All About Alloys

There are some familiar metals that are actually mixtures of several different types of metals - they are called alloys (AL-oise). Here are a few you've probably heard of (and some that are likely new to you):

• Steel: mixture of iron and one or more other metals (there will be a separate post about steel later)
• Brass (copper and zinc): a shiny yellow metal that looks a little like gold
• Bronze (copper and tin): a dark gold to brown metal that gets darker in color as it ages
• Pewter (copper, tin, and lead): a dark gray metal used for bowls, flatware, jewelry and other decorative items
• Solder (lead and usually tin): an alloy that melts at a relatively low temperature; used to make electrical circuits
• Nitinol (nickel and titanium): this alloy remembers its original shape; used to make eyeglass frames
• Electrum (gold and silver): also known as white gold; used in jewelry
• Alnico (aluminum, nickel, and copper): used to make magnets
• Amalgam (silver, tin, copper, zinc, and mercury): a soft alloy that has been used to fill dental cavities
• Nichrome (nickel and chromium): an alloy that glows orange-red and gives off heat when an electrical current is passed through it; used in toasters and electric burners

Take a look around your house and see how many examples of alloys you can find!

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.