Millions of years ago, our distant ancestors made their own tools from wood and stones, but thousands of years later they learned to use metals. From that moment on, humanity began to develop at an unimaginable pace and everything came to the point that most of the objects around us are made of iron, aluminum and other varieties of this material. Almost all metals conduct electricity and heat well, under certain conditions they are ductile and are excellent for making various electronic parts, and also have a characteristic metallic luster. But in the periodic table of Mendeleev there are metals that have unique properties that all others cannot boast of. They are amazing in their own way, and once upon a time these metals were considered to have almost magical qualities. So, let's list them and also learn about the properties and other interesting features?
Look around - we are surrounded by metals
The most liquid metal
Mercury is considered the most liquid metal and, at the same time, one of the most dangerous for the human body. It is almost always in a liquid state, because its melting point is -38 degrees Celsius. This is why this metal is used in thermometers - as the temperature increases, the liquid expands. Since the thermometer is made in the form of a glass tube, it can only expand in one direction. To prevent other conditions such as atmospheric pressure from affecting the thermometer readings, air is pumped out of the tube.
Despite its dangers, mercury is used even in everyday things
In the Middle Ages, it was believed that by mixing mercury, sulfur and the mysterious “philosopher’s stone”, pure gold could be obtained. Therefore, a lot of attention was paid to this metal. Since the Middle Ages, no one has been able to obtain gold from mercury, but scientists did it in 1947 - they placed 100 milligrams of mercury in a nuclear reactor and obtained 35 micrograms of gold. Here is the second amazing property of mercury - it can be turned into gold, but this is a very expensive process.
Silver / Ag (~ 0.5 USD per 1 gram)
Our top 10 opens with silver, called argentum in Latin. Silver has been known to mankind since ancient times because it can be found in nature in the form of nuggets, and it does not require any chemical processes to obtain. The metallic color itself is named after Argentum - silver.
Silver is a noble metal with a melting point of 962 degrees Celsius. It has the highest thermal conductivity of all known metals. It is widely used in the production of electrical engineering and electrical equipment, jewelry, and is included in the composition of various high-tech alloys used in a wide variety of areas of human activity.
Silver has long been known for its antibacterial properties; it can be used to destroy about 700 types of different bacteria.
Even on space stations, all water is purified with silver, and some housewives throw silver coins into milk to extend its shelf life.
The most refractory metal
Now let's talk about the complete opposite of mercury - a metal called tungsten. While mercury can melt in the human palm, tungsten requires temperatures of 3,422 degrees Celsius to melt.
From German “Wolf Rahm” can be translated as “wolf cream”
Tungsten itself is not dangerous, but products that use it can kill. This metal is often used as the tip of ammunition, which can even penetrate body armor. Only a little bit of it is added, because tungsten is a very heavy metal.
In 2022, my colleague Ilya Khel wrote an interesting article about US Secret Weapons, where he reflected on what the American military might be hiding from us. I advise you to read it.
Due to its refractoriness, tungsten is difficult to deform, so it is used very rarely in its pure form. As a rule, tungsten products also contain other impurities - they make it more pliable and significantly reduce weight.
Bismuth
It usually looks like this:
nexmetal.com
But under the right conditions it might look like this:
Wikipedia
We recommend using an image search on Yandex or Google for “Bismuth crystals” to see all the miracles that bismuth can produce.
Some other interesting facts about bismuth:
- Bismuth (bismuth-209, the most common isotope) is radioactive but has one of the longest half-lives ever measured. Its half-life is 1.9x10^19 years, or about a billion times longer than the existence of the Universe.
- Bismuth is the strongest naturally occurring diamagnetic metal known. Diamagnetic materials, when exposed to a magnetic field, create a repulsive field in response. So, with some strong magnets you can make bismuth rise.
- Bismuth has unusually low toxicity to heavy metals. Its neighbors on the periodic chart - polonium, antimony and lead - are quite toxic, but bismuth is relatively harmless. Because of this, bismuth is being explored as an alternative to lead for some applications.
- Most people use bismuth in their lives. The active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol is bismuth subsalicylate.
The hardest metal
Titanium is considered the hardest and lightest metal on our planet. Due to its properties, it is actively used in aviation and shipbuilding - the material is excellent for the manufacture of aircraft and ship hulls. In addition, due to its strength and lightness, body armor is made from titanium. This metal is safe for the human body, therefore it is often used in medicine for the manufacture of instruments and even prostheses - artificial body parts.
Due to its outstanding properties, the word “titanium” is used to describe video cards and other electronics to emphasize their power.
When heated, titanium begins to absorb oxygen, chlorine, nitrogen and other gases. Thanks to this amazing property, the metal is used in various filters - passing various gases through titanium tubes heated to 600 degrees Celsius, you can clean them of impurities. In the same way, you can purify water from oxygen, which is especially useful in the food industry. It is believed that the oxygen contained in water degrades the quality of some products - at a minimum, it can shorten the shelf life of beer.
Areas of application
Areas of application:
- high-speed aviation;
- shipbuilding, aircraft manufacturing;
- electronics production;
- nuclear industry;
- nuclear power;
- mechanical engineering;
- chemical industry, oil refining;
- rocketry, defense industry.
Superconductors, high-power magnets, photocells, photomultipliers, fluorescent lamps, picture tubes, cathode ray tubes, chemical current sources, solar panels, electrodes, electric capacitors, electric vacuum devices, etc. are made from rare metals.
Fluorescent lamp (Photo: Instagram / legendlamp)
The most radioactive metal
The only metal that can be used as fuel in nuclear reactors is uranium. Many people consider it very dangerous due to its high radioactivity. However, natural uranium is safe for human health, but its variety called U-235, which is used in nuclear reactors, is dangerous.
Uranium-235 was used in the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, in the "Baby" bomb
Once upon a time, dishes were even made from natural uranium. For example, fragments of yellow glass containing uranium were found in the Italian city of Naples - according to scientists, the glass was made in 79 AD. It was safe for people and no hints of radiation such as glow were observed.
Must read: What is a Tokamak? Just about the thermonuclear reactor
There is very little natural uranium U-235 suitable for use in nuclear reactors in nature today - over the years it has simply evaporated. But billions of years ago there was a lot of it, and nuclear reactions could be started right in nature, without human intervention. Thus, on the territory of the African country of Gabon, about 1.8 billion years ago, a natural fission reaction of uranium nuclei took place. Uranium burned for hundreds of years, but the reaction eventually stopped due to depletion of the metal.
Where and how are they mined?
The source of rare material is natural ores:
- Almost always it is a conglomerate of components.
- The share of metals is calculated in thousandths or less than fractions of a percent.
- The standard method of extraction is closed (mine), less often - open pit.
The main supplier of raw materials to the world market is China. He dictates the layout, nomenclature, prices. The main consumer is the USA.
The number one Russian source of rare raw materials is the Kola Peninsula. Its ores containing titanium account for 40% of the country's proven reserves.
Rod composed of high purity titanium crystals
The heaviest metal
Osmium is considered the heaviest metal from the entire periodic table. Its amazing property is that, being the heaviest, in air it becomes a volatile, toxic substance. The name “osmium” can be translated from ancient Greek as “smell”. This name was given to the metal for a reason - in 1803, the English chemist Smithson Tennant felt from his own experience that the metal smelled of chlorine and was so unpleasant that it irritated the throat.
Osmium, by the way, is very beautiful
Due to its hardness, osmium is often used in mechanisms, namely in places where strong friction occurs. It is also used in the manufacture of filaments for incandescent lamps. Poisonous properties occur only in open air - the metal turns into the toxic substance osmium tetroxide, which causes eye irritation, damage to the upper respiratory tract and even inflammation of the kidneys.
Ruthenium
“Russian” metal, separated from platinum ores in 1844 by the scientist K. Klaus, a teacher at Kazan University. Hence the name. It is of greatest value in the composition of alloys, since the metal itself has high refractoriness and wear resistance. The melting point reaches 2334°C.
Used for the manufacture of electrical contacts, measuring instruments, printed circuits, in jewelry and the chemical industry. Some isotopes of ruthenium are used to irradiate cancer patients. The cost of 1 gram of ruthenium is within 2 USD.
The most resistant metal
Iridium is considered the most resistant metal - it cannot be dissolved in any acid. Due to its durability, this metal is used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures - the kilogram standard is created from it. This iridium cylinder is necessary so that all countries have a common idea of exactly how much a kilogram should weigh. This is important because any deviation can cause malfunctions in planes and ships and, subsequently, a serious disaster.
Iridium is an indicator of how much a kilogram should weigh
Iridium is also used in making money. For example, the African country of Rwanda issued an iridium coin with a face value of 10 Rwandan francs. We can say that this is the most chemical-resistant coin. The only way to damage it is by throwing it into a vessel with fluorine, a strong oxidizing agent. But the destructive reaction will begin only when heated to 450 degrees Celsius.
No. 3 – Rhodium
The main properties of this noble metal are its powerful ability to reflect light and resistance to environmental influences, which is why rhodium is added to a wide variety of jewelry alloys. The automotive industry also actively uses its beneficial qualities. In Rwanda, rhodium coins are used as a means of payment, and the price of this miracle reaches two hundred dollars per gram, making it the most expensive natural metal.
The most expensive metal
Many people invest in metals and one of the most expensive today is gold. At the exchange rate for June 2022, a gram of gold costs about 4,000 rubles, while the price of the same mass of platinum barely reaches 2,000 rubles. A little higher, we already found out that extracting gold from mercury is a very expensive process. Therefore, workers at refineries are engaged in obtaining gold - roughly speaking, they extract gold from mixtures of other metals.
Gold has been driving people crazy for thousands of years.
Since personnel work with very expensive metal, strict controls are in place in factories. If a person, for example, has a gold tooth, the guards always check whether it is in place. What if a person suddenly gets rid of a gold tooth and decides to bring in a piece of precious metal, placing it in the free space between the teeth? In some refineries, workers walk in naked and don work clothes inside.
13th place: India
A valuable silvery-white metal from the group of light metals with a strong shine. It was discovered in 1863 in Germany in the chemical laboratory of scientists Ferdinand Reich and Theodor Richter, who studied zinc minerals mined in the mountains of Saxony. It is soft, fusible and malleable, and can be easily cut with an ordinary knife. Indium does not form independent deposits and is included in the ores of zinc, lead, copper and tin. Several hundred tons of this metal are produced annually. Thanks to its unique properties, it has found wide application in microelectronics, semiconductor technology, and mechanical engineering. It is used to make mirrors, photocells, dental cements, as a sealant, and even in space technology. The price of 1 gram of indium metal is 0.5-0.7 dollars.
The rarest metal
Francium is the rarest metal. According to scientists' calculations, its concentration in the earth's crust is only 340 grams. It is possible to obtain more uranium artificially, but this requires starting nuclear reactions.
Francium is very rare and rarely used
Francium is very radioactive, so at the moment it is practically not used anywhere. However, sometimes scientists still use varieties of francium in the course of scientific research. There have also been attempts to diagnose cancer using technologies where francium was also involved.
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History of discovery
Rare metals are a relatively new term that refers to little-studied chemical elements. This designation first appeared in the 20s of the last century. Abroad, the first term to appear was Less Common Metals. If we translate it literally - less ordinary metals.
A sharp increase in mining and production of rare metal elements was recorded after the end of the Second World War. Then it was necessary to restore the main areas of industry. New chemical elements made it possible to create innovative materials and develop new technologies at an accelerated pace.
Metal mining (Photo: Instagram / metinvest)
The lightest metal
The title of lightest metal rightfully goes to lithium. It is painted silver-white and is so soft that it can be easily cut with a knife. Since it is the lightest metal on the periodic table, when it enters water it floats to the surface.
And here it is - lithium
For many, this may be a revelation, but you can hold a device with lithium in your hand right now - this is your smartphone. Mobile devices use lithium batteries, which are compact but only last a few days on a single charge. Scientists are trying to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries, but so far they have not succeeded.
Perhaps in the future, completely different batteries will be used instead of lithium-ion batteries. Which? Read in this material.
Scandium / Sc (~ 3-4 USD per 1 gram)
Our top continues with the most expensive rare earth metal - scandium. It got its name from the Scandinavian peninsula where it was discovered by Swedish scientist Lars Nilsson in 1879. Scandium is a light, silvery metal with a slight yellow tint. The melting point of this chemical element is 1541 degrees Celsius. It is obtained by processing many ores. Scandium is widely used in various fields of human activity: medicine (creation of the most advanced dentures), electronics (production of super-computers), nuclear energy, creation of solar panels, metallurgy (production of super-strong alloys) and much more.
The largest reserves of scandium-rich minerals are found in Norway and Madagascar. However, the largest producers of this metal are Russia and China.
The most expensive industrial metal
Finally, it is worth mentioning californium, a metal that cannot be found in its pure form in nature. It is produced in nuclear reactors in Russia and the USA, and in very small quantities. According to scientists, in one year they manage to create only 40-80 micrograms of this unusual metal. Due to the difficulty of mining and rarity, a gram of this metal is worth up to $27 million.
Californian - a radioactive beauty
This metal is very radioactive, so you can’t make any crafts from it. But scientists need it during serious tests. Although, in theory, it can be used to create an atomic bomb. But the aforementioned uranium is much cheaper, so everyone uses it.
There are many more interesting elements in Mendeleev's periodic table, but these are, in my opinion, the most interesting metals. It is noteworthy that scientists are still developing metals with interesting properties. In 2022, my colleague Vladimir Kuznetsov talked about a material that does not sink in water - I recommend reading it!
Platinum
Platinum was discovered in Colombian mines in the 16th century by Spanish conquistadors. The unknown metal, which resembled silver, was at first considered absolutely useless and was contemptuously called “silver.”
It was often used to counterfeit gold and silver items. Over time, platinum gained popularity.
This is one of the rarest elements found in alloy with other metals. About 150 tons of platinum are mined annually in the world. The synthesis process is labor-intensive and expensive, which determines the price level.
Refractory and fireproof, platinum has high density and excellent wear resistance. It has low thermal conductivity and does not deform. Almost unaffected by any acids. Plastic, naturally white and shiny.
It is used in the automotive industry, radio engineering, computer production, the space industry, medicine, weapons and jewelry.
Russia, the USA, China, South Africa, and Zimbabwe are famous for deposits of this metal. Cost: $33 for 1 g.
12th place: Silver
Known since ancient times and one of the most popular precious metals, found both in the native state and in the form of compounds. Used to coat mirrors, make jewelry and coins. It is actively used in electronics, dentistry, photography, and has excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. The largest reserves of this metal are concentrated in Poland, China, Mexico, Chile, Australia, the USA and Canada. The cost of a gram of silver is 0.55-1.00.
