The most common chemical element in the universe test. All the most interesting things in one magazine

08.01.2024 | Jurisprudence

There is the most common chemical element and the most common substance on our amazing planet, and there is the most common chemical element in the vastness of the Universe.

The most abundant chemical element on Earth

On our planet, the leader in abundance is oxygen. It interacts with almost all elements. Its atoms are found in almost all rocks and minerals that form the earth's crust. The modern period of development of chemistry began precisely with the discovery of this important and primary chemical element. The credit for this discovery is shared by Scheele, Priestley and Lavoisier. The debate about which of them is the discoverer has been going on for hundreds of years, and has not yet stopped. But the word “oxygen” itself was introduced into use by Lomonosov.

It accounts for a little more than forty-seven percent of the total solid mass of the earth's crust. Bound oxygen makes up almost eighty-nine percent of the mass of fresh and sea water. Free oxygen is found in the atmosphere, making up about twenty-three percent by mass and almost twenty-one percent by volume. At least one and a half thousand compounds in the earth's crust contain oxygen. There are no living cells in the world that do not contain this common element. Sixty-five percent of the mass of every living cell is oxygen.

Today, this substance is obtained industrially from the air and supplied under a pressure of 15 MPa in steel cylinders. There are other ways to get it. Areas of application: food industry, medicine, metallurgy, etc.

Where is the most common element found?

It is almost impossible to find a corner in nature where there is no oxygen. It is everywhere – in the depths, and high above the Earth, and under water, and in the water itself. It is found not only in compounds, but also in a free state. Most likely, it is precisely because of this that this element has always been of interest to scientists.

Geologists and chemists study the presence of oxygen in combination with all elements. Botanists are interested in studying the processes of plant nutrition and respiration. Physiologists have not fully elucidated the role of oxygen in the life of animals and humans. Physicists are trying to find a new way to use it to create high temperatures.

It is known that regardless of whether it is hot southern air or cold air from northern regions, the oxygen content in it is always the same and amounts to twenty-one percent.

How is the most common substance used?

As the most abundant known substance on the planet, water is used everywhere. This substance covers and permeates everything, but it remains little studied. Modern science began to study it in depth relatively recently. Scientists have discovered many of its properties that cannot yet be explained.

Not a single human economic activity can occur without this most common substance. It is difficult to imagine agriculture or industry without water; nuclear reactors, turbines, and power plants where water is used for cooling will not operate without this substance. For household needs, people use an increasing amount of this substance from year to year. So for a Stone Age man, ten liters of water per day was quite enough. Today, every inhabitant of the Earth collectively uses at least two hundred and twenty liters every day. Humans are made up of eighty percent water; everyone consumes at least one and a half liters of liquid every day.

The most abundant chemical element in the Universe

Three-quarters of the entire Universe is hydrogen, in other words, this is the most common element in the Universe. Water, being the most common substance on our planet, consists of more than eleven percent hydrogen.

In the earth's crust, hydrogen is one percent by mass, but by the number of atoms it is as much as sixteen percent. Such compounds as natural gases, oil and coal cannot do without the presence of hydrogen.

It should be noted that this common element is extremely rare in the free state. On the surface of our planet, it is present in small quantities in some natural gases, including volcanic ones. There is free hydrogen in the atmosphere, but its presence there is extremely small. It is hydrogen that is the element that creates the radiation inner earth belt, like a flow of protons.
But the largest star in the universe has a diameter of 1,391,000.
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The universe hides many secrets in its depths. For a long time, people have sought to unravel as many of them as possible, and, despite the fact that this does not always work out, science is moving forward by leaps and bounds, allowing us to learn more and more about our origins. So, for example, many will be interested in what is the most common one in the Universe. Most people will immediately think of water, and they will be partly right, because the most common element is hydrogen.

The most abundant element in the Universe

It is extremely rare for people to encounter hydrogen in its pure form. However, in nature it is very often found in association with other elements. For example, when it reacts with oxygen, hydrogen turns into water. And this is far from the only compound that includes this element; it is found everywhere not only on our planet, but also in space.

How did the Earth appear?

Many millions of years ago, hydrogen, without exaggeration, became the building material for the entire Universe. After all, after the big bang, which became the first stage of the creation of the world, nothing existed except this element. elementary because it consists of only one atom. Over time, the most abundant element in the universe began to form clouds, which later became stars. And already inside them reactions took place, as a result of which new, more complex elements appeared, giving rise to planets.

Hydrogen

This element accounts for about 92% of the atoms in the Universe. But it is found not only in stars, interstellar gas, but also in common elements on our planet. Most often it exists in a bound form, and the most common compound is, of course, water.

In addition, hydrogen is part of a number of carbon compounds that form oil and natural gas.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that it is the most common element throughout the world, surprisingly, it can be dangerous for humans because it sometimes catches fire when it reacts with air. To understand how important a role hydrogen played in the creation of the Universe, it is enough to realize that without it nothing living would have appeared on Earth.

The most abundant substance on Earth

From the book 100 Great Mysteries of Nature author

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The most common substance on Earth It is generally accepted that the most common substance on Earth is water. However, it is not. Surprisingly, the leadership belongs to ordinary sand, and water takes an honorable second

From the author's book

The most mysterious substance in the universe: ice Oxygen plus hydrogen plus cold creates ice. Here it is, under the thin snow grains - so clearly perceptible. Do we know what ice is? At first glance, this transparent substance seems very simple. In reality, the ice is hidden in

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It was a sensation - it turns out that the most important substance on Earth consists of two equally important chemical elements. “AiF” decided to look at the periodic table and remember thanks to what elements and compounds the Universe exists, as well as life on Earth and human civilization.

HYDROGEN (H)

Where it occurs: the most common element in the Universe, its main “building material”. Stars are made of it, including the Sun. Thanks to thermonuclear fusion with the participation of hydrogen, the Sun will warm our planet for another 6.5 billion years.

What is useful: in industry - in the production of ammonia, soap and plastics. Hydrogen energy has great prospects: this gas does not pollute the environment, since when burned it produces only water vapor.

CARBON (C)

Where it occurs: Every organism is largely made of carbon. In the human body this element occupies about 21%. So, our muscles consist of 2/3 of it. In the free state, it occurs in nature in the form of graphite and diamond.

What is useful: food, energy and much more. etc. The class of carbon-based compounds is huge - hydrocarbons, proteins, fats, etc. This element is indispensable in nanotechnology.

NITROGEN (N)

Where it occurs: The Earth's atmosphere is 75% nitrogen. Part of proteins, amino acids, hemoglobin, etc.

What is useful: necessary for the existence of animals and plants. In industry it is used as a gaseous medium for packaging and storage, a refrigerant. With its help, various compounds are synthesized - ammonia, fertilizers, explosives, dyes.

OXYGEN (O)

Where it occurs: The most common element on Earth, it accounts for about 47% of the mass of the solid crust. Sea and fresh waters consist of 89% oxygen, the atmosphere - 23%.

What is useful: Oxygen allows living things to breathe; without it, fire would not be possible. This gas is widely used in medicine, metallurgy, food industry, and energy.

CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)

Where it occurs: In the atmosphere, in sea water.

What is useful: Thanks to this compound, plants can breathe. The process of absorbing carbon dioxide from the air is called photosynthesis. This is the main source of biological energy. It is worth recalling that the energy that we obtain from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) has been accumulated in the depths of the earth over millions of years thanks to photosynthesis.

IRON (Fe)

Where it occurs: one of the most common elements in the solar system. The cores of the terrestrial planets consist of it.

What is useful: metal used by humans since ancient times. The whole historical era was called the Iron Age. Now up to 95% of global metal production comes from iron, which is the main component of steels and cast irons.

SILVER (Ag)

Where it occurs: One of the scarce elements. Previously found in nature in native form.

What is useful: From the middle of the 13th century it became a traditional material for making tableware. It has unique properties, therefore it is used in various industries - in jewelry, photography, electrical engineering and electronics. The disinfecting properties of silver are also known.

GOLD (Au)

Where it occurs: Previously found in nature in native form. It is mined in the mines.

What is useful: the most important element of the global financial system, since its reserves are small. It has long been used as money. Currently, all bank gold reserves are assessed

32 thousand tons - if you fuse them together, you get a cube with a side of only 12 m. It is used in medicine, microelectronics, and nuclear research.

SILICON (Si)

Where it occurs: In terms of prevalence in the earth's crust, this element ranks second (27-30% of the total mass).

What is useful: Silicon is the main material for electronics. Also used in metallurgy and in the production of glass and cement.

WATER (H2O)

Where it occurs: Our planet is 71% covered with water. The human body consists of 65% of this compound. There is water in outer space, in the bodies of comets.

Why it’s useful: It is of key importance in the creation and maintenance of life on Earth, because due to its molecular properties it is a universal solvent. Water has many unique properties that we don’t think about. So, if it did not increase in volume when freezing, life simply would not have arisen: reservoirs would freeze to the bottom every winter. And so, as it expands, the lighter ice remains on the surface, maintaining a viable environment underneath.

Scientists explain the emergence of chemical elements with the Big Bang theory. According to it, the Universe was formed after the Big Bang of a huge fireball, which scattered particles of matter and energy flows in all directions. Although, if in the Universe the most common chemical elements are Hydrogen and Helium, then on planet Earth they are Oxygen and Silicon.

Of the total number of known chemical elements, 88 such elements have been found on Earth, among which the most common in the earth’s crust are Oxygen (49.4%), Silicon (25.8%), also Aluminum (7.5%), Iron, Potassium and other chemical elements found in nature. These elements account for 99% of the mass of the entire Earth's shell.

The composition of elements in the Earth's crust differs from those found in the mantle and core. So the Earth's core consists mainly of iron and nickel, and the Earth's surface is saturated with oxygen.

The most common chemical elements on Earth

(49.4% in the Earth's crust)

Almost all living organisms on Earth use oxygen for respiration. Tens of billions of tons of oxygen are consumed every year, but there is still no less of it in the air. Scientists believe that green plants on the planet emit oxygen almost six times more than it is consumed...

(25.8% in the Earth's crust)

The role of Silicon in the geochemistry of the Earth is enormous, approximately 12% of the lithosphere is silica SiO2 (all hard and durable rocks consist of a third of silicon), and the number of minerals that contain silica is more than 400. On Earth, Silicon is not found in free form, only in compounds ...

(7.5% in the Earth's crust)

Aluminum does not occur in nature in its pure form. Aluminum is part of granites, clay, basalts, feldspar, etc. and is found in many minerals...

(4.7% in the Earth's crust)

This chemical element is very important for living organisms, as it is a catalyst for the respiratory process, is involved in the delivery of oxygen to tissues, and is present in blood hemoglobin. In nature, Iron is found in ore (magnetite, hematite, limonite and pyrite) and in more than 300 minerals (sulfides, silicates, carbonates, etc.)...

(3.4% in the Earth's crust)

It is not found in nature in its pure form; it is found in compounds in soil, all inorganic binders, animals, plants and natural water. Calcium ions in the blood play an important role in regulating the functioning of the heart, and allow it to clot in air. When there is a lack of Calcium in plants, the root system suffers...

(2.6% in the Earth's crust)

Sodium is distributed in the upper part of the earth's crust and occurs naturally in the form of minerals: halite, mirabilite, cryolite and borax. It is part of the human body; human blood contains about 0.6% NaCl, due to which normal osmotic pressure of the blood is maintained. Animals contain more sodium than plants...

(2.4% in the Earth's crust)

It is not found in nature in pure form, only in compounds, and is found in many minerals: sylvite, sylvinite, carnallite, aluminosilicates, etc. Sea water contains approximately 0.04% potassium. Potassium quickly oxidizes in air and easily enters into chemical reactions. It is an important element in plant development; if it is deficient, they turn yellow and seeds lose their viability...

(1.9% in the Earth's crust)

In nature, Magnesium is not found in its pure form, but is part of many minerals: silicates, carbonates, sulfates, aluminosilicates, etc. In addition, there is a lot of Magnesium in sea water, groundwater, plants and natural brines...

(0.9% in the Earth's crust)

Hydrogen is part of the atmosphere, all organic substances and living cells. Its share in living cells by number of atoms is 63%. Hydrogen is found in petroleum, volcanic and natural combustible gases; some hydrogen is released by green plants. Formed during the decomposition of organic substances and during the coking of coal...

(0.6% in the Earth's crust)

It is not found in nature in free form, often in the form of TiO2 dioxide or its compounds (titanates). Contained in the soil, in animal and plant organisms and is part of more than 60 minerals. In the biosphere, Titan is resplendent, in sea water it is 10-7%. Titanium is also found in grains, fruits, plant stems, animal tissues, milk, chicken eggs and in the human body...

The rarest chemical elements on Earth

Lutetium(0.00008% in the Earth's crust by mass). To obtain it, it is isolated from minerals along with other heavy rare elements.
Ytterbium(3.310-5% in the Earth's crust by mass). Contained in bastensite, monazite, gadolinite, talenite and other minerals.
Thulium(2.7 .10−5 wt.% in the Earth's crust by mass). Just like other rare earth elements, they are found in minerals: xenotime, monazite, euxenite, loparite, etc.
Erbium(3.3 g/t in the Earth's crust by mass). It is mined from monazite and bastenizite, as well as some rare chemical elements.
Holmium(1.3.10−4% in the Earth’s crust by mass). Along with other rare earth elements, it is found in the minerals monazite, euxenite, bastenizite, apatite and gadolinite.

Very rare chemical elements are used in radio electronics, nuclear engineering, mechanical engineering, metallurgy and the chemical industry, etc.