Work Cited

Brown, Theodore. Chemistry: The Central Science. 1st. Chicago IL: Chicago Ink, 2001.
Chemistry. 1st. Chicago: Hawly Publishing, 2006.
Daintith, John. "Radium."Oxford Dictionary of Chemistry. 3. 1999
Edward L. Waterman , Michael S. Matta, Dennis D. Staley,, and Antony C. Wilbraham, . Prentice Hall
Hunt, Andrew. "Strontium Properties."Shaum's A-Z Chemistry. 1st. 2005.
Janice, Smith. "Calcium." Web Elements 26 Nov 2008 .
Strauss, Richard. "Chemical Properties of Calcium."Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary. 2nd. 2006Taylor,Rittens. "Calcium." Web Elements 12/15/2003 24 Nov 2008 .

Strontium

Strontium
Sr

Atomic number: 38

Atomic mass: 87.62 amu

Melting point: 769 degC

Boiling point: 1384 degC

Who discovered it?

Strontium was discovered in the lead mines of a Scottish village named Strontian in 1787. Adair Crawford recognized it as differing from other barium minerals in 1790. Strontium itself was discovered in 1798 by Thomas Charles Hope, and metallic strontium was first isolated by Sir Humphry Davy in 1808 using electrolysis and announced by him in a lecture to the Royal Society on 30th June 1808.

What are its general properties?

Strontium is a grey/silvery metal that is softer than calcium and even more reactive in water, with which strontium reacts on contact to produce strontium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. It burns in air to produce both strontium oxide and strontium nitride, but since it does not react with nitrogen below 380°C it will only form the oxide spontaneously at room temperature.

What are sources for Strontium?

Strontium is found chiefly as celestite and strontianite (both minerals) The metal can be prepared by electrolysis (a method that chemists used to seperate chemically bonded elements and compounds by passing and electrical current through them) of the fused chloride mixed with potassium chloride, or is made by reducing strontium oxide with aluminum in a vacuum at a temperature at which strontium distills off.

What are its uses?

Most of the strontium produced today is used in the manufacture of color television picture tubes. It is also used to refine zinc and is combined with iron to make magnets. (that's right, the very magnets on your fridge! CHEMISTRY INVASION!)

What is its history?

Strontium was discovered by Adair Crawford, an Irish chemist, in 1790 while studying the mineral witherite (BaCO3). When he mixed witherite with hydrochloric acid (HCl) he did not get the results he expected. He assumed that his sample of witherite was contaminated with an unknown mineral, a mineral he named strontianite (SrCO3). Strontium was first isolated by Sir Humphry Davy, an English chemist, in 1808 through the electrolysis of a mixture of strontium chloride (SrCl2) and mercuric oxide (HgO).

Other interesting things

Two strontium compounds, strontium carbonate (SrCO3) and strontium nitrate (Sr(NO3)2), burn with a bright, red flame and are used in fireworks and signal flares. Strontium carbonate is also used to make certain kinds of glass and is the base material for making most other strontium compounds.

Barium
Ba
Atomic number : 56
Melting point: 725 degC
Boiling point: 1640 degC
Density: 3.5
Who discovered it?
Barium was first identified by Carl Scheele in 1774 and was extracted In 1808 by Sir Humphrey Davy, the most celebrated chemist of the 19th century. Sir Humphrey Davy had started experimenting with effects of electricity on chemical compounds. By running an electrical current through a number of substances, Davy was able to isolate metallic elements such as potassium, sodium, mangesium, calcium, and barium. AND THUS BARIUM WAS BORN!
(the studly Sir Humphrey Davy-->)http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Sir_Humphrey_Davy_gravure.jpg

General Properties
Barium is a silvery-white metal that can be found in the environment, where it exists naturally. It occurs combined with other chemicals, such as sulfur, carbon or oxygen. Barium oxidizes in air, reacts vigoroulsy with water to form the hydroxide, liberating hydrogen. Barium reacts with almost all the non-metals, forming often poisouning compounds.

Sources

Barium is only found combined with other elements, primarily in barite or heavy spar (sulfate) and witherite (carbonate).

Uses
Barium's compounds are used in pigments, paints, glassmaking, as weighting compounds, in the manufacture of rubber, in rat poison, and in pyrotechnics (fiya!)

Other Interesting Things
Barium (Greek bary, meaning "heavy") ohh fascinating!

Radium

Radium

Ra

#88

Atomic Mass: 226

Melting Point:700 degC

Boiling Point: 1737 degC

Density:5.0 g/cm cubed

Who discovered it?

Radium was discovered by Pierre and Marie Curie in 1898.

(the couple doing chemistry things here-->) http://www.maloloeinstein.com/Einstein/galer%EDa%20de%20f%EDsicos7/Marie%20&%20Pierre%20Curie.jpg

What are some of its general properties?

Its appearance is almost pure white, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, turning black.

It is extremley radioactive and reacts violently with water and oil to form radium hydroxide

In radium preperations, emmited radiation consists of three types of radiations:alpha particles, beta partciles, and gamma rays. The fire from Radium compounds produces a bright red flame. Due to its geologically short half life and intense radioactivity, radium compounds are quite rare, occurring almost exclusively in uranium ores.

What are the sources of Radium

Radium was discovered in pitchblende or uraninite. Radium is found in all uranium minerals.There is approximately 1 gram of radium for each 7 tons of pitchblende.(pitchblende is a radioactive, uranium-rich mineral and ore with a chemical composition)

What are some historical points for Radium?

Radium was initially used in selft-luminous paints for watches, nuclear panels, aircraft switches, clocks, and instrument dials. Once the adverse affects of radioactivitey were becoming more commonplace, the useage of radium in paints declined. Radium was also once used in products like toothpaste, hair creams, and even food items due to its supposed curative powers. Because of Ra letha qualities, putting it in digestable items didn't work out too hotly...D:

Other intersting things

Radium is highly radioactive and its decay product, radon gas, is also radioactive. Since radium is chemically similar to calcium, it has the potential to cause great harm by replacing it in bones. Inhalation, injection, ingestion or body exposure to radium can cause cancer and other disorders. Stored radium should be ventilated to prevent accumulation of radon

Calcium

CALCIUM ( from the latin word calcis - meaning " lime")

How Did this Wonderful Element come to be!?

The Romans prepared lime (called calx) in the first century but it wasn't until Sir Humphrey Davy isolated it as a metal in 1808 A.D that it came to be!

CA

#20

Atomic mass: 40.078 amu

Melting Point: 839.0 °C ( 1542.2 °F)

Boiling Point: 1484.0 °C ( 2703.2 °F)

Fifth mosst abundant element in the Earth's crust!

You've known this element for as long as you remember, its the reason why you hated grown ups ( "Drink your milk or Jimmy, you'll just have to drink water from a dish like the puppy") But hey, familiarity is always so comforting right?- but like an old blanket that starts to unravel you figure out that there was, and is, more to it than same ol' same ol'. Meet Calcium your bones, your mothers bones, coral reefs, your dog and your new bffl.( best friend for life!)

Reaquant yourself with an old friend

Properties:

-Grey silvery

-relatively soft metal!

-It reacts with water and the metal burns with a yellow-red flame

(It readily forms a white coating of calcium nitride (Ca3N2) in air!!)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puEc5YE-YJ0

-( does not occur as a free element in nature)

CALCIUM EXSISTS INSIDE YOU!

Uses of calicum are extremely evident without it you would be , well, not very coordinated- or good looking. Your structure and the structure of animals ( don't forget animal shells like muscles!) Are all made out of calcium( there was a methodology after all -milk keeps your bones strong LISTEN TO YO MAMA!)

Magnesium

MG

#12

Atomic Mass : 24
Melting Point : 651 degC
Boiling Point : 1107 degC
Density : 1.7

Magnesium was brought to viewers like you by Bussy in 1828AD. ( Sir humprhey davy in 1808 isolated that sucker though don't forget!) http://www.todayinsci.com/B/Bussy_Antoine/BussyAntoineThm.jpg ( he's a looker)

With a name like Magnesium who could resist!?

( Named after Magnesia a district in Thessaly Greece!)

http://www.maps-of-greece.com/maps-of-greece/maps/Thessaly.gif

Birthed from theMagnesium is similar to calcium and is one of the most important metals within the body ( tha's right you got it inside you and you DIDN'T EVEN KNOW! Chemistry 1 Students 0 don't worry we'll make sure that doesn't happen again) It is the ninth most abundant element by mass and it constitutes about 2 % of the Earth's crust ( are you impressed yet?)

Basic properties:

- fairly strong

- silvery white

-light weight metal

-highly flammable and when it burns it burns white ( see video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8nPAbwPIVg)

-It reacts only slightly or not at all with most of the alkalis and many organic substances ( like hydrocarbons)

Because it is the most abundant element you can assume that its uses are highly important to YOU yes you! The apathetic idle mind of the teenager can find much fufilling joy in the purposes of magnesium!

- USED FOR PYROTECHNICS ( responsible for that lovely white in fireworks!)

-Magnesium is essential for plant and animal nutrition

-It is alloyed with other metals to make them lighter and more easily welded, with applications in the aerospace industry

You should be impressed by now ( and say it with us-- MG is just for ME! tuhaha)

Beryllium

Meet Our Friend Beryllium!

Beryllium can be found in thirty other mineral species such as betrandit and beryl. ( aquamarine and emerald stone are forms of beryl - pikow bet you didn't know that! You be wearing some fine beryllium roun yo' neck)

How Did this all Happen!?
Beryllium was born when Louis Vauquelin in 1798 discovered it as the oxide in beryl and in emeralds . It was isolated by Wohler and Bussy in 1828.

It's always important when forming any relationship with an element to get to know it here are some basic properties of your friend to be( let me tell you it has many desireable properties):

-steel gray in color

-highest melting point of all the light metals

- excellent thermal conductivity

-nonmagnetic

- strong resistant to oxidization when exposed to air

- toxic

- It tastes sweet ( It got its name after the Greek word “berylos” which means sweet) ( we're still not sure why you need to know this, you shouldn't be thinking about eating any in the near future... or ever)

-likes long walks on the beach and post romantic composers, enjoys walt witman and various other poets.

Before you turn the other cheek to our good friend( allergic to sand, not really into gray elements etc., or are you just too pretentious ?) Consider the following uses for Beryllium ( so even if you deny its friendship recognize you cannot escape its presence!)

- used in AEROSPACE! structural material

- X-Ray tube windows

-and in a copper alloy used for springs, electrical contacts, and non-sparking tools a.k.a spark plugs!!( exclamation point of SUPER EMPHASIS because its just so fantastic aren't you all tingling with ecstasy?)

-Golf clubs

Health Precautions:

Beryllium is a metal that can be very harmful when humans breathe it in, because it can damage the lungs and cause pneumonia. LYKE SO UNCOOL ROIT!

Really, Moriah and I are sure that you can most likely find any use for beryllium, great for family friends and pets- and if you wrap it nicely we're assuming that it would make a really great gift ( almost in the same vein of Martha Stewart kitsch )