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Questions tagged [elements]

A pure chemical substance consisting of a unique type of atom with a distinguished by its atomic mass.

As defined in IUPAC Gold Book ("element" is equivalent to "chemical equivalent")

  1. A species of atoms; all atoms with the same number of protons in the atomic nucleus
  2. A pure chemical substance composed of atoms with the same number of protons in the atomic nucleus. Sometimes this concept is called the elementary substance as distinct from the chemical element as defined under 1, but mostly the term chemical element is used for both concepts.
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Why do people often capitalize element names?

According to IUPAC rules, names of chemical elements should not be capitalized. See Wikipedia’s take on the issue: According to IUPAC, chemical elements are not proper nouns in English; consequently, the full name of an element is not routinely…
F'x
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Elements which do not form oxides

I had thought that this question would be easy to answer but my searching has been unsuccessful in finding a clear answer. For the metals, I expect that they all form oxides. Some very readily, e.g. sodium and magnesium, and some reluctantly,…
badjohn
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Is astatine a non-metal or a metalloid?

Is astatine a non-metal or a metalloid? A metalloid is an element which exhibits some of the properties of a metal as well as those of a non metal.
HOLYBIBLETHE
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Why are potassium organic salts ever preferable to the sodium equivalents?

$\ce{KOH}$, $\ce{KCN}$, $\ce{KNO3}$, $\ce{K2CO3}$, and plenty of other potassium salts are frequently used in industry. But, as far as I can see, the sodium equivalents are also widely used, often interchangeably. Since Na weighs only 60% of K it…
feetwet
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Element Song, updated with 118 names?

Tom Lehrer’s The Elements song (listen) mentions all elements up to Nobelium, and ends with the appology These are the only ones of which the news has come to Harvard, And there may be many others, but they haven't been discovered. Now that’s a…
JDługosz
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Hill's system alphabetizes elements symbol or name?

Take monosodium glutamate. Its chemical formula is $$\ce{C5H8NO4Na or C5H8NNaO4}$$ First way nitrogen, oxygen, sodium, with is in order of element's name. Second way, N, Na, O, in order of element's symbol. Have seen it both ways, hoping someone…
québec18
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Naming of elements 113, 115, 117, and 118

Does anyone know of a blog, website, news server, or listserv to which one may subscribe to be notified when these elements get their official names?
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Something denser than lead but with lead like properties?

I read that tungsten is 1.8 times more dense than lead. What other elements are denser than lead but safe to handle. I want something that will fit under the keys of my computer keyboard so my pinky doesn't have to press so hard on the key.
Mr. Manager
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Except pure alloys, are there any compounds with more metal elements proportion of atoms than nonmetal elements in proportion of atoms?

Except pure alloys, are there any compounds with more metal elements in proportion of atoms than nonmetal elements in proportion of atoms? For example, Aluminium oxide has 2 metal elements & 3 nonmetal elements. Do we have a compound with X metal…
user2986288
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What is the reason behind the characteristic colours of elements?

I've been trying to find out about this for some time now and when I searched online, I couldn't get any proper reasons. My question is: What is the reason for the characteristic colours of elements? For eg: Why does Sodium have a characteristic…
Siddharth Menon
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Why elements with high atomic mass (like tungsten) are used in the production of X-rays, in the Cathode-Ray Tube?

I was studying about the production of X-rays, and was struck at how elements having high atomic mass (like tungsten) are used for the production of high energy X-rays. I am wondering why low atomic mass elements are not used for the production of…
user33632
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Technecium and Technetium

Was technecium "recently" renamed technetium in English? I know when I formally studied chemistry (in the USA) that earth, air, water and fire were on the periodic table, but I really remember the element as being technecium.
MaxW
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Can rays be considered a type of "element"?

First of all, I hardly know any chemistry, so let's get that out of the way. I have been wondering lately, from a "common sense" point of view (owing to my lack of knowledge), that since air cannot be seen and yet is considered as being made up of…
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Metallic properties of iodine

Why does iodine exhibit metallic properties at room temperature although being a non-metal? Are there any similar elements like this?
Zafer Cesur
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Non-standard source of lead?

Is there a way to get lead cheaply from local sources? I can buy ingots off eBay and there is a non-ferrous metal supplier I know who sells it for $12 for 5 pounds, but the shipping is nuts. I considered salvaging lead from a battery, but apparently…
Shaka Boom
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