Vial's Periodical Periodicals: Tellurium (52)

Tellurium
Atomic Number: 52
Atomic Weight: 172
Element Group:  Metalloid
Phase at Room Temperature:  Solid


I am a rathar meestical eleement. For starters, I vas deescovered in Transylvania by zee Romanian Franz Joseph Müller von Reichenstein. Reichenstein thought he vas extracting Anteemony [Antimony (51)] from a Gould [Gold (79)] compound, but it torned out to be mee! Mwhahahah! Hahaha*cough* *gasp* Pardone me. Anyvay, it vas heeden by Father Time for over seexteen years, adding to my air of meestary, vuntil I vas redeescovered by a German cheemist. He geenerously gave the credeet of my unveiling to Reichenstein. 

Now lets geet down to zee more eenteresting facts. 

I have a meestical, verewolvfish property that I share vith Selenium (34), a close couseen of mine. Normally, I am a semi-conducter, but vhen I am exposed to sunlight, my conducteeveety is slightly eencreased. Also, if humans eenhale even zee tiniest amount of me in zee air, they veel have vithering garleec breath for several dayz. 

Zat eez all I have time for... for now! *yanks cape in front of face* I must geet back to my dubious planz to geev zee eentire vorld reevoltingly odored breath! Mwahahahah!!!

Vial's Periodic Periodicals: Technetium (43)

Technetium
Atomic Number: 43
Atomic Weight: 98
Element Group:  Transition Metals
Phase at Room Temperature:  Solid


I didn't really want to write this 'cause I'm really uncomfortable telling other people about myself, but Vial persuaded me to do it anyway. You see, the Periodic Table is divided into two main sections; anything past Bismuth (83) is radioactive, and any element before it is stable. But I sit in the middle of some of the most stable, reliable elements, and yet I am radioactive. Yes, I am a synthetically produced, radioactive element that is not found in nature.


During the mid to late 1800s, scientists were searching for the element that occupied an empty spot on the Periodic Table; me. Many chemists were confused as they sifted through minerals containing my elemental neighbors while I remained undiscovered. This was because I don't occur naturally. Several times chemists claimed they had discovered me, but they were all wrong. Names suggested by these chemists were ilmenium, pelopium, davyum, lucium, nipponium and masurium. Finally, Emilio Serge discovered me in the aftermath of an experiment involving a cyclotron. His friend, Ernest Lawrence, mailed him some Molybdenum (42) foil used in the cyclotron after Serge persuaded him to do so. Serge found some of my illusive atoms in the foil, which had been created as a side-effect of an atomic bombardment.

 I get my name, technetium, from a Greek word for artificial.

Although my Periodic neighbors shun me for my out-of-place radioactivity, I am used frequently in the hospital. When a patient is suspected of having bone cancer, they are injected with a highly radioactive isotope of me. I immediately go to the bones in their body where I am detected and form an image which can show areas of recent bone growth. Because this isotope is so violently radioactive, nurses move me on carts lined with Lead (82) shields and push me along with a long handle.

Although this may startle patients who are about to be injected with a chemical their nurse is trying so hard to avoid, there is a reasonable explanation. You may only be injected and exposed to me once in your entire life, but nurses handle me every day and must avoid accumulating lethal doses of radiation.

So the next time you have bone cancer and need to be injected with a dangerous chemical, you can think of me.

Vial's Periodical Periodicals: Phosphorus (15)

Phosphorus
Atomic Number: 15
Atomic Weight: 30.9
Element Group:  Non-Metals
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid

My name comes from the Greek word for light; phosphoros. I have three different personalities or allotropes which are white, black and red. In my white form I am an insidious creature. I explode or ignite when I come in contact with Oxygen in the air and am extremely toxic. Thankfully, when I’m in my violent white form and am exposed to sunlight, I morph into my more docile red form, which doesn’t not spontaneously ignite. However, I revert to my white state with friction. Because of this, my red form is used in matches. When you strike a match, I morph from red to white and react with the Oxygen in the air. My black state is inert and relatively useless.

I am proud to say that I am the first element to truly be discovered. In 1669, Hennig Brand discovered me after boiling down gallons and gallons of urine. I’m not so proud of that. Although gold and iron have been known for eons, I was the first element to have a documented discoverer.

Even though you don’t think about me every day, you use me constantly. I actually help you be… you. If I suddenly disappeared, your DNA would fall apart and cell replication would be impossible. I am an essential component in your DNA and help  to make new cells to keep you alive for longer.

Although one of my forms can be a bit nasty, I am still an vital component of you humans on an atomic level. All three of me hope you’ve learned to appreciate element 15 a little bit more. 

Vial's Periodic Periodicals: Gallium (31)

Gallium
Atomic Number: 31
Atomic Weight: 70
Element Group:  Post-Transition Metals
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid

If you've ever wanted to hold or play with Mercury (80), you were probably stopped by your chemistry teacher, mom or anyone else who knew that Mercury was insidiously poisonous. Thankfully, I'm here to fulfil your desires to play with a liquid metal. Although I am a solid silvery metal at room temperature, (25 degrees C, 77 degrees F) I melt at 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that if you hold me in your hand, I will melt, making me one of - if not the only - liquid metal you can hold without boiling your hand away or poisoning yourself. Like water, I expand when I freeze, something that also excludes me from most of the Periodic Table.  

Because I melt at a very low temperature, I can be used to play a wonderful prank on friends. Simply make a spoon out of me and give it to a guest to stir their tea. Their hot beverage with "dissolve" their utensil and probably deter them from ever drinking something at your house again. The pool of metal in the bottom of their drink can be recovered (I don't easily bond with molecules around me) and recast for another prank. 

In 1871, Dmitri Mendeleev predicted that I existed and even deduced my would-be properties. Mendeleev was the creator of the modern Periodic Table, although other chemists and scientists had created others before him. The one thing different about Mendeleev is that he realized that some elements hadn't been discovered and that they would need a space on the Table. By creating columns of elements with similar attributes, he predicted the properties of the "holes" in the chart based on which column they lay in. I was one of those elements. 

On a duller note, I am named after France, where is was first discovered. France's old name in Roman times was Gaul; therefore, Gallium.

In regards to Vial, I thank him and hope that he will find this short autobiography satisfactory and post in on the internet.

Vial's Periodic Periodicals: Sulfur (16)

Sulfur
Atomic Number: 16
Atomic Weight: 32
Element Group:  Non-Metals
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid

 I may be known for my smelly nature, but this is slight misconception. Quite the contrary, I'm a likable kid. I'm not a boring grey metal like most elements; no, nothing so commonplace. I am a fragile yellow non-metal, and the tenth most abundant element in the universe. I come in three delicious flavors (allotropes) : orthorhombic, monoclinic and amorphous

It's really other elements that make me stink. Hydrogen sulfide, a compound common near geysers and geothermic vents, smells like rotten eggs. Although I try to stay away from Hydrogen (1) because of this, we are both some of the most common elements in the universe. 

Even though you might not like my smell when I mix with other elements, I'm almost essential for your body to function (assuming you're a human reading this). I strengthen the keratin in humans' hair and fingernails. I'm a component in necessary vitamins. 

I also thank Antoine Lavoisier for proving to the scientific community in 1777 that was an element, not a compound. 

---

Don't know who Vial is? Wondering why he's posting on the Curious Robot? Read about him and his friend Vine here.

Vial's Periodical Periodicals: Caesium (55)

Caesium
Atomic Number: 55
Atomic Weight: 132
Element Group:  Alkali Metals
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid

Like my other cousins, the Alkali Metals, I am a violent, harsh and strange metal, and I'm not afraid to admit it, either! 

I am the softest of all metals, but that doesn't mean I have a soft personality. Not only do I ignite when I come in contact with air, but I also vehemently explode when I'm tossed into a pool of water. This is because me and Oxygen (8) don't get along at all (he's the one that started it! I was minding my own business when...).

I'm also proud to say that I have the lowest melting and boiling point of any other metal (besides that wonky misfit of a metal, Mercury, that lives over in the Transition Metals). My beautiful yellow shiny color rivals that of Gold (79), and I am also relatively rare. Unfortunately my enemy Oxygen (8) dulls my hue.

So maybe some day I might reach my true potential when you humans start wearing Caesium jewelery - even though I would rather pursue a more violent career in bombs - and "room temperature" changes to allow me to be a miraculous metallic liquid.

Vial's Periodical Periodicals: Selenium (34)

Vial is a chemist that receives letters from some of the elements on the Periodic Table and posts them on this blog.

  Selenium
Atomic Number: 34
Atomic Weight: 79
Element Group:  Non-Metal
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid

I am a truly surreal element, what with my properties being absolutely science-fictional and all! 

 As you probably know, most metals conduct electricity, that's why you use copper wire in your telephones and other electronic devices. If you hold my in a dark closet I'll conduct electricity as well as a rock will conduct a train, but bring my out into broad daylight and a miracle will take place. I will convert from a non-conductive material into a conductive material! This property is used in electronics that detect or respond to light.

I can also produce electricity from sunlight, and so I'm applied in solar panels and other like products.

Thank you for your time, it was truly wonderful!

Vial's Periodical Periodicals: Radon (86)

 Radon
Atomic Number: 86
Atomic Weight: 222
Element Group:  Noble Gasses
Sub-group: Rare Elements
Phase at Room Temperature: Gas

I belong to the right-most column of elements on the Periodic Table; the Noble Gasses. Unfortunately, I'm the least noble of all the noble gasses! For one, I form compounds (molecules) with other elements, a practice that is repulsive to other Noble Gasses. 

Also, I am the only radioactive gas yet discovered. Radioactivity takes place when my unstable atoms give off particles that are harmful to human, animal, and plant genomes and cells. In the process of giving off that particle, that atom undergoes an alchemical process; it changes into another element! So, after a few days, a small quantity of me will literally disappear into thin air. 

When Uranium (92) deep inside granite gives off its radioactive particle, it will eventually convert into me. Because there is Uranium (92) and Thorium (90) in granite under basements, I can seep up through basement floors, causing lung cancer and other health complications in those who breathe me into their lungs and expose their alveoli to my harmful particles. 

During the beginning and middle of the last century, people believed that newly discovered radiation was a spectacular treatment for any ailment. Many radioactive hot springs were heated by rocks containing Uranium (92) and Thorium (90). Because of that, the steam and atmosphere around the hot springs was heavily laden with my gasses.

I also belong to the "Rare Elements" sub-group. This group contains Polonium (84), Astatine (85), Xenon (54), Krypton (36), and Radon (86), myself. Ironically, I am the most common (in fact, I'm quite common indeed) element in this group!

I may be "the odd one out" in two different element groups and a nasty house guest, but I am the only radioactive gas, an amazing accomplishment!

Vial's Periodical Periodicals: Iodine (53)

Iodine
Atomic Number: 53
Atomic Weight: 126.9
Element Group:  Halogens
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid

I may be a dull gray solid at room temperature, but if you heat me up just a little bit, I will sublimate into a fantastic purple vapor. (Sublimation is when a solid goes strait from solid to gas without first melting into a liquid.)

Your body (assuming you're a human) uses small amounts of me to help develop itself mentally and physically.  Without me, the babies of pregnant women can develop physical disabilities and mental diseases. That's why I'm added to salt. 

Another interesting aspect of my chemical makeup is my reaction with starch. When I come in contact with it I turn a deep blue.

Vial's Periodical Periodicals: Argon (18)

Argon

Atomic Number: 18
Atomic Weight: 39.948 
Element Group:  Noble Gasses
Phase at Room Temperature: Gas
 

I am most well known for my inert behavior,  although my cousins the Noble Gasses are all nonreactive and lazy.

But I am the laziest and most nonreactive. I’m not even a heat conductor, and because of this I am put between glass panes for windows to keep the cold out. I’m also used as an inert atmosphere in incandescent light bulbs to keep Oxygen (8) from eroding the hot filament. Arc welding is also one of my employers.

Like a few of my cousins, I have one compound with energetic Fluorine (9) and kingly Hydrogen (1); argon fluorohydride.

I am sleepy, lazy, nonreactive and inert. And that’s the way I like it.

Vial's Periodical Periodicals: Mercury (80)

Mercury
Atomic Number: 80
Atomic Weight: 200.59
Element Group:  Transition Metals
Sub-Group: Assassin's Ally
Phase at Room Temperature: Liquid

I’m probably the most interesting element, yet no one likes me because of my deadly nature! I melt at -37 degrees F, which means I’m a metallic, slippery liquid at room temperature, a remarkable elemental feat. Unfortunately, I give off deadly vapors, and contact with me can lead to insanity. Hat makers used to use me when they made their product, and from their mental demise came the term “Mad Hatter”.

Miners once found a cave in Spain where I dripped from the walls. The unwitting miners filled bath tubs with my atoms and floated on the surface. Because I’m a heavy metal like regular metals, lead, cue balls, and even humans float neatly on my surface. Although I am truly remarkable, I'm part of the gang of elements in the "Assassin's Alley*". You can find me and my murderous brethren near the lower right hand side of the Periodic Table. 

I do wish I wasn’t so poisonous, then people would like me more and would be able to admire my amazing talents!

*The term "Assassin's Alley" isn't universally recognized.

  The Assassin's Alley has its name because the elements located there are highly poisonous or toxic. It loosely consists of Mercury (80), Thallium (81), Cadmium (48), Lead (82), Polonium (84) and Astatine (85), all of which can kill or poison human bodies.

Vial's Periodical Periodicals: Hydrogen (1)

Periodically, I will be doing posts which deal specifically with an element from the Periodic Table of Elements (pun possibly intended). They will be in first person, as if the element is telling us about itself. So let's start at the beginning; the very first element: Hydrogen.



Hydrogen  
Atomic Number: 1
Atomic Weight: 1.007
Element Group: Non-Metals
Phase at Room Temperature: Gas

I should be the king of all elements. Not only am I very first element on the Periodic Table, but I'm also the most abundant element in the entire universe. And speaking of the universe, I am what keep stars alive. Those heavenly bodies crush my atoms together to form Helium (2), in the process emitting massive amounts of energy. I am their power source and I keep them from burning out. 1st place for the lightest element goes to me. I'm much lighter then other elements, such as the super heavy Lawrencium (103). Although Bromine (35) argues for kingship because of his royal heritage, but the crown of leadership belongs to me. Even though I have many useful assets, my one weakness is fire. Fill a balloon with me and put a match to it, and BOOM! I'll make your eyebrows disappear.