To date, 118 chemical elements have been found. Professor Mario Markus, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany, takes a look at each element, presenting a poem based on its natural properties along with a scientific overview of each element.
All 118 poems – as well as some poems about elements that only exist in theoretical simulations – are published in the book Chemical Poems: One On Each Element by Mario Markus. ChemViews Magazine publishes a selection of these poems.
Ubh |
Unbihexium |
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Calculations concerning the origin of the universe show that unbihexium is a “primordial superheavy element”, meaning that it was formed in supernova explosions in a very early period. Further calculations show that an isotope of this element, having 126 protons and 184 neutrons, should have a high stability and that large amounts of this isotope must have been present when the earth was formed. It is assumed that giant monazite halos, seen in a black mica called biotite, derive from the decay of this element [1]. Other supposed traces of its decay are found in meteorites, namely Angra dos Reis in Brasil, Kapoeta in Sudan, Toluca in Mexico, El Taco in Argentina, and Nakhala in Egypt [2]. Present experimental plans for the production of element 126 are the nuclear fusion of hafnium with xenon, palladium with bromine, and thorium with krypton.
[1] R. V. Gentry et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 1976, 37, 11–15. [2] N. Bhandari et al., Nature 1971, 230, 219–224. |
You blossomed And there are |
Professor Mario Markus
Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany.
www.mariomarkus.com
Chemical Poems – One On Each Element,
Mario Markus,
Dos Madres Press 2013.
ISBN: 978-1-933675-98-5
Perfectbound, 308 pages, English, $30
Interview with Mario Markus: Poetry and Chemistry,
ChemistryViews 2013.
https://doi.org/10.1002/chemv.201300010
The poems have also been published in German in:
- Chemische Gedichte,
Mario Markus,
Shaker Media, Herzogenrath, Germany, 2011.
ISBN: 978-3868587012
See all poems published so far by ChemistryViews.
Super! I will look into purchasing your book of poetry. I think every designer whether chemical or not, explore the wonder of matter.