Hello world!
I thought I would interrupt this unplanned blog hiatus with a post about elements, which was inspired by a Twitter conversation with Dr Tom.
Which elemental form of the chemical elements have you used in the lab?
I believe my number is a lowly 10 although I am sure I have forgotten some.
Hydrogen (H), carbon (C), oxygen (O3), fluorine (F2), sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), bromine (Br2), iridium (Ir), tin (Sn), iodine (I2).
Tom’s was a more impressive 12, including Samarium.
p.s I have obviously also used nitrogen and argon as inert gases in reactions and helium as a GC carrier gas but I don’t feel they count as I haven’t manipulated them into something new.
p.p.s oxygen has been added as I forgot that I have had plenty of experience with stinky ozone.
The Organic Solution 
H, Li, O, Na, Mg, K, Cu, Zn, Br, I, Hg, Sm (as reagents) (so on recount 12, as I forgot about Zn before)
I reckon F2 wins though.
Oh I have used zinc too. Add one more to my list! How come you used Hg?
Made a Na amalgam. Not especially pleasant.
Hydrogen, lithium, carbon, nitrogen,* oxygen, sodium, magnesium, iron, bromine, iodine.
* Nitrogen counts because I once made the rookie error of grinding magnesium for a Grignard under nitrogen rather than argon, and inadvertently made magnesium nitride.
Are we allowing Raney nickel? +1 if so.
Technically an alloy no?
Yeah, but possibly only a few percent aluminium depending on how it’s prepared. How pure is your magnesium? 😉
I don’t really think it counts, just trying to boost my stats.
I only used 20% fluorine in nitrogen… does that count? 😉 I think so!
Yes, you can definitely have that.
Does that mean I get Pd/C too?
Right, if Derek Lowe counts Raney nickel, I’m counting it too.
As an electrochemist I can add Cu, Fe, Pt, Au, Ag, W and Ti to the likes of I, C, H, O, Li, Na, Hg (and S when I’ve spilt Hg…) and Sn.
A nice bunch there 🙂
H2, Li, O2, O3, Na, Mg, P, S, Cl2, Ni,Cu, Br2, Pd,
O3 is a good one.. hadn’t thought of that
I am waiting to see what other allotropes of P, S or C we might see.
Electrochemists may win again with this one- its possible to use diamond, graphite, graphene, nanotubes and activated carbon at least as electrode materials.
Pingback: How Many Elements Have You Used, As Elements? - PharmaLeaders.com
Pingback: How Many Elements Have You Used, As Elements? – JumpSeek
Hmm. Hydrogen, lithium, carbon (if you count Li in graphite), nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, sodium, magnesium, aluminium, sulfur, chlorine, potassium, calcium, chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, selenium, bromine, molybdenum, rhodium (albeit impure- I was recycling waste), palladium, silver, tin, iodine, barium, platinum, mercury, lead. I guess inorganic synthetic chemists have more fun. I’ve never used any lanthanides though.
Wow. You guys do have fun! Molybdenum. I wouldn’t even know what that looks like :-S