A Visual Encyclopedia of the Periodic Table

139 The Boron Group Nihonium Nh 113 toxic and has to be handled with care when used. A chlorine compound of thallium is used in ...

Glassy carbon (C) has a high resistance to rust. 140-141_Carbon_Group_Opener.indd 140 02/12/16 6:52 pm ...

The Carbon Group This group contains one non-metal, two semi-metals, and three metals. The non-metal carbon (C) is the main elem ...

142 Forms Carbon has the largest number of compounds of any element – with more than nine million known. Carbon is the fourth mo ...

143 The Carbon Group can cut into anything. Only a diamond can cut another diamond. Graphite is much softer, which is why it is ...

Pink diamond With a mass of only just over 3 g (0.1 oz), this jewel – known as The Sweet Josephine – is one of the largest pink ...

The Sweet Josephine was cut from raw diamond that is more than 1.5 billion years old. This formed 150 km (93 miles) beneath Eart ...

146 The Carbon Group This purple form of quartz gets its colour from iron impurities. This glassy mineral tube is formed when qu ...

147 The Carbon Group Solar panels This silicone band is flexible and strong. This silicone tray is soft, but it does not melt in ...

148 The Carbon Group Forms Uses This semi-metal is named after the country Germany. It was discovered there in 1886 by chemist C ...

149 Forms Tin was one of the first metals used by humans. As long as 5,000 years ago, tin was mixed with copper to make bronze, ...

150 The Carbon Group The chemical symbol for lead, Pb, comes from the Latin word plumbum. This is where the word “plumber” comes ...

151 The Carbon Group Flerovium Fl 114 because it absorbs radiation. It is also used in weights for diving, car batteries, and be ...

Molten bismuth (Bi) solidifies to form hopper crystals. 152-153_Nitrogen_Group_Opener.indd 152 02/12/16 6:52 pm ...

The Nitrogen Group This group includes different types of natural element – non-metals, semi-metals, and dense metals – as well ...

154 The Nitrogen Group 15 Nitrogen surrounds us all the time because it is the transparent gas that makes up nearly three-quarte ...

155 The Nitrogen Group between nitrogen atoms detach very quickly. Nitrogen fuels, such as nitromethane, are used in drag bikes, ...

Drag racing Zooming along a dead straight track, these all-powerful dragsters accelerate all the way to the finish line. They co ...

Nitromethane contains carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, but it is the latter element that really gives this fuel its immense power ...

158 Forms Phosphorus was accidently discovered by German alchemist Hennig Brand. In 1669, in his quest for the mythical Philosop ...