Tag: history

The Chemistry of Mummification

The Chemistry of Mummification

The Chemistry of Mummification
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Mummies are, perhaps, the easiest go-to costume for Halloween: grab some bandages, drape yourself in them, and job done. However, there’s a little more behind the traditional embalming process used in Ancient Egypt, as well as a surprising amount of chemistry. Here we take a look at the chemicals used in the process, and how modern chemistry can help us identify them.

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The History of the Atom – Theories and Models

An infographic history of the atom. Dalton identified that atoms of a particular element differ from those of other elements. Thomson discovered the electron and described the 'plum pudding' model of the atom: electrons scattered throughout a cloud of positive charge. Rutherford identified that the positive charge was concentrated in the nucleus of the atom. Bohr modified Rutherford's model by stating that electrons move in orbits of fixed sizes and energies. Schrödinger stated that electrons do not move in paths around the nucleus but in waves.
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All matter is made up of atoms. This is something we now take as a given and one of the things you learn right back at the beginning of high school or secondary school chemistry classes. Despite this, our ideas about what an atom is are surprisingly recent: as little as one hundred years ago, scientists were still debating what exactly an atom looked like. This graphic takes a look at the key models proposed for the atom, and how they changed over time.

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The Periodic Table of Rejected Elements

A Periodic Table of Rejected Element Names

Periodic Table of Rejected Element Names
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Extremium, catium, cyclonium and pandemonium: elements that you won’t find in the periodic table in classrooms and laboratories. However, they’re all names that have been suggested but rejected for elements in years gone by. This table takes a look at some of the different names that have been suggested or used in the past for various elements; below, we examine their origins, and the reasons for their rejection.

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