The densest material on earth. The heaviest metals in the world. Vibrant characteristics of the densest metals

Since time immemorial, people have been actively using various metals. After studying their properties, the substances took their rightful place in the table of the famous D. Mendeleev. Until now, the disputes of scientists regarding the question of which metal to assign the title of the heaviest and densest in the world have not subsided. On the scales are two elements of the periodic table - iridium, as well as osmium. What are they interesting, read on.

For centuries, people have studied useful properties the most abundant metals on the planet. Science stores the most information about gold, silver and copper. Over time, mankind got acquainted with iron, lighter metals - tin and lead. In the world of the Middle Ages, people actively used arsenic, and diseases were treated with mercury.

Thanks to rapid progress, today the heaviest and densest metals are considered not one element of the table, but two at once. Osmium (Os) is located at number 76, and iridium (Ir) at number 77, substances have the following density indicators:

osmium is heavy due to its density of 22.62 g/cm³;
iridium is not much lighter - 22.53 g / cm³.

Density refers to physical properties metals, it is the ratio of the mass of a substance to its volume. Theoretical calculations of the density of both elements have some errors, so both metals are now considered to be the heaviest.

For clarity, you can compare the weight of an ordinary cork with the weight of a cork made of the heaviest metal in the world. To balance scales with an osmium or iridium stopper, more than a hundred ordinary stoppers will be required.

History of discovery of metals

Both elements were discovered at the dawn of the 19th century by Smithson Tennant. Many researchers of that time were studying the properties of raw platinum, processing it with "royal vodka". Only Tennant was able to detect two chemicals in the resulting sediment:

the sedimentary element with a persistent smell of chlorine, the scientist called osmium;
a substance with a changing color is called iridium (rainbow).

Both elements were represented by a single alloy, which the scientist managed to separate. Further study of platinum nuggets was undertaken by the Russian chemist K. Klaus, who carefully studied the properties of sedimentary elements. The difficulty of determining the heaviest metal in the world lies in the low difference in their density, which is not a constant value.

Vibrant characteristics of the densest metals

Experimentally obtained substances are a powder, rather difficult to process, forging metals requires very high temperatures. The most common form of commonwealth of iridium with osmium is an alloy of osmium iridium, which is mined in platinum deposits, gold beds.

Iron-rich meteorites are considered the most common place to find iridium. Native osmium is not found in the natural world, only in commonwealth with iridium and other components of the platinum group. The deposits often contain sulfur compounds with arsenic.

Features of the heaviest and most expensive metal in the world

Among the elements of Mendeleev's periodic table, osmium is considered the most expensive. silver metal with a bluish tint belongs to the platinum group of noble chemical compounds. The most dense, but very fragile metal does not lose its luster under the influence of high temperature indicators.

Characteristics

Element #76 Osmium has an atomic mass of 190.23 amu;
A substance molten at 3033°C will boil at 5012°C.
The heaviest material has a density of 22.62 g/cm³;
Structure crystal lattice has a hexagonal shape.

Despite the amazingly cold sheen of a silvery sheen, osmium is not suitable for jewelry production due to its extreme toxicity. To melt the jewelry would require a temperature like on the surface of the Sun, because the densest metal in the world is destroyed by mechanical action.

Turning into powder, osmium interacts with oxygen, reacts with sulfur, phosphorus, selenium, the reaction of the substance with aqua regia is very slow. Osmium does not possess magnetism, alloys tend to oxidize and form cluster compounds.

Where apply

The heaviest and incredibly dense metal has high wear resistance, so adding it to alloys significantly increases their strength. The use of osmium is mainly associated with the chemical industry. In addition, it is used for the following needs:

manufacture of containers intended for storage of nuclear fusion waste;
for the needs of rocket science, weapons production (warheads);
in the watch industry for the manufacture of mechanisms of branded models;
for the manufacture of surgical implants, parts of pacemakers.

Interestingly, the densest metal is considered the only element in the world that is not subject to the aggression of the “hellish” mixture of acids (nitric and hydrochloric). Aluminum combined with osmium becomes so ductile that it can be drawn without breaking.

Secrets of the rarest and densest metal in the world

The fact that iridium belongs to the platinum group endows it with the property of immunity to treatment with acids and their mixtures. In the world, iridium is obtained from anode slimes in copper-nickel production. After processing the sludge with aqua regia, the precipitate is calcined, resulting in the extraction of iridium.

Characteristics

The hardest silver-white metal has the following group of properties:

element of the periodic table Iridium No. 77 has atomic mass 192.22 amu;
a substance molten at 2466°C will boil at 4428°C;
the density of molten iridium is within 19.39 g/cm³;
element density at room temperature - 22.7 g / cm³;
the crystal lattice of iridium is associated with a face-centered cube.

Heavy iridium does not change under the influence of ordinary air temperature. The result of calcination under the influence of heating at certain temperatures is the formation of polyvalent compounds. The powder of fresh sediment of iridium black lends itself to partial dissolution with aqua regia, as well as with a solution of chlorine.

Application area

Although Iridium is a precious metal, it is rarely used in jewelry. An element that is difficult to process is in great demand in the construction of roads, the production of automotive parts. Alloys with the densest metal that is not susceptible to oxidation are used for the following purposes:

production of crucibles for laboratory experiments;
production of special mouthpieces for glassblowers;
covering the tips of nibs and refills of ballpoint pens;
production of durable spark plugs for cars;

Alloys with iridium isotopes are used in welding production, in instrument making, and for growing crystals as part of laser technology. The use of the heaviest metal has made it possible to carry out laser vision correction, crushing of kidney stones and other medical procedures.

Although Iridium is devoid of toxicity and is not harmful to biological organisms, in natural environment you can meet its dangerous isotope - hexafluoride. Vapor inhalation poisonous substance leads to instant suffocation and death.

Places of natural occurrence

The deposits of the densest metal in the natural world, Iridium, are minuscule, much smaller than those of platinum. Presumably the most heavy matter has shifted to the core of the planet, so the volume of industrial production of the element is small (about three tons per year). Iridium alloy products can last up to 200 years, jewelry will become more durable.

Nuggets of the heaviest metal with an unpleasant odor, Osmium, cannot be found in nature. In the composition of minerals, traces of osmic iridium can be found along with platinum and palladium, ruthenium. Deposits of osmic iridium have been explored in Siberia (Russia), some states of America (Alaska and California), Australia and South Africa.

If deposits of platinum are found, it will be possible to isolate osmium with iridium to strengthen and strengthen the physical or chemical compounds of various products.

We present a selection of chemical records from the Guinness Book of Records.
Due to the fact that new substances are constantly being discovered, this selection is not permanent.

Chemical records for inorganic substances

The most common element in earth's crust- oxygen O. Its weight content is 49% of the mass of the earth's crust.
The rarest element in the earth's crust is astatine At. Its content in the entire earth's crust is only 0.16 g. The second place in terms of rarity is occupied by Fr.
The most common element in the universe is hydrogen H. Approximately 90% of all atoms in the universe are hydrogen. Helium He is the second most abundant in the universe.
The strongest stable oxidizing agent is a complex of krypton difluoride and antimony pentafluoride. Due to the strong oxidizing action (oxidizes almost all elements in higher degrees oxidation, including oxidizing atmospheric oxygen) it is very difficult for him to measure the electrode potential. The only solvent that reacts with it rather slowly is anhydrous hydrogen fluoride.
The densest substance on planet Earth is osmium. The density of osmium is 22.587 g/cm 3 .
Lithium is the lightest metal. The density of lithium is 0.543 g/cm 3 .
The densest compound is ditungsten carbide W 2 C. The density of ditungsten carbide is 17.3 g/cm 3 .
At present, a solid lowest density are graphene aerogels. They are a system of graphene and nanotubes filled with air gaps. The lightest of these aerogels has a density of 0.00016 g/cm3. Previous solid with the lowest density - silicon airgel (0.005 g / cm 3). Silicon airgel is used in the collection of micrometeorites present in comet tails.
The lightest gas and, at the same time, the lightest non-metal is hydrogen. The mass of 1 liter of hydrogen is only 0.08988 grams. In addition, hydrogen is also the most fusible non-metal at normal pressure (melting point is -259.19 0 C).
The lightest liquid is liquid hydrogen. The mass of 1 liter of liquid hydrogen is only 70 grams.
The heaviest inorganic gas at room temperature is tungsten hexafluoride WF 6 (boiling point is +17 0 C). The density of tungsten hexafluoride as a gas is 12.9 g/l. Among gases with a boiling point below 0 °C, the record belongs to tellurium hexafluoride TeF 6 with a gas density at 25 0 С of 9.9 g/l.
The most expensive metal in the world is californium Cf. The price of 1 gram of the 252 Cf isotope reaches 500 thousand US dollars.
Helium He is the substance with the lowest boiling point. Its boiling point is -269 0 C. Helium is the only substance that does not have a melting point at normal pressure. Even at absolute zero, it remains liquid and can only be obtained in solid form under pressure (3 MPa).
The most refractory metal and the substance with the highest boiling point is tungsten W. The melting point of tungsten is +3420 0 С, and the boiling point is +5680 0 С.
The most refractory material is an alloy of hafnium and tantalum carbides (1:1) (melting point +4215 0 C)
The most fusible metal is mercury. The melting point of mercury is -38.87 0 C. Mercury is also the heaviest liquid, its density at 25°C is 13.536 g/cm 3 .
Iridium is the most resistant metal to acids. Until now, no acid or mixture of them is known in which iridium would dissolve. However, it can be dissolved in alkalis with oxidizing agents.
The strongest stable acid is a solution of antimony pentafluoride in hydrogen fluoride.
The hardest metal is chromium Cr.
The softest metal at 25 0 C is cesium.
The hardest material is still diamond, although there are already about a dozen substances approaching it in hardness (boron carbide and nitride, titanium nitride, etc.).
The most electrically conductive metal at room temperature is silver Ag.
The lowest speed of sound in liquid helium at 2.18 K is only 3.4 m/s.
The highest speed of sound in diamond is 18600 m/s.
The isotope with the shortest half-life is Li-5, which decays in 4.4 10-22 seconds (proton ejection). Because of such a short lifetime, not all scientists recognize the fact of its existence.
The isotope with the longest measured half-life is Te-128, with a half-life of 2.2 x 1024 years (double β-decay).
Xenon and cesium have the most number of stable isotopes (36 each).
The shortest chemical element names are boron and iodine (3 letters each).
The longest names of a chemical element (eleven letters each) are protactinium Pa, rutherfordium Rf, darmstadtium Ds.

Chemical records for organics

The heaviest organic gas at room temperature and the most heavy gas among all at room temperature, is N-(octafluorobut-1-ylidene)-O-trifluoromethylhydroxylamine (b.p. +16 C). Its density as a gas is 12.9 g/l. Among gases with a boiling point below 0°C, the record belongs to perfluorobutane with a gas density at 0°C of 10.6 g/l.
The most bitter substance is denatonium saccharinate. The combination of denatonium benzoate with the sodium salt of saccharin gave a substance 5 times more bitter than the previous record holder (denatonium benzoate).
The most non-toxic organic substance is methane. With an increase in its concentration, intoxication occurs due to a lack of oxygen, and not as a result of poisoning.
The strongest adsorbent for water was obtained in 1974 from a starch derivative, acrylamide and acrylic acid. This substance is able to hold water, the mass of which is 1300 times greater than its own.
The strongest adsorbent for petroleum products is carbon airgel. 3.5 kg of this substance can absorb 1 ton of oil.
The most fetid compounds are ethylselenol and butylmercaptan - their smell resembles a combination of the smells of rotting cabbage, garlic, onions and sewage at the same time.
The sweetest substance is N-((2,3-methylenedioxyphenylmethylamino)-(4-cyanophenylimino)methyl)aminoacetic acid (lugduname). This substance is 205,000 times sweeter than a 2% sucrose solution. There are several of its analogues with a similar sweetness. Of industrial substances, the sweetest is talin (a complex of thaumatin and aluminum salts), which is 3,500 to 6,000 times sweeter than sucrose. IN Lately in the food industry, neotame appeared with a sweetness 7000 times higher than sucrose.
The slowest enzyme is nitrogenase, which catalyzes the assimilation of atmospheric nitrogen by nodule bacteria. The full cycle of transformation of one nitrogen molecule into 2 ammonium ions takes one and a half seconds.
The organic substance with the highest nitrogen content is either bis(diazotetrazolyl)hydrazine C2H2N12, containing 86.6% nitrogen, or tetraazidomethane C(N3)4, containing 93.3% nitrogen (depending on whether the latter is considered organic or not) . These explosives are extremely sensitive to impact, friction and heat. From inorganic substances the record, of course, belongs to gaseous nitrogen, and of the compounds, to hydronitrous acid HN 3 .
The longest chemical name has 1578 characters in English spelling and is a modified nucleotide sequence. This substance is called: Adenosene. N--2'-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)adenylyl-(3'→5')-4-deamino-4-(2,4-dimethylphenoxy)-2'-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)cytidylyl-(3'→5 ')-4-deamino-4-(2,4-dimethylphenoxy)-2'-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)cytidylyl-(3'→5')-N--2'-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)cytidylyl-(3 '→5')-N--2'-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)cytidylyl-(3'→5')-N--2'-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)guanylyl-(3'→5')-N- -2′-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)guanylyl-(3'→5′)-N--2′-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)adenylyl-(3′→5′)-N--2′-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl )cytidylyl-(3'→5′)-4-deamino-4-(2,4-dimethylphenoxy)-2′-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)cytidylyl-(3′→5′)-4-deamino-4-( 2,4-dimethylphenoxy)-2'-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)cytidylyl-(3'→5')-N--2'-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)guanylyl-(3'→5')-4-deamino- 4-(2,4-dimethylphenoxy)-2'-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)cytidylyl-(3'→5')-N--2'-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)cytidylyl-(3'→5')-N --2'-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)cytidylyl-(3'→5')-N--2'-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)adenylyl-(3'→5')-N--2'-O-( tetrahydro methoxypyranyl)cytidylyl-(3'→5′)-N--2′-O-(tetrahydromethoxypyranyl)cytidylyl-(3′→5′)-N--2′,3′-O-(methoxymetylene)-octadecakis( 2-chlorophenyl)ester. five'-.
The longest chemical name possesses DNA isolated from human mitochondria and consisting of 16569 base pairs. The full name of this compound contains about 207,000 characters.
System of largest number immiscible liquids, re-separating into components after mixing contains 5 liquids: mineral oil, silicone oil, water, benzyl alcohol and N-perfluoroethylperfluoropyridine.
The densest organic liquid at room temperature is diiodomethane. Its density is 3.3 g/cm3.
The most refractory individual organic matter are some aromatic compounds. Of the condensed ones, this is tetrabenzheptacene (melting point +570 C), of the non-condensed ones, p-septiphenyl (melting point of +545 C). Exist organic compounds for which the melting point is not precisely measured, for example, for hexabenzocoronene, its melting point is indicated to be above 700 C. The product of thermal crosslinking of polyacrylonitrile decomposes at a temperature of about 1000 C.
The organic substance with the highest boiling point is hexatriaconylcyclohexane. It boils at +551°C.
The longest alkane is nonacontatrictane C390H782. It was specially synthesized to study the crystallization of polyethylene.
The longest protein is the muscle protein titin. Its length depends on the type of living organism and localization. Mouse titin, for example, has 35213 amino acid residues (molecular weight 3906488 Da), human titin has a length of up to 33423 amino acid residues (molecular weight 3713712 Da).
The longest genome is the genome of the plant Paris japonica (Paris japonica). It contains 150,000,000,000 base pairs - 50 times more than in humans (3,200,000,000 base pairs).
The largest molecule is the DNA of the first human chromosome. It contains about 10,000,000,000 atoms.
The individual explosive with the highest rate of detonation is 4,4'-dinitroazofuroxan. Its measured detonation velocity was 9700 m/s. According to unverified data, ethyl perchlorate has an even higher detonation speed.
The individual explosive with the highest heat of explosion is ethylene glycol dinitrate. Its heat of explosion is 6606 kJ/kg.
The strongest organic acid is pentacyanocyclopentadiene.
Perhaps the strongest base is 2-methylcyclopropenyllithium. The strongest nonionic base is phosphazene, which has a rather complex structure.

TOP 10 heaviest metals in the world

Osmium (22.62 g / cm 3),
Iridium (22.53 g / cm 3),
Platinum (21.44 g / cm 3),
Rhenium (21.01 g / cm 3),
Neptunium (20.48 g / cm 3),
Plutonium (19.85 g / cm 3),
Gold (19.85 g/cm3)
Tungsten (19.21 g / cm 3),
Uranium (18.92 g / cm 3),
Tantalum (16.64 g/cm3).

And where is the lead? And it is located much lower in this list, in the middle of the second ten.

Osmium and iridium are the heaviest metals in the world

Consider the main heavyweights who share 1st and 2nd places. Let's start with iridium and at the same time say thanks to the English scientist Smithson Tennat, who in 1803 received this chemical element from platinum, where it was present together with osmium as an impurity. Iridium from ancient Greek can be translated as "rainbow". Metal has White color with a silver tint and it can be called not only heavy, but also the most durable. There is very little of it on our planet and only up to 10,000 kg of it is mined per year. It is known that most deposits of iridium can be found at the sites of meteorite impacts. Some scientists come to the conclusion that this metal was previously widespread on our planet, however, due to its weight, it constantly squeezed itself closer to the center of the Earth. Iridium is now widely in demand in industry and is used to generate electrical energy. Paleontologists also like to use it, and with the help of iridium they determine the age of many finds. In addition, this metal can be used to coat some surfaces. But it's difficult to do so.

Next, consider osmium. It is the heaviest in the periodic table of Mendeleev, well, respectively, and the heaviest metal in the world. Osmium is tin-white with a blue tint and was also discovered by Smithson Tennat at the same time as iridium. Osmium is almost impossible to process and is mainly found at the sites of meteorite impacts. It smells unpleasant, the smell is similar to a mixture of chlorine and garlic. And from ancient Greek it is translated as "smell". The metal is quite refractory and is used in light bulbs and other appliances with refractory metals. For just one gram of this element, you have to pay more than 10,000 dollars, from this it is clear that the metal is very rare.

Osmium

Like it or not, the heaviest metals are very rare and therefore they are expensive. And we must remember for the future that neither gold nor lead are the heaviest metals in the world! Iridium and osmium are the winners in weight!

The strongest stable oxidizing agent, is a complex of krypton difluoride and antimony pentafluoride. Due to its strong oxidizing effect (oxidizes all elements to the highest oxidation states, including oxygen and nitrogen in the air), it is very difficult for it to measure the electrode potential. The only solvent that reacts with it rather slowly is anhydrous hydrogen fluoride.

by the most dense matter , is osmium. Its density is 22.5 g/cm 3 .

The lightest metal is lithium. Its density is 0.543 g/cm 3 .

most expensive metal is California. Its cost is currently $6,500,000 per 1 gram.

Most common element in the earth's crust is oxygen. Its content is 49% of the mass of the earth's crust.

The rarest element in the earth's crust is astatine. Its content in the entire earth's crust, according to experts, is only 0.16 grams.

most combustible substance, is apparently a fine powder of zirconium. In order to prevent it from burning, it is necessary to place it in an inert gas atmosphere on a plate made of a material that does not contain non-metals.

The substance with the lowest boiling point, is helium. Its boiling point is -269 degrees Celsius. Helium is the only substance that does not have a melting point at normal pressure. Even at absolute zero, it remains liquid. Liquid helium is widely used in cryogenic technology.

The most refractory metal is tungsten. Its melting point is +3420 degrees Celsius. It is used to make filaments for electric light bulbs.

The hardest material is an alloy of hafnium and tantalum carbides (1:1). It has a melting point of +4215 C.

The lightest metal, is mercury. Its melting point is -38.87 degrees Celsius. She is also the heaviest liquid, its density is 13.54 g/cm 3 .

Highest water solubility among solids has antimony trichloride. Its solubility at +25 C is 9880 grams per liter.

The lightest gas, is hydrogen. The mass of 1 liter is only 0.08988 grams.

Heaviest gas at room temperature, is tungsten hexafluoride (bp. +17 C). Its mass is 12.9 g/l, i.e. some types of foam can float in it.

Most acid resistant metal, is iridium. So far, no acid or mixture of them is known in which it would dissolve.

The widest range of explosive concentration limits has carbon disulfide. All mixtures of carbon disulfide vapors with air containing from 1 to 50 volume percent of carbon disulfide can explode.

The strongest stable acid is a solution of antimony pentafluoride in hydrogen fluoride. Depending on the concentration of antimony pentafluoride, this acid can have a Hammett index of up to -40.

The most unusual anion in salt is an electron. It is part of the electride 18-crown-6 sodium complex.

Records for organics

The bitterest substance, is denatonium saccharinate. It was obtained by accident, during the study of denatonium benzoate. The combination of the latter with the sodium salt of saccharin gave a substance 5 times more bitter than the previous record holder (denatonium benzoate). Currently, both of these substances are used to denature alcohol and other non-food products.

The strongest poison, is botulinum toxin type A. Its lethal dose for mice (LD50, intraperitoneally) is 0.000026 µg/kg body weight. It is a 150,000 molecular weight protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

The most non-toxic organic substance, is methane. With an increase in its concentration, intoxication occurs due to a lack of oxygen, and not as a result of poisoning.

The strongest adsorbent, was obtained in 1974 from a starch derivative, acrylamide and acrylic acid. This substance is able to hold water, the mass of which is 1300 times greater than its own.

The most stinking compounds are ethylselenol and butylmercaptan. The concentration that a person can detect by smell is so small that there are still no methods to accurately determine it. Its value is estimated to be 2 nanograms per cubic meter of air.

The most powerful hallucinogenic substance, is l-lysergic acid diethylamide. A dose of just 100 micrograms causes hallucinations lasting about a day.

The sweetest substance, is N-(N-cyclononylamino(4-cyanophenylimino)methyl)-2-aminoacetic acid. This substance is 200,000 times sweeter than a 2% sucrose solution, but due to its toxicity, it apparently will not be used as a sweetener. Of the industrial substances, the sweetest is talin, which is 3,500 to 6,000 times sweeter than sucrose.

The slowest enzyme, is a nitrogenase that catalyzes the assimilation of atmospheric nitrogen by nodule bacteria. The full cycle of transformation of one nitrogen molecule into 2 ammonium ions takes one and a half seconds.

The most powerful narcotic analgesic is, apparently, a substance synthesized in Canada in the 80s. Its effective analgesic dose in mice (subcutaneously) is only 3.7 nanograms per kilogram of body weight, making it 500 times more potent than etorphine.

Organic matter with the highest nitrogen content is bis(diazotetrazolyl)hydrazine. It contains 87.5% nitrogen. This explosive is extremely sensitive to impact, friction and heat.

The substance with the highest molecular weight is snail hemocyanin (carries oxygen). Its molecular weight is 918,000,000 daltons, which is more molecular weight even DNA.

The density, or more precisely, the volumetric mass density of a substance, is its mass per unit volume (denoted in kg/m3 ). In space, the densest object observed to date is neutron star- the collapsing core of a massive star, the mass of which is twice the mass of the Sun.But what about the Earth?What is the densest material on Earth?

1. Osmium, Density: 22.59 g/cm3

Osmium is perhaps the densest natural element on Earth, which belongs to the precious platinum group of metals.This shiny substance has twice the density of lead and slightly more than that of iridium. It was first discovered by Smithson Tennant and William Hyde Wollaston back in 1803 when they first isolated this stable element from platinum. It is mainly used in materials where high strength is extremely important.

2. Iridium, Density: 22.56 g/cm3

Iridium - hard, shiny and one of the densest transition metals in the platinum group.It is also the most corrosion resistant metal known to date, even at extreme temperatures of 2000°C.It was discovered in 1803 by Smithson Tennant among the insoluble impurities in natural platinum.

3. Platinum Density: 21.45g/cm3

Platinum is an extremely rare metal on Earth with an average abundance of 5 micrograms per kilogram.South Africa is the largest producer of platinum with 80% of the world production, with a small contribution from the US and Russia.It is a dense, ductile and non-reactive metal.

Apart from being a symbol of prestige (jewelry or any similar accessories), platinum is used in various areas such as the automotive industry, where it is used to make vehicle emission control devices and for oil refining.Other small applications include, for example, medicine and biomedicine, glass manufacturing equipment, electrodes, anticancer drugs, oxygen sensors, spark plugs.

4. Rhenium Density: 21.2 g/cm3

The element Rhenium is named after the river Rhine in Germany after it was discovered by three German scientists in the early 1900s.Like other platinum group metals, rhenium is also a precious element of the Earth and has the second highest boiling point, the third highest melting point of any known element on Earth.

Because of these extreme properties, rhenium (in the form of superalloys) is widely used in turbine blades and moving nozzles in virtually all jet engines worldwide.It is also one of the best catalysts for naphtha (liquid hydrocarbon mixture) reforming, isomerization and hydrogenation.

5. Plutonium Density: 19.82 g/cm3

Plutonium is currently the densest radioactive element in the world.It was first isolated inlaboratories at the University of California in 1940when the researchers detonated uranium-238 in a huge cyclotron.Then the first major use of this deadly element was in the Manhattan Project, where a significant amount of plutonium was used to detonate the "Fat Man", a nuclear weapon used in the Japanese city of Nagasaki.

6. Gold, Density: 19.30 g/cm3

Gold is one of the most valuable, popular and sought after metals on Earth.Not only that, according to current understanding, gold actually comes from supernova explosions in deep space.According to periodic table, gold belongs to a group of 11 elements known as transition metals.

7. Tungsten Density: 19.25g/cm3

The most common use of tungsten is in incandescent lamps and X-ray tubes, where its high melting point is important for efficient operation in extreme heat.In its pure form, its melting point is perhaps the highest of all metals found on Earth.China is the world's largest producer of tungsten, followed by Russia and Canada.

Its extremely high tensile strength and relatively light weight have also made it a suitable material for the production of grenades and projectiles, where it is alloyed with other heavy metals such as iron and nickel.

8. Uranium Density: 19.1 g/cm3

Like thorium, uranium is also weakly radioactive.Naturally, uranium is found in three different isotopes: uranium-238, uranium-235, and, more rarely, uranium-234.The existence of such an element was first discovered as early as 1789, but its radioactive properties were not discovered until 1896 by Eugène-Melchior Peligot, and its practical use was first applied in 1934.

9. Tantalum Density: 16.69g/cm3

Tantalum belongs to the refractory group of metals, which makes up a small proportion in various types of alloys.It is hard, rare, and highly resistant to corrosion, making it ideal material for high performance capacitors ideal for home computers and electronics.

Another important use of tantalum is in surgical instruments and inbody implantsdue to its ability to directly bind to the hard tissues inside our body.

10. Mercury, Density: 13.53 g / cm 3

In my opinion, mercury is one of the most interesting elements periodic table.It is one of two solid elements that becomes liquid at normal room temperature and pressure, the other being bromine.The freezing point is -38.8°C and the boiling point is around 356.7°C.