1. Elements 2
Beryllium
Although emeralds and beryl were known to ancient civilizations, they were first
recognized as the same mineral (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) by Abbé Haüy in 1798. Later that
year, Louis-Nicholas Vauquelin, a French chemist, discovered that an unknown
element was present in emeralds and beryl. Attempts to isolate the new element
finally succeeded in 1828 when two chemists, Friedrich Wölhler of Germany and A.
Bussy of France, independently produced beryllium by reducing beryllium chloride
(BeCl2) with potassium in a platinum crucible. Today, beryllium is primarily
obtained from the minerals beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) and bertrandite (4BeO·2SiO2·H2O)
through a chemical process or through the electrolysis of a mixture of molten
beryllium chloride (BeCl2) and sodium chloride (NaCl).
Beryllium is relatively transparent to X-rays and is used to make windows for X-ray
tubes. When exposed to alpha particles, such as those emitted
by radium or polonium, beryllium emits neutrons and is used as a neutron source.
Beryllium is also used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.
Beryllium is alloyed with copper (2% beryllium, 98% copper) to form a wear
resistant material, known as beryllium bronze, used in gyroscopes and other devices
where wear resistance is important. Beryllium is alloyed with nickel (2% beryllium,
98% nickel) to make springs, spot-welding electrodes and non-sparking tools. Other
beryllium alloys are used in the windshield, brake disks and other structural
components of the space shuttle.
When was beryllium first successfully isolated?
What is one use of the element beryllium?
What element is alloyed with beryllium to form beryllium bronze?
Boron
Boron was discovered by Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis-Jaques Thénard,
French chemists, and independently by Sir Humphry Davy, an English chemist, in
1808. They all isolated boron by combining boric acid (H3BO3) with potassium.
Today, boron is obtained by heating borax (Na2B4O7·10H2O) with carbon, although
other methods are used if high-purity boron is required.
Boron is used in pyrotechnics and flares to produce a green color. Boron has also
been used in some rockets as an ignition source. Boron-10, one of the naturally
occurring isotopes of boron, is a good absorber of neutrons and is used in the

2. control rods of nuclear reactors, as a radiation shield and as a neutron detector.
Boron filaments are used in the aerospace industry because of their high-strength
and lightweight.
Boron forms several commercially important compounds. The most important
boron compound is sodium borate pentahydrate (Na2B4O7·5H2O). Large amounts of
this compound are used in the manufacture of fiberglass insulation and sodium
perborate bleach. The second most important compound is boric acid (H3BO3),
which is used to manufacture textile fiberglass and is used in cellulose insulation as
a flame retardant. Sodium borate decahydrate (Na2B4O7·10H2O), better known as
borax, is the third most important boron compound. Borax is used in laundry
products and as a mild antiseptic. Other boron compounds are used to make
borosilicate glasses, enamels for covering steel and as a potential medicine for
treating arthritis.
What year was Boron discovered?
What color does boron flare when burned?
What are two uses of boron?
Carbon
Carbon, the sixth most abundant element in the universe, has been known since
ancient times. Carbon is most commonly obtained from coal deposits, although it
usually must be processed into a form suitable for commercial use. Three naturally
occurring allotropes of carbon are known to exist: amorphous, graphite and
diamond.
Amorphous carbon is formed when a material containing carbon is burned without
enough oxygen for it to burn completely. This black soot, also known as lampblack,
gas black, channel black or carbon black, is used to make inks, paints and rubber
products. It can also be pressed into shapes and is used to form the cores of most
dry cell batteries, among other things.
Graphite, one of the softest materials known, is a form of carbon that is primarily
used as a lubricant. Although it does occur naturally, most commercial graphite is
produced by treating petroleum coke, a black tar residue remaining after the
refinement of crude oil, in an oxygen-free oven. Naturally occurring graphite occurs
in two forms, alpha and beta. These two forms have identical physical properties but
different crystal structures. All artificially produced graphite is of the alpha type. In
addition to its use as a lubricant, graphite, in a form known as coke, is used in large
amounts in the production of steel. Coke is made by heating soft coal in an oven
without allowing oxygen to mix with it. Although commonly called lead, the black
material used in pencils is actually graphite.

3. Diamond, the third naturally occurring form of carbon, is one of the hardest
substances known. Although naturally occurring diamond is typically used for
jewelry, most commercial quality diamonds are artificially produced. These small
diamonds are made by squeezing graphite under high temperatures and pressures
for several days or weeks and are primarily used to make things like diamond
tipped saw blades. Although they posses very different physical properties, graphite
and diamond differ only in their crystal structure.
Fill in the blank: “Carbon is the _____ most abundant element”.
T/F: Carbon was discovered in the late 19th century.
How is amorphous carbon formed?
What is one use of carbon?
Creative Writing:
One of the elements we learned about today is carbon which makes up much of the
organic matter we see around us. It is the backbone of many organic structures and
life would be impossible without it. If carbon were a person that you know, who
would it be and why?