Fun Facts 6

And we keep on going...

• Titanium (Ti, #22) dioxide is the most common white pigment (coloring agent). It's found in paint, paper, ink, plastics, makeup, and even toothpaste!
• Wire made of alloys (mixtures) of niobium (Nb, #41) and some other metals become superconducting when cooled to very low temperatures (-450^oF!). This means that an electrical current continues to flow through the wires even when the power if turned off! This kind of wire is used to make magnets for MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) instruments which allow doctors to "see" inside the body.
• Various compounds of ruthenium (Ru, #44) are used to make solar-energy cells.
• The element lawrencium (Lr, #103) was named after Ernest Lawrence, an American physicist (originally from South Dakota) who invented the cyclotron. A cyclotron is a device for giving atoms more energy by speeding them up.
• Another scientist named Ernest gave his name to rutherfordium (Rf, #104). Ernest Rutherford was from New Zealand, and he studied radiation. It's funny that two men with the same first name have adjoining elements (#103 and #104)!
• In the 1940's, spark plugs made with the element polonium (Po, #84) were sold. It was claimed that the radioactive polonium made better sparks, but it's not clear that they were much better than regular spark plugs.
• The element samarium (Sm, #62) can be used to treat cancer.
• If you're exposed to the element tellurium (Te, #52), your breath may begin to smell like garlic!
• The red lasers used for pointers or in supermarket scanners contain neon (Ne, #10) along with helium.
• An atom of the element cobalt (Co, #27) is found in every molecule of vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin.