Since for the last two weeks I forgot to complete my current
events I decided to make this blog post 2 in 1. I have decided to write about
the two of my favorite elements from the periodic table. Gold and Selenium. I
really do not know why I like selenium but I guess I just love the sound of it.
I really like gold because it is shinny and I love shinny! Anyway the first
element, gold will be like the first current event and the second element
selenium will be the second blog post!
Gold:
On the periodic table of elements gold is represented by the
symbol 'Au'. 'Au' is a symbol from a
Latin word, aurum. Ancient Greeks fell in love with its yellowness and
named it after aurum which means ‘light of dawn’. Gold’s atomic number is 79 and
its atomic mass is 196. Because the atomic number is 79 it means that it has 79
protons and electrons. Then we subtract the atomic number from the atomic mass
to get the number of neutrons, 117. Gold is part of group 7 on the periodic
table along with, cooper, silver and uninunium. Gold has a very high melting
point, which is 1064 degrees C. Gold is a very dense and heavy element. There
are 21 isotopes of gold. On the periodic table we refer to gold as AU-197,
which is a stable element. Gold is usually found in free form but can also be
found as a compound form with silver, quartz, lead, tellurium, copper, zinc and
calcite. Gold can also be found in sea water. ‘Rescuing’ gold from sea is not
yet ‘approved’ because of such high cost and scientists are worried that it
would not be worth it. Gold is considered to be one of the most valuable
elements on earth. Most man and women on this earth crave gold. People wish to
own it in any state. Liquid or solid gold has many admirers all around the
world. People throughout many civilizations have wanted gold but couldn’t have
it. Gold is bendable and able to attract heat. It can be shaped any way we
want, stretched to make a thin wire or even pulled together. Gold can be stretched
apart to create sheets that are thinner than human hair. Its thickness could be
as small as 0.000127 millimeters. But we mostly use it to make jewelry. Gold is
a pure form, which means that it is soft. It can only be hardened if you add
other metals to it. When you add other metals, only then can it be created into
jewelry. Gold is such a boring but interesting element all at once. It is not
very rare but many people dream of having gold. I myself, do not own gold but
dream about having some.
Selenium:
Selenium is my second favorite element on the periodic table
of elements. Again I do not know why, but I really love the name. On the
periodic table Selenium is represented as SE. Its atomic number is 34 and the
atomic mass is 78. 34 is not only the atomic number but also the number of
protons and electrons. Then we take the atomic number and subtract it from the
atomic mass to get the number of neutrons which is, 45. (also my favorite number)
Selenium’s boiling point is at 220.5 degrees C. which is not as high as gold
but still too hot for us. Selenium is a Greek word for moon. Why? We don’t know.
Selenium is part of group 16 on the periodic table along with oxygen, sulphur, tellurium
and polonium. Their group is called part
of the nonmetallic elements. Selenium was put in their group because it is
similar to these elements in terms of forms and compounds. According to Anne Marie
Helmenstin “Selenium is used in xerography to copy documents and in
photographic toner. It is used in the glass industry to make ruby-red colored
glasses and enamels and to decolorize glass. It is used in photocells and light
meters. Because it can convert AC electricity to DC, it is widely used in
rectifiers. Selenium is a p-type semiconductor below its melting point, which
leads to many solid-state and electronics applications. Selenium is also used
as an additive to stainless steel.” If I was to put that paragraph into my own
words I would have to say that selenium is very useful in a glass industry. In
my opinion selenium is not one of the most important or outstanding elements on
the table but it did catch my eye.
Websites:
Gold- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/gold-the-element.html
Selenium- http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/a/selenium.htm
On Tuesday November 26th, World famous Bondi beach in Sydney's
blue ocean water has turned *crimson red! They are an algae called
noctiluca scintillans. 
This crimson red water was caused by recent hot weather and heavy
rainfalls in Sydney. This natural phenomenon also happened in the oceans
around California. Noctiluca scintillans causes skin rashes, eye
irritations, and the thick algae kills micro organisms and cause low
oxygen in the area, causing marine animals in the area to die. Except
for the skin rashes and eye irritations, they are no harm to humans. Fortunately, this phenomenon won't last that long. 
Even though during the day, it looks red and scary, but at night,
it glows electrical blue which normally should be dark. In California,
surfers uses this fascinating characteristic and surfs at night. But why
does it glow? The organisms become *bioluminescent caused by a chemical
reaction that happens when the organisms shove/push each other in the
ocean waves.
