Do you know gold does not react with mercury but dissolves in Mercury to form amalgam alloys.
A cube of each side length of approx. 21.3 meters can be formed from a total of 190,040 tonnes of gold that exists above the earth’s crust.
It is interesting to know that Gold is produced from supernova nucleosynthesis and also during the collision of neutron stars billions of years ago in-universe and present in the form of solar dust in the universe.
Gold is not only shiny but also has the property of good reflector of electromagnetic radiation such as infrared and visible light, as well as radio waves. It is used for the protective coatings on many artificial satellites, in infrared protective faceplates in thermal protection suits and astronauts’ helmets, and in electronic warfare planes.
Do you know that graphite maybe the second or third oldest mineral in the universe.
Three different black minerals well known for their softness are the chemical compounds molybdenum sulfide (molybdenite), lead(II) sulfide (galena) and graphite
Do you know that graphite was also called black lead or plumbago since plumbago was commonly used in its massive mineral form.
Modern pencil lead was invented by Nicolas-Jacques Conté in 1795 which is most commonly a mix of powdered graphite and clay. It is interesting that most people think that it is related to lead metal, but in reality, it has no connection with a lead. Its ore is similiar in appearance with lead which continuation the name.
In 1863, the German chemists Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymous Theodor Richter were testing ores from the mines around Freiberg, Saxony. Instead of finding the green thallium emission spectrum lines, they found a bright blue line. Because that blue line did not match any known element, they hypothesized a new element was present in the minerals. They named the element indium, from the indigo color seen in its spectrum, after the Latin indicum, meaning ‘of India’.
Do you know Iridium is considered as second densest metal after Osmium with a density of 22.56 g/cm3
The most corrosive resistant metal is known on the earth is Iridium.
In ancient times, Romans used to believe that Topaz, a silicate mineral of aluminum and fluorine, provided protection from danger during traveling.
