Sloan: Some things on Earth that matter

My book-of-the-month summary for August is “Structure of Matter” (Time/Life).

• One million atoms stacked on top of each other is as thick as one sheet of paper. However, hydrogen atoms are 1,000 times smaller than radioactive francium ones.

Wendel Sloan

• A golf ball is as many times larger than an atom as the Earth is larger than a golf ball.

• The most abundant element on Earth is oxygen, followed by silicon, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, titanium and hydrogen. Gold ranks 72nd.

• Earth had no oxygen in its atmosphere 3 billion years ago when living organisms, blue-green algae, first appeared. Through photosynthesis they obtained energy from the sun. After absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into nutrients, oxygen was released as a by-product.

• Elements essential to life are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur. Of those, nitrogen is the rarest on Earth, but makes up 78 percent of Earth’s atmosphere.

• The fusion of one pound of hydrogen yields as much energy as 9,000 pounds of coal.

• Mercury and bromine are the only liquid elements.

• Salt preserves food by absorbing water, depriving bacteria of moisture.

• Heavy oil, heating oil, kerosene and gasoline are collected from the same crude oil by collecting their vapors as they condense at different temperatures while rising through a “fractionating” tower.

• Only water can assume all states of matter — gas, liquid or solid — on Earth.

• The first step in producing perfume is using steam to induce fragrant oils in flower petals to vaporize.

• Diamonds formed 100 million years ago in the high-temperature, high-pressure mantle below Earth. Volcanic eruptions flush them up.

• Carbon fibers are stronger than steel and titanium and can withstand up to a million pounds of pressure per square inch.

• Burning materials release energy in the form of heat and light. This is created by electrons changing location during the breaking and reforming of chemical bonds.

• Colors in fireworks are caused by sodium for yellow, lithium for red, copper for blue and barium for green. Black gunpowder propels them up, then, using a time fuse, sets them off.

Contact Wendel Sloan at [email protected]