Elements De Me!

      *me on youtube*
   Ok, so I've already watched this harry potter video... hey whats this? Oh it's Daniel Radcliffe (the dude who plays harry potter) singing about the elements! Cool!



   Man that was so fast! Do you guys think you can learn all of those elements?! I know I can't! But I can try. So I know most of the common elements, but what about the non common ones? Let's pick a couple to learn about, shaaaaaaall we? Ok, so first up is.. SELENIUM!!



Se is selenium's symbol on the periodic table.














   Selenium has an atomic number of 34, which means that it has 34 protons in its nucleus. It has the same number of electrons, 34, because the positive charge from the protons and the negative charge from the electrons have to cancel each other out equally so the atom is neutral. Wow that sounded scientific, well this is a science blog so it should be. Anyways, it has 45 neutrons. Usually, there are more neutrons then protons in the nucleus. Selenium was discovered in 1817  by a Swedish chemist named Jons Jacob Berzelius.



this is how selenium looks on the table














     Selenium is a non-metal. It conducts electricity really good, so it's used in electrical stuff. It also gives that ruby red color in glasses and enamels. It's even in some Brazilian nuts! But its most popular use is in dandruff shampoo. Have you guys ever heard of Selsun Blue? It's a shampoo that people with dandruff use. "Selsun" comes from "selenium" in case you didn't notice. Selenium is good in small amounts, but it's toxic in big amounts. Humans need it and so do some plants. AND xerographic photocopies and laser printers have a cylinder covered in selenium in it!



does it look familiar?















      I chose selenium because sounds like my name, Celine. So it;s kind of like MY element. You can't deny my element!!




Now on to our next element which is... THULIUM! It's atomic number is 69. It has the same amount of electrons, 69, and has 100 neutrons. It was discovered in 1879 by Per Theodor Cleve, another Swedish chemist. Thulium is a metal but is really rare. It was even called the least significant element there is. It's not useless, just special! It's used for radiations for portable x-ray machines and can also be a laser. It also is the very strong green emission line in arc lightning.  COOL! I chose Thulium because it makes me sound so fancy when I say Thulium and strecth it out.



thuuuuuulium















       Next on our element list is.... YTTERBIUM! Ytterbium's atomic number is 70. It has 10 electrons and 103 neutrons. It was discovered in 1878 by Carl Gustaf Monsander, a Swedish chemist. What is up with all the Swedish chemist?! I guess that was the place to be to discover cool elements. Can I ask you guys something? Don't you think the name is awesome?! I sure do! Well, this awesomely named element got it's name from the town it was discovered in, Ytterby, Sweden. 

       What does this element used for exactly? Well, its used portable x-ray machine. Hmm where have we heard that before? Does anyone know? (it was also a use for thulium) CORRECT! It's also used as fiber in optic cables and it creates color in glasses. I chose Ytterbium because it's just so much fun to say! It has such an awesome name!! YTTERBIUM!! 

a ytterbium coin! 

      Last on out element journey is.. (drum roll please).. RADON!

Radon has an atomic number of 86. It has 136 neutrons and 86 electrons. It was discovered in 1900 by Friedrich Ernst Dorn. Oh my gosh, HE IS FORM GERMANY AND NOT FROM SWEDEN! So there's a good and bad to come out of that, the good is that not all elements were made in Sweden, and the bad is that Justin Bieber won't know where that is. 





     Radon is a radioactive gas. It is a huge cause for lung cancer. Radon, not the nicest element. It's also really bad if you get it in your house. Sometimes radon seeps through the floors of your house and it has to be cleaned out immediately. It can be found in rocks, soil, water, some building material, and natural gas. Man, radon is just not nice at ALL! Even if it's not nice it is a cool element. I chose it because it looked like it would be cool, and it is! 





     Those were my four elements! 4 down, 114 to go! If you want to know some more about the elements we talked about today click... 
HERE!! RIGHT HERE! OVER HERE!  HERE! 
We can save that for another day. That's all for now! Bye fellow people! Science Fun:)