Power

Started reading my book, Periodic Tales: a Cultural History of the Elements from Arsenic to Zinc. The book explains the inter workings of the elements found on the periodic table. It is also split into five sections: Power, Fire, Craft, Beauty, and Earth. So I guess I'll start with the first section, Power.

POWER (Part one)

El Dorado:

The first chapter in the book was titled "El Dorado" which literally means "the Golden Man" so naturally this chapter was about gold. Gold has a timeless allure that has something to do with the many unique qualities it possesses. It is yellow with a slightly metallic luster and it resists all corrosion by air, water, and most chemicals. Its endurance to many represents immortality. Gold is also very dense, add malleability and ductility and you have a near perfect element! It was around 500 BCE when gold really became popular, it was then first used for coins. But most of all people found that it was not only the key to great wealth but, great power as well. It was then when the search for El Dorado really began. From the year 1519 to now people like Hernando Cortes, Walter Ralegh, and Mark Twain have been searching for gold but have yet to find El Dorado. Although, large amounts of gold have been found worldwide. Gold is and may always be one of the most sought after elements on the periodic table.

Picture Work Cited: How and Why to Invest in Gold, http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com/howtoinvestingold.html,  3/8/2014, Simple Debt Free Living.com

Going Platinum:

The next chapter is titled "Going Platinum" is all about platinum. Platinum was discovered during the twentieth century and it quickly replaced silver as the preferred metal used in jewelry. It is twice as dense as silver and has a "pearly lucence". It was more trendier and far more easier to come by than gold, it quickly replaced gold during a time of economic downfall. Although, it was recognized as an element by European chemists in the eighteenth century, it was discovered in South America 2,000 years before then! It is usually found in rivers and it melts at a far higher temperature than gold, bronze, and iron. Platinum eventually rose above gold and was placed ahead of it not because it was any better than gold but, to as a show of snobbery exhibited by the rich and famous.

Picture Work Cited: Platinum, Texture, Silver, Gray, http://www.freepik.com/free-photo/platinum--texture--silver--gray_229071.htm, 8/07/2010, Freepik

Noble Metals, Ignobly Announced:

The third chapter is titled "Noble Metals, Ignobly Announced". This chapter is about some of the noble metals. All the elements mentioned in this chapter were discovered by William Hyde Wollaston. In April 1803 Palladium  was discovered in a shop in Soho claiming that it was the "New Silver". When it was first discovered many thought it to be a fraud and worthless combination of platinum and mercury. But after intense research it was discovered that they were wrong. In December 1800 Wollaston began research on two more metals Iridium and Osmium. Iridium was named for the Greek word rainbow due to colors found in the salts and Osmium was named for the Greek word meaning smell. He also discovered Rhodium and published his article on this metal soon after discovering the previous two metals. These noble metals explained the brittleness in platinum when they were discovered inside the metal. 

Picture Work Cited: Osmium, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmium, 3/5/2014, Wikipedia

Well that's it for now. Tune in next time for POWER part two!

Work Cited:

Hugh Aldersey- Williams, Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements from Arsenic to Zinc, 2011, HarperCollins Publishers