Investigation topic 1: Endangered elements in the periodic table
Today’s chemists are involved in many branches of chemistry, covering all 118 elements in the periodic table. Some of these elements are now considered to be critical and endangered, particularly due to the prevalence of modern technologies that rely on many different scarce minerals. It has been estimated that 44 elements will soon be, or are already, facing supply limitations, making a future of continuing technological advancement uncertain.
Questions that may be explored in this investigation include:
· How do the properties of the metalloids (such as germanium, antimony, tellurium) differ so much to their neighbours on the periodic table, and how have these properties made them highly important for society and consequentially scarce in supply?
Introduction to metalloids
The Marvelous Metalloids of the Periodic Table
Brandt, J. (2021, October 16). The Marvelous Metalloids of the Periodic Table | ChemTalk. ChemTalk. https://chemistrytalk.org/metalloids-periodic-table/
History of metalliods
Metalloids concept and history.
Scroll down to read about the discovery and usage history of
- 14. Silicon (Si)
- 32. Germanium (Ge)
- 33. Arsenic (As)
- 51. Antimony (Sb)
- 52. Tellurium (Te)
- 84. Polonium (Po)
Metalloids | Encyclopedia.com. (2014). Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/metalloids
Properties and usage of metalloids
Metalloids: Properties and Uses
Learn more about what metalloids are and how they are used here.
Team Xometry. (2022, August 8). Metalloids: Properties and Uses. Xometry.com; Xometry. https://www.xometry.com/resources/materials/metalloids/
Non-toxic, no-waste or recovery processes for metalloids
CORDIS | European Commission. (2023). Europa.eu. https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/406986-non-toxic-no-waste-process-technology-for-antimony-recovery
Parinaz Rafiee, S. Chehreh Chelgani, Farhad Moosakazemi, Khosravi, R., & Hossein Siavoshi. (2021). Recovery of a critical metal from electronic wastes: Germanium extraction with organic acid. 315, 128223–128223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128223
Ruiz, A. C., Solá, P., & MorenoPalmerola, N. (2018). Germanium: Current and Novel Recovery Processes. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.77997
Li, Z., Qiu, F., Tian, Q., Yue, X., & Zhang, T. (2022). Production and recovery of tellurium from metallurgical intermediates and electronic waste-A comprehensive review. 366, 132796–132796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132796
