Alloys – The Episodic Table of Elements

65. Terbium: The Joy of Tedium

July 27, 2020

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Acids & Bases, Acoustics, Alloys, Carl Gustaf Mosander, Jons Jacob Berzelius, Magnetism, Mineralogy, X-rays, Ytterby

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For more than one reason, element 65 makes the short list of “most annoying elements.”

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50. Tin: Your Metal Pal Who’s Fun To Be With

November 25, 2019

6:00 am

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Alchemy, Allotropes, Alloys, Astronomy, Crystal Structure, Etymology, Food, France, Napoleon, Nicolas Appert, Numismatics, Oxidation, Preservation, Roald Amundsen, Robert Scott, Russia

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We’ve palled around with tin for thousands of years, but you should know that it’s a fair-weather friend.

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24. Chromium: I’ll Be Your Mirror

November 5, 2018

6:00 am

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Alloys, Architecture, Art Deco, Automobiles, Harley Earl, Industrial Design, Jeff Koons, New York City, Pollution, Sculpture, Star Trek

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It might be tempting to speed right on by, but it’s worth stopping for a moment to gaze at element 24.

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23. Vanadium: Beauty In The Background

October 22, 2018

6:00 am

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Abraham Wald, Alloys, Andres Manuel del Rio, Anthropology, Automobiles, Biology, Friedrich Wohler, Henry Ford, Jons Jacob Berzelius, Marine Biology, Multiple Discovery, Mythology, Nils Sefstrom, Star Trek, Weaponry, World War II

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From freeways to firefights to unfathomable depths, vanadium can often be found quietly doing the hardest work.

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