Page 72 - The Miracle in the Atom

THE MIRACLE IN THE ATOM

rons, this is called a "metallic bond". Metals like iron, copper, zinc, aluminium,
etc., that form the raw material of many tools and instruments we see around
us or use in daily life, have acquired a substantial and tangible body as a result
of the metallic bonds formed by the atoms constituting them.
Scientists are not able to answer the question as to why electrons in the
electron shells of the atoms have such a tendency. Living organisms, most in-
terestingly, owe their existence to this tendency.

The Next Step: Compounds
Do you wonder how many different compounds these bonds can form?
In laboratories, new compounds are produced everyday. Currently, it is
possible to talk about almost two million compounds. The simplest
chemical compound can be as small as the hydrogen molecule, whi-
le there are also compounds made up of millions of atoms. 27
How many different compounds can an element form at
most? The answer to this question is quite interesting beca-
use, on the one hand, there are certain elements that do Atmosphere
not interact with any others (inert gases), while, on the
other hand, there is the carbon atom that is able to
form 1,700,000 compounds. As stated above, the
Hydrosphere
total number of compounds is about two
H 0.9%
million. 108 elements out of the total of
Lithosphere
109 form 300,000 compounds. Carbon,
however, forms 1,700,000 compo- Na 2.6% Mg 1.9% Fe 4.7%
unds all by itself in a most ama- Ca 3.4% Ti 0.5%
zing fashion.
K 2.4%
The Raw Materials of the Universe
and the Periodic Table: 92 elements
found freely in nature and 17 ele-
ments formed artificially in lab-
oratories or in nuclear reac-
tions are arranged in a
table called the "Periodic
Table" according to the
number of their protons. At first look, the
Periodic Table may appear to be a bunch of
boxes containing one or two letters with num-
bers at the top and bottom corners. Most inter-
estingly, however, this table accommodates the
elements of the entire universe including the air
we breathe, as well as of our bodies.
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