish, it was named that way and does not rust.It is used in many different ways, however mainly jewelry, however could be a very good wiring material.

LeadLead also goes back to prehistoric times, to some pipes, that still even work.How lead got its name is unknown.Lead is mainly used for car batteries, however is used for electronics, communication and ammunition.

MercuryMercury is also a metal that has been known since ancient times.Its name comes from planet mercury which was named after the god of travel.Mercury used to be used in batteries, however with newer batteries, other metals are used such as lithium, however Mercury is commonly used in thermometers.

PlatinumPlatinum was first discovered by Antonio de Ulloa is 1735. Platinum, like gold, does not corrode.Platinum is used in Jewelry and Automobiles, however is used to fight Leukemia. In Spanish, Plata means silvery, which is why it was used to name Platinum.

SilverSilver has been used since ancient times going back to 3000 BCE. Its uses used to include mirrors, however considering the fact that is tarnishes quickly, it was hard to use as a mirror. Its current uses are mainly jewelry and obviously, silverware.Its name was a combination of German, Dutch and Old English language.

FindingsThe reactivity does relate to when it was found, considering the fact that if it does not react much, such as metals like gold, silver and platinum. They were easy to find because they did not react with oxygen or water, or anything else which could cause it to change. Gold does not react with air, water and does not corrode so gold is easily found.

Findings - 2But metals such as Potassium react tremendously, which causes it to be hard to find considering the fact that you can never really find Potassium, you can find Potassium Oxide or Potassium Carbonate, but actually finding pure potassium is tough. Obviously the discovery relates to the reactivity because metals such as Sodium, Potassium and Calcium are highly reactive which relates to when they were discovered which was much later than metals like Gold and Silver.

Timeline Vs. Reactivity Series

As you can see from the timeline and the reactivity series above, the discovery date does fit in to the reactivity series some times. However there are some cases where this relationship does not apply, these metals consist of Platinum was discovered in 1735, however it is at the bottom of the reactivity series. However Potassium was discovered in 1807. Which confuses me and leads me to believing that there is a fault in the website’s information, due to the fact that Potassium is very reactive and should have been discovered sooner. Another feasible reason could be the way the metals are extracted and how difficult each one is.

Bibliography"Mineral Photos - Aluminum & Bauxite | Mineral Information Institute." Welcome - Mineral Information Institute. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photoal.html>. "Mineral Photos - Cobalt | Mineral Information Institute." Welcome - Mineral Information Institute. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photocobalt.html>. "Mineral Photos - Copper | Mineral Information Institute." Welcome - Mineral Information Institute. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photocopper.html>. "Mineral Photos - Gold | Mineral Information Institute." Welcome - Mineral Information Institute. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photogold.html>. "Mineral Photos - Lead | Mineral Information Institute." Welcome - Mineral Information Institute. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photolead.html>.

Bibliography – 2"Mineral Photos - Mercury | Mineral Information Institute." Welcome - Mineral Information Institute. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photomercury.html>. "Mineral Photos - Platinum | Mineral Information Institute." Welcome - Mineral Information Institute. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photoplat.html>. "Mineral Photos - Silver | Mineral Information Institute." Welcome - Mineral Information Institute. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.mii.org/Minerals/photosilver.html>. "When Was Gold First Discovered." The Q&A Wiki. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_was_gold_first_discovered>. "Who Discovered Platinum - The Valuble White Metal." Canada Gold Buyer We Buy Gold Canada Wide. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.canada-gold-buyers.com/who-discovered-platinum.html>. "Extracting Metals From The Earth’s Crust — GCSE Science." GCSE Science. Web. 23 Oct. 2011. <http://science.pixeladdiction.co.uk/?page_id=108>.

The EndThank You for

Listening.