What is Chromium? Periodic Table Group and Classification of the Chromium Element Elements can be classified based on their physical states (States of Matter) e.g. gas, solid or liquid. This element is a solid. Chromium is classified as a "Transition Metal" which are located in Groups 3 - 12 of the Periodic Table. Elements classified as Transition Metals are generally described as ductile, malleable, and able to conduct electricity and heat.Nearly 75% of all the elements in the Periodic Table are classified as metals which are detailed in the List of Metals. Facts about the History and the Discovery of the Chromium Element Chromium was discovered by Louis Vauquelin in 1797 who was also able to detect traces of chromium in precious gems, such as ruby and emerald. Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin also discovered Beryllium. Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin rose from being born as the son of a peasant to an eminent chemist. He started his career working in an apothocary shop and then he became the laboratory assistant of Antoine-François Fourcroy before becoming an authority in his own right eventually chemistry professor at the Paris Faculty of Medicine.
Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin (1763-1829)
What is Chromium? Occurrence of the Chromium Element Occurrence of Chromium. The ore from which all chromium compounds are made is chromite, or chrome iron ore (FeCr2O4). The element also occurs in small quantities in many other minerals, especially in crocoisite (PbCrO4), in which mineral it was first discovered. What is Chromium? Preparation of Chromium Chromium, like manganese, is very hard to reduce from its ores, owing to its great affinity for Oxygen. It can, however, be made by the same methods which have proved successful with manganese. Considerable quantities of an alloy of chromium with iron, called ferrochromium, are now produced for the steel industry. Abundances of the element in different environments % in Universe 0.0015% % in Sun 0.002% % in Meteorites 0.3% % in Earth's Crust 0.014% % in Oceans 6×10-8% % in Humans 3×10-6% Associated Uses of Chromium Dyes and paints Stainless steel Metallurgy Chrome plating Green rouge metal polish Magnetic tape Hexavalent chromium Chromium trioxide 30.0 /day What is Chromium? The Properties of the Chromium Element Properties. Chromium is a very hard metal of about the same density as iron. It is one of the most infusible of the metals, requiring a temperature little short of 3000° for fusion. At ordinary temperatures air has little action on it; at higher temperatures, however, it burns brilliantly. |