CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY
thallium → talij
Thallium was discovered by Sir William Crookes (England) in 1861. The origin of the name comes from the Greek word thallos meaning green twig or green shoot. It is soft grey metal that looks like lead. Tarnishes in moist air. Reacts in heated moist air and in acids. Compounds highly toxic by inhalation or ingestion. Cumulative effects. Thallium is found in iron pyrites. Also in crookesite, hutchinsonite and lorandite. Most is recovered from the by-products of lead and zinc refining. Its compounds are used in rat and ant poisons. Also for detecting infrared radiation.
tin → kositar
Tin has been known since ancient times. The origin of the name comes from the Latin word stannum meaning tin. It is silvery-white, soft, malleable and ductile metal. Exposed surfaces form oxide film. Resists oxygen and water. Dissolves in acids and bases. Organic tin compounds may be highly toxic. Tin is principally found in the ore cassiterite (SnO2) and stannine (Cu2FeSnS4). Used as a coating for steel cans since it is non-toxic and non-corrosive. Also in solder (33 %Sn:67 %Pb), bronze (20 %Sn:80 %Cu) and pewter. Stannous fluoride (SnF2), a compound of tin and fluorine is used in some toothpaste.
titanium → titanij
Titanium was discovered by William Gregor (England) in 1791. Named after the Titans, the sons of the Earth goddess in Greek mythology. It is shiny, dark-grey metal. Powdered form burns in air. Exposed surfaces form oxide coating. It can be highly polished and is relatively immune to tarnishing. Unreactive with alkali and most acids. Titanium usually occurs in the minerals ilmenite (FeTiO3), rutile (TiO2) and iron ores. Pure metal produced by heating TiO2 with C and Cl2 to produce TiCl4 then heated with Mg gas in Ar atmosphere. Since it is strong and resists acids it is used in many alloys. Titanium dioxide (TiO2), a white pigment that covers surfaces very well, is used in paint, rubber, paper and many others.
tungsten → volfram
Tungsten was discovered by Fausto and Juan Jose de Elhuyar (Spain) in 1783. Named after the tungsten mineral wolframite. It is hard, steel-grey to white metal. Highest melting point of all metals. Resists oxygen, acids and alkalis. Tungsten occurs in the minerals scheelite (CaWO4) and wolframite [(Fe,Mn)WO4]. Made into filaments for vacuum tubes and electric lights. Also as contact points in cars. Tungsten carbide is extremely hard and is used for making cutting tools and abrasives.
uranium → uranij
Uranium was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth (Germany) in 1789. Named after the planet Uranus. It is silvery-white, dense, ductile, malleable, radioactive metal. Resists alkalis; tarnishes in air; attacked by steam and acids. Radiotoxic. Uranium occurs in many rocks, but in large amounts only in such minerals as pitchblende and carnotite. For many centuries it was used as a pigment for glass. Now it is used as a fuel in nuclear reactors and in bombs.
vanadium → vanadij
Vanadium was discovered by A. M. del Rio (Spain) in 1801 and rediscovered by Nils Sefstrom (Sweden) in 1830. Named after Vanadis, the goddess of beauty in Scandinavian mythology. It is soft, ductile, silvery-white metal. Resistant to corrosion by moisture, air and most acids and alkalis at room temperature. Exposed surfaces form oxide coating. Reacts with concentrated acids. Vanadium is found in the minerals patronite (VS4), vanadinite [Pb5(VO4)3Cl] and carnotite [K2(UO2)2(VO4)2·3H2O]. Pure metal produced by heating with C and Cl to produce VCl3 which is heated with Mg in Ar atmosphere. It is mixed with other metals to make very strong and durable alloys. Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) is used as a catalyst, dye and fixer-fixer.
zinc → cink
Zinc was discovered by Andreas Marggraf (Germany) in 1746. The origin of the name comes from the German word zink. It is bluish-silver, ductile metal. Reacts with alkalis and acids. Tarnishes in air. Zinc is found in the minerals zinc blende (sphalerite) (ZnS), calamine, franklinite, smithsonite (ZnCO3), willemite and zincite (ZnO). Used to coat other metal (galvanizing) to protect them from rusting. Although some 90 % of the zinc is used for galvanizing steel. Zinc metal is used in the common dry-cell battery. Also used in alloys such as brass, bronze. Zinc compounds are also used in the manufacture of paints, cosmetics, plastics, electronic devices, and other products.
zirconium → cirkonij
Zirconium was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth (Germany) in 1789. The origin of the name comes from the Arabic word zargun meaning gold colour. It is grey-white, lustrous, corrosion-resistant metal. Exposed surfaces form oxide protective film. Zirconium is found in many minerals such as zircon and baddeleyite. Used in alloys such as zircaloy this is used in nuclear applications since it does not readily absorb neutrons. Also baddeleyite is used in lab crucibles. Used in high-performance pumps and valves. Clear zircon (ZrSiO4) is a popular gemstone.
Citing this page:
Generalic, Eni. "Ruda." Croatian-English Chemistry Dictionary & Glossary. 29 June 2022. KTF-Split. {Date of access}. <https://glossary.periodni.com>.
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