Column 8 elemental (Metals) Data -Non-homeopathic and Toxicologic

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Column 8 of METALS‹NON-HOMEOPATHIC and TOXICOLOGIC DATA

Sources:
Good elements database:
http://www.radiochemistry.org/periodictable/list1.html
Toxicology:
http://www.chemindustry.com/chemicals/search/S/
http://www.portfolio.mvm.ed.ac.uk/stude ... trotox.htm

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IRON
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--Metal IRON 26 Fe Latin- ³ferrum² Anglo Saxon- ³Iron²
--Atomic Weight: 55.847
--Electron Configuration: [Ar]4s23d
--Human Discovery- Prehistoric. Genesis mentions that Tubal-Cain, seven
generations from Adam, was "an instructor of every artificer in brass and
iron."
--Notes-alchemical metal of planet Mars;

--General--Iron is a relatively abundant element in the universe. It is
found in the sun and many types of stars in considerable quantity. Its
nuclei are very stable. Iron is a principal component of a meteorite class
known as siderites and is a minor constituent of the other two meteorite
classes. The core of the earth -- 2150 miles in radius -- is thought to be
largely composed of iron with about 10 percent occluded hydrogen. The metal
is the fourth most abundant element, by weight that makes up the crust of
the earth. The most common ore is hematite, which is frequently seen as
black sands along beaches and banks of streams. Iron is a vital constituent
of plant and animal life and appears in the oxygen carrying protein of the
red blood cells, haemoglobin as the center atom (in plants the same molecule
as Chlorophyll has a center atom of magnesium).

--Uses-- Taconite is becoming increasingly important as a commercial ore.
The pure metal is not often encountered in commerce, but is usually alloyed
with carbon or other metals. The pure metal is very reactive chemically and
rapidly corrodes, especially in moist air or at elevated temperatures. It
has four allotropic forms or ferrites, known as alpha, beta, gamma, and
omega, with transition points at 700, 928, and 1530C. The alpha form is
magnetic, but when transformed into the beta form, the magnetism disappears
although the lattice remains unchanged. The relations of these forms are
peculiar. Pig iron is an alloy containing about 3 percent carbon with
varying amounts of Sulfur, Silicon, Manganese, and Phosphorus. Iron is hard,
brittle, fairly fusible, and is used to produce other alloys, including
steel. Wrought iron contains only a few tenths of a percent of carbon, is
tough, malleable, less fusible, and has usually a "fibrous" structure.
Carbon steel is an alloy of iron with small amounts of Mn, S, P, and Si.
Alloy steels are carbon steels with other additives such as nickel,
chromium, vanadium, etc. Iron is a cheap, abundant, useful, and important
metal.

--Toxicology-- Iron poisoning mainly occurs by overdose of iron tablets,
given as a treatment for anaemia. Iron in these tablets is in the form of
salts, and may be ingested in suicide attempts or by small children. The
tablets are attractive to children as they are brightly coloured and look
like sweets. Iron may also accumulate in the body if a person is given iron
therapy in excessive amounts or for too long, with repeated blood
transfusions and in chronic alcoholism .

The fatal amount of elemental iron is estimated to be between 180 and 300 mg
per kg of body weight . The table below shows the amount of elemental iron
present in some iron salts which are commonly used as anaemia treatments:
Ferrous fumarate 65
Ferrous gluconate 35
Ferrous glycine sulphate 40
Ferrous succinate 35
Ferrous sulphate 60
Ferrous sulphate (dried) 60

Serious effects are not likely unless the person has ingested more than 60
mg per kg of body weight of elemental iron . The features of iron toxicity
are more severe in younger children but are dangerous to all age groups .

The body has no natural means of getting rid of excess Iron. It is stored in
the reticulo-endothelial cells of the liver as well as in other organs.
Ingestion of iron is also dangerous as in solution it is corrosive, which
can damage the GI tract. It is also readily absorbed by this route and
enters the circulation.

Proudfoot describes the clinical course of iron poisonings as being divided
into four phases. The first phase occurs in the first few hours after
ingestion and involves acute gastric disturbances. The effects are due to
the action of the corrosive iron solution on the GI mucosa. Common symptoms
are vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. The vomit and stools are usually
black due to the disintegrating iron preparation but later may become
blood-stained due to the effects on the mucosa of the upper GI tract. In
severe cases, there may also be drowsiness, coma, convulsions and metabolic
acidosis, which are attributed to the effect of circulating free iron and
the release of vasodilator material from the liver. Shock may also occur as
the damage of the GI tract leads to fluid and blood loss. A few patients die
in this phase due to progressive circulatory failure and coma. However, if
the poisoning is mild, the patient may recover after this phase without
progressing through all four clinical phases.

The second phase begins between 6 and 12 hours after ingestion, where the
symptoms abate as the iron is taken up by the reticulo-endothelial system.
The lull in the symptoms lasts for between 12 and 48 hours. After this, the
third phase involves many severe symptoms, which include:
--Severe shock
--Metabolic acidosis
--Liver damage and necrosis, leading to jaundice (this causes coagulation
abnormalities)
--Hypoglycaemia
--Renal failure
--Rarely) Intestinal infarction
As may be expected from the above, there is high mortality in this phase.

If the patient survives the former phases, after 2 to 5 weeks they progress
to phase 4. Here the patient develops symptoms of GI tract obstruction,
including gastric stricture formation and pyloric stenosis.

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RUTHENIUM
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Metal RUTHENIUM 44 Ru Latin- Ruthenia (³Russia²)
--Atomic Weight: 101.07
--Electron Configuration: [Kr]5s14d7
--Human Discovery ­Berzelius and Osann in 1827 examined the residues left
after dissolving crude platinum from the Ural mountains in aqua regia. While
Berzelius found no unusual metals, Osann thought he found three new metals,
one of which he named ruthenium. In 1844 Klaus, generally recognized as the
discoverer, showed that Osann's ruthenium oxide was very impure and that it
contained a new metal. Klaus obtained 6 g of ruthenium from the portion of
crude platinum that is insoluble in aqua regia.
Notes- Ruthenium compounds show a marked resemblance to those of cadmium.

--General- Ruthenium occurs in ores found in the Ural mountains and in North
and South America. It is also found along with other platinum metals in
small but commercial quantities in pentlandite of the Sudbury, Ontario,
nickel-mining region, and in pyroxinite deposits of South Africa.

Ruthenium is a hard, white metal and has four crystal modifications. It does
not tarnish at room temperatures, but oxidizes explosively. It is attacked
by halogens, hydroxides, etc. Ruthenium can be plated by electrodeposition
or by thermal decomposition methods. Uses- Platinum alloys. The metal is one
of the most effective hardeners for platinum and palladium, and is alloyed
with these metals to make electrical contacts for severe wear resistance. A
ruthenium-molybdenum alloy is said to be superconductive at 10.6 K. The
corrosion resistance of titanium is improved a hundredfold by addition of
0.1% ruthenium. It is a versatile catalyst. Hydrogen sulfide can be split
catalytically by light using an aqueous suspension of CdS particles loaded
with ruthenium dioxide. It is thought this may have application to removal
of H2S from oil refining and other industrial processes. Compounds in at
least eight oxidation states have been found, but of these, the +2, +3, and
+4 states are the most common.

--Toxicology‹ Ruthenium tetroxide, like osmium tetroxide, is highly toxic.
In addition, it may explode. Ruthenium compounds show a marked resemblance
to those of cadmium.

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OSMIUM
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Metal OSMIUM 76 Os __Greek - osme (³odor², ³a smell²)
--Atomic Weight: 190.2
--Electron Configuration:[Xe]6s24f145d6
--Human Discovery ­ 1803 by Tennant in the residue left when crude platinum
is dissolved by aqua regia.
Notes- Vies with Iridium as the most dense (heaviest) element.

--General-Osmium occurs in iridosule and in platinum-bearing river sands of
the Urals, North America, and South America. It is also found in the
nickel-bearing ores of Sudbury, Ontario region along with other platinum
metals. While the quantity of platinum metals in these ores is very small,
the large tonnages of nickel ores processed make commercial recovery
possible.

The metal is lustrous, bluish white, extremely hard, and brittle even at
high temperatures. It has the highest melting point and the lowest vapor
pressure of the platinum group. The metal is very difficult to fabricate,
but the powdered or spongy metal slowly gives off osmium tetroxide, which as
a powerful oxidizing agent and has a strong smell. The tetroxide is highly
toxic, and boils at 130oC.

The measured densities of iridium and osmium seem to indicate that osmium is
slightly more dense than iridium, so osmium has generally been credited with
being the heaviest known element. Calculations of the density from the space
lattice which may be more reliable for these elements than actual
measurements, however, give a density of 22.65 for iridium compared to
22.661 for osmium. At present, therefore, we know either iridium or osmium
is the heaviest element, but the data do not allow selection between the
two.

--Uses--used chiefly as an alloy. It is especially alloyed with platinum and
iridium. The extremely hard alloy that is produced is used in fountain pen
tips, ballpoint pen tips, instrumental pivots, phonographic needles,
electrical contacts, and as a filament in electrical lights. One
platinum-osmium (90-10) alloy is used in implants such as pacemakers or
replacement valves. The compound, Osmium tetroxide, is sometimes used for
forensic purposes to detect fingerprints. The compound is also used to stain
fatty tissue for microscope slides.

Toxicology--Concentrations in air as low as 10-7 g/m3 can cause lung
congestion, skin damage, or eye damage. Exposure to osmium tetroxide should
not exceed 0.0016 mg/m3 (8-hour time weighted average - 40-hour work week).
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SAMARIUM
============
Metal SAMARIUM 62 Sm named in honor of a Russian mine official, Col
Samarski, whose name was given to the mineral Samarskite
--Atomic Weight:150.4
--Electron Configuration: [Xe]6s24f6
--Human Discovery - (Samarskite, a mineral) Discovered spectroscopically by
its sharp absorption lines in 1879 by Lecoq de Boisbaudran in the mineral
samarskite.
.‹Notes‹Samarium alloy magnets used to be the strongest known, but have
since been surpassed by neodymium-iron-boron

--General- Samarium is found along with other members of the rare-earth
elements in many minerals, including monazite and bastnasite, which are
commercial sources. It occurs in monazite to the extent of 2.8%. While misch
metal containing about 1% of samarium metal, has long been used, samarium
has not been isolated in relatively pure form until recent years.
Ion-exchange and solvent extraction techniques have recently simplified
separation of the rare earths from one another; more recently,
electrochemical deposition, using an electrolytic solution of lithium
citrate and a mercury electrode, is said to be a simple, fast, and highly
specific way to separate the rare earths. Samarium metal can be produced by
reducing the oxide with lanthanum.

Samarium has a bright silver luster and is reasonably stable in air. Three
crystal modifications of the metal exist, with transformations at 734 and
922oC. The metal ignites in air at about 150oC. The sulfide has excellent
high-temperature stability and good thermoelectric efficiencies up to
1100oC.

--Uses- Samarium is used in high-strength magnets. Samarium magnets used to
be the strongest known, but have since been surpassed by
neodymium-iron-boron magnets. Samarium, along with other rare earths, is
used for carbon-arc lighting for the motion picture industry. SmCo5 has been
used in making a new permanent magnet material with the highest resistance
to demagnetization of any known material. It is said to have an intrinsic
coercive force as high as 2200 kA/m. Samarium oxide has been used in optical
glass to absorb the infrared. Samarium is used to dope calcium fluoride
crystal for use in optical lasers or lasers. Compounds of the metal act as
sensitizers for phosphors excited in the infrared; the oxide exhibits
catalytic properties in the dehydration and dehydrogenation of ethyl
alcohol. It is used in infrared absorbing glass and as a neutron absorber in
nuclear reactors. Radioactive isotopes of Samarium (including Samarium 153)
are used in cancer therapy.

--Toxicology‹no data found

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PLUTONIUM
============
Metal PLUTONIUM 94 Pu Roman- Pluto, Dis Pater or ³wealthy Father²;
Greek-Hades
--Atomic Weight: 244
--Electron Configuration: [Rn]7s25f6
--Human Discovery -(Planet pluto) Plutonium was the second transuranium
element of the actinide series to be discovered. The isotope 238Pu was
produced in 1940 by Seaborg, McMillan, Kennedy, and Wahl by deuteron
bombardment of uranium in the 60-inch cyclotron at Berkeley, California.
Plutonium also exists in trace quantities in naturally occurring uranium
ores. It is formed in much the same manner as neptunium, by irradiation of
natural uranium with the neutrons which are present.
--Notes--this element is completely manmade

--General- The metal has a silvery appearance and takes on a yellow tarnish
when slightly oxidized. It is chemically reactive. A relatively large piece
of plutonium is warm to the touch because of the energy given off in alpha
decay. Larger pieces will produce enough heat to boil water. The metal
readily dissolves in concentrated hydrochloric acid, hydroiodic acid, or
perchloric acid. The metal exhibits six allotropic modifications having
various crystalline structures. The densities of these vary from 16.00 to
19.86 g/cm3.

By far of greatest importance is the isotope Pu239, with a half-life of
24,100 years, produced in extensive quantities in nuclear reactors from
natural uranium: 238U(n, gamma) --> 239U--(beta) --> 239Np--(beta) -->
239Pu. Fifteen isotopes of plutonium are known.

Plutonium also exhibits four ionic valence states in aqueous solutions: Pu+3
(blue lavender), Pu+4 (yellow brown), PuO+ (pink?), and PuO+2(pink-orange).
The ion PuO+ is unstable in aqueous solutions, disproportionating into Pu+4
and PuO+2. The Pu+4 thus formed, however, oxidizes the PuO+ into PuO+2,
itself being reduced to Pu+3, giving finally Pu+3 and PuO+2. Plutonium forms
binary compounds with oxygen: PuO, PuO2, and intermediate oxides of variable
composition; with the halides: PuF3, PuF4, PuCl3, PuBr3, PuI3; with carbon,
nitrogen, and silicon: PuC, PuN, PuSi2. Oxyhalides are also well known:
PuOCl, PuOBr, PuOI.
--Uses‹Electricity production (breeder reactors), weapons of war. Plutonium
has assumed the position of dominant importance among the trasuranium
elements because of its successful use as an explosive ingredient in nuclear
weapons and the place which it holds as a key material in the development of
industrial use of nuclear power. One kilogram is equivalent to about 22
million kilowatt hours of heat energy. The complete detonation of a kilogram
of plutonium produces an explosion equal to about 20,000 tons of chemical
explosive. Its importance depends on the nuclear property of being readily
fissionable with neutrons and its availability in quantity. The world's
nuclear-power reactors are now producing about 20,000 kg of plutonium/yr. By
1982 it was estimated that about 300,000 kg had accumulated. The various
nuclear applications of plutonium are well known. 238Pu has been used in the
Apollo lunar missions to power seismic and other equipment on the lunar
surface. As with neptunium and uranium, plutonium metal can be prepared by
reduction of the trifluoride with alkaline-earth metals.
--OxidesPlutonium Dioxide(PuO2 can be mixed with uranium dioxide (UO2) for
use as reactor fuel
--Carbides Plutonium Carbide(PuC) Plutonium Dicarbide(PuC2) Diplutonium
Tricarbide(Pu2C3) all three carbides can potentially be used as fuel in
breeder reactors
--Fluorides Plutonium Trifluoride(PuF3) Plutonium Tetrafluoride(PuF4) both
fluorides are intermediate compounds in the production of plutonium metal
--Nitrates Plutonium Nitrates [Pu(NO3)4] and [Pu(NO3)3] no use, but it is a
product of reprocessing (extraction of plutonium from used nuclear fuel).

--Toxicology- Plutonium, as well as all of the other transuranium elements
except neptunium, are radiological poisons and must be handled with very
special equipment and precautions. The high rate of emission of alpha
particles result in the element being specifically absorbed on bone, and
collected in the liver. Plutonium is a very dangerous radiological hazard.
Precautions must also be taken to prevent the unintentional formulation of a
critical mass. Plutonium in liquid solution is more likely to become
critical than solid plutonium. The shape of the mass must also be considered
where criticality is concerned.