Element In a Period 3

Sodium
Sodium is a mineral that your body must have in order to function properly. The
primary source of dietary sodium is sodium chloride, or salt, more than threequarters of which comes from processed foods. Although sodium is vital to a
number of routine body functions, too much can have adverse effects,
particularly for people who are sensitive to sodium. Excessive sodium can cause
hypertension, which in turn can lead to other health problems.

Magnesium
A balance of magnesium is vital to the well-being of all organisms. Magnesium is
a relatively abundant ion in Earth's crust and mantle and is highly bioavailable in
the hydrosphere. This availability, in combination with a useful and very unusual
chemistry, may have led to its usefulness in evolution as an ion for signaling,
enzyme activation, and catalysis. However, the unusual nature of ionic
magnesium has also led to a major challenge in the use of the ion in biological
systems. Biological membranes are impermeable to magnesium (and other ions),
so transport proteins must facilitate the flow of magnesium, both into and out of
cells and intracellular compartments.

Aluminium
Aluminium is used in an enormous variety of products, due to its particular
properties. It has low density, is non-toxic, has a high thermal conductivity, has
excellent corrosion resistance, and can be easily cast, machined and formed. It is
also non-magnetic and non-sparking. It is the second most malleable metal and
the sixth most ductile. Alloys of aluminium with copper, manganese, magnesium
and silicon are of vital importance in the construction of all forms of transport,
especially aeroplanes. It is lightweight but tough, and is therefore widely used for
window frames, aircraft parts, engines, kegs, drinks cans, etc. After the First
World War it replaced tin as the metal in tin-foil - now known and widely used as
aluminium foil. The electrical conductivity of aluminium is about 60% that of
copper per unit area of cross-section, but weight for weight the low density of
aluminium makes it almost twice as good a conductor coupled with its cheaper
price it is therefore used in electrical transmission lines. Aluminium, when
evaporated in a vacuum, forms a highly reflective coating for both light and heat
which does not deteriorate as does a silver coating. These aluminium coatings
are used for telescope mirrors, in decorative paper, packages and toys, and have
many other uses. The most abundant of metals, a lot of energy is needed to
extract it from its ores: however, this is worthwhile because it does not easily
corrode and is fairly easy to recycle.

Silicon
Silicon is one of the most useful elements to mankind. It is used extensively, as
the element, in solid-state devices in the computer and microelectronics
industries. For this, hyperpure silicon is needed, prepared by thermal
decomposition of ultra-pure trichlorosilane, followed by recrystalisation. The
silicon is then selectively doped with tiny controlled amounts of boron, gallium,
phosphorus or arsenic. Every year, 80,000 tonnes of semiconductor-grade silicon
and 8 million tonnes of ferro-silicon (including some metallurgy-grade silicon) are
produced for the steel and metallurgical industries. Granite and most other rocks
are complex silicates which we use for civil engineering projects. Sand (silicon
dioxide or silica) and clay (aluminium silicate) are used to make concrete and
cement. Sand is also the principal ingredient of glass, which has thousands of
uses. Silicon carbides are important abrasives and also used in lasers. Silicon, as
silicate, is present in pottery, enamels, and in high-temperature ceramics.

Phosphorus
White phosphorus is used in flares and incendiary devises. Red phosphorus is the
material, mixed with powdered glass, stuck on the side of boxes of safety
matches on which the matches must be struck to light them. However by far the
largest use of phosphorus is for fertilisers, mainly in the form of ammonium
phosphate they are manufactured from phosphate ores by conversion into
phosphoric acids with contaminated calcium sulfate as an unusable waste
product. Phosphorus is also important in the production of steel. Phosphates are
ingredients of some detergents, but are increasingly being omitted nowadays due
to concern that high phosphate levels in natural water supplies cause the growth
of undesirable algae. Phosphates are also used in the production of special
glasses and fine chinaware.

Sulphur
Sulfur is mostly used in the production of sulfuric acid, which is perhaps the most
important chemical manufactured by western civilisations. The most important of
sulfuric acids many uses is in the extraction of phosphate for fertiliser. Sulfur is
used in the vulcanisation of black rubber, as a fungicide and in black gunpowder.
Sulfites are used to bleach paper and as preservatives for many foodstuffs. Many
surfactants and detergents are sulfate derivatives. Calcium sulfate, gypsum, is
mined on the scale of 100 million tons each year for use in cement and plaster.

Chlorine
Chlorine gas is made on a large scale from salt (sodium chloride). It is used to
sterilise drinking water, to disinfect swimming pools and in the manufacture of
many consumer products such as paper, dyestuffs, textiles, petroleum products,
medicines, antiseptics, insecticides, foodstuffs, solvents, paints and plastics,
especially PVC. It is also used to produce bleaches, chlorates, chloroform, carbon
tetrachloride and bromine. A further substantial use for this element is in organic
chemistry, both as an oxidising agent and in substitution reactions. As the free
element it is very poisonous and was used as a chemical weapon during the First
World War.

Argon
Argon is obtained commercially from liquid air. It is used in electric light bulbs and
fluorescent tubes at a pressure of about 3 mm. Industrially it is used as an inert
gas shield for arc welding, and as a blanket for the production of titanium and
other reactive elements.

Transition Element
Scandium
Scandium is mainly used for research purposes, although scandium iodide is
added to mercury vapour lamps to produce a highly efficient light source
resembling sunlight, which is important for indoor lighting and night-time colour
television screens. The radioactive isotope 46Sc is used as a tracing agent in
refinery crackers for crude oil. However, the potential for scandium is great
because it has almost as low a density as aluminium and has a much higher
melting point, so it has attracted the interest of spacecraft designers.

Titanium
Titanium is as strong as steel but much less dense. It is therefore important as an
alloying agent with many metals including aluminium, molybdenum and iron.
These alloys are principally used in aircraft and missiles as they are materials
which have low density yet can withstand extremes of temperature. Titanium also
has potential use in desalination plants which convert sea water to fresh water.
The metal has excellent resistance to sea water, and so is used to protect the

hulls of ships, and other structures exposed to sea water. However, the largest
use of titanium is in the form of titanium(IV) oxide, which is extensively used in
both house paint and artists paint. Titanium dioxide is more important
commercially because of this beautiful white material's excellent covering power
in paints. Also it is a good reflector of infrared radiation and so is used in solar
observatories where heat causes poor visibility.

Chromium
Chromium is used to harden steel, to manufacture stainless steel (named as it
wont rust) and to produce several alloys. It is also used in plating as it prevents
corrosion and gives a high-lustre finish. It is also used as a catalyst. Chromium
compounds are valued as pigments for their vivid green, yellow, red and orange
colours. The ruby takes its colour from chromium, and chromium added to glass
imparts an emerald green colour.

Manganese
Manganese is used to form many important alloys. It gives steel a hard yet pliant
quality, and with aluminium and antimony it forms highly ferromagnetic alloys.
Manganese(IV) oxide is used as a depolariser in dry cells, and to decolourise
glass - which is coloured green by iron impurities. Manganese(II) oxide is a
powerful oxidising agent and is used in quantitative analysis.

Iron
Iron is the most useful of all metals. It is also the cheapest available metal. Most
is used to manufacture steel, used in civil engineering (reinforce concrete, girders
etc.) and in manufacturing. Ordinary carbon steel is an alloy of iron with carbon
(from 0.1% for mild steel up to 2% for high carbon steels), with small amounts of
other elements. Alloy steels are carbon steels with other additives such as nickel
and chromium. Wrought iron is iron containing a very small amount of carbon,
and is tough, malleable and less fusible than pure iron. Pig iron is impure iron
coming directly from the blast furnace containing about 3% carbon with varying
amounts of sulfur, silicon, manganese and phosphorus. It is hard, brittle, fairly
fusible and is used to produce other alloys including steel. Magnets can be made
of iron and its alloys and compounds.

PERIODIC TABLE
OF ELEMENT
ARVIND RAJ A/L KRISHNAMOORTHI

980205-01-6329
4 GAHARU