Sodium, Iron, Magnesium, Nickel... Why Metals Are So Important – Lab 61

About This Lab

In this lab, we get into what metals are, where they’re found, and the importance of metals for technology and biology. (Yes, humans and so many other bio organisms need metals to live!)

• What’s happening to our metals? Do we have enough? What do we need metals for?

• When we see Jay-Z and every other rapper and their mama in a grill, that’s the end product of a compound, a metal in bulk that was once very tiny

• Steel= alloy, iron that was treated with carbon to make steel

  • alloy example: sterling

• Fun facts: sodium and potassium, which we EAT to stay alive are METALS? #BlownAwayCarrieUnderwood

The abundance of metals depends on different environments, often found in earth’s crust rather than ocean

• ex: iron is the most abundant metal we have, found in rocks and minerals, titanium NOT vibranium (Wakanda Forever), and magnesium, calcium, etc

• Most abundant elements in earth’s crust

  • silicon

  • oxygen

  • BUT they’re not metals but semiconductors

• Most abundant metal in Earth crust= aluminum

• Metals= NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCE

• Metalloids= semiconductors

• Why do we care about metals?

  • metals are everywhere and can have different chemical treatments and processes that give them different properties

  • We need em for tech!

• The periodic table aka Beyoncé’s 🐝 periodic table (because as we go TO THE LEFT elements have more metallic character), makes so much sense.

• There’s a higher demand for rare earth metals, because those metals but can replace our need for other non-renewables but cause another shortage of a nonrenewable [see Lab 060]

• Rare earths are really hard to mine, can create toxic byproducts most of it is in China, i.e China controls the market

• With war between Russia and Ukraine, there’s a nickel shortage BUT what does that mean?

  • We need nickel in batteries for cars

• Metals in bio

  • Metals are necessary for bodily functions

    • ex: calcium, iron, etc

  • Sometimes we fortify products with metals like added calcium to juice or extra iron in raisin bran

• We need metals for bio-mineralization

• Silver can be weaponized against bacteria! There are lots of up and coming uses for metals .

Guest Expert

This week’s guest expert is Dr. Kate Buettner, bio inorganic chemist in the chemistry department at Gettysburg College. Her area of focus is metals and she and her lab are working on research about new ways to use different types of reactive metals without unwanted reactions in water. Follow her lab @buettnerlab

Transcript

You can read along with the lab here.