Polonium was named after Poland.  We think it sounds a bit like it was named after Polo, the sport.   next element                            previous element

A common feature of the periodic table is that elements in the same column (sometimes called families) have similar properties.  Some chemical families are given names.  Oxygen, sulfur, selenium and tellurium all belong to the chalcogen family.  Like sulfur and selenium, tellurium is used in the vulcanization of rubber.  Like selenium, tellurium is used in […]

Selenium is used in solar cells.  Because selenium is in the same family as sulfur, its chemical characteristics are similar to sulfur.  Therefore, it should be no surprise that selenium can be used to vulcanize rubber.  next element                                   […]

Sulfur is used to vulcanize rubber.  Vulcanization is the process whereby long carbon chains are “linked” together by sulfur atoms.   next element                                        previous element

Oxygen is necessary for the combustion (burning) of carbon-containing fuels.  For example, the combustion of methane is represented by: CH4 (g) + 2 O2 (g) –> CO2 (g) + 2 H2O (g) Combustion of carbon-containing fuels is the primary source of energy for a variety of processes on earth.  Oxygen is also required for the […]