HOW WERE

ELEMENTS
DISCOVERED
Lesson 4
Group 2 Reporting
 The King • English translation of the Christian
Bible for the church of England from
James Bible 1604-1611
• Mentioned 8 names of elements – lead,
gold, tin silver copper, iron, brimstone
(sulfur) and carbon.
• This elements were recognized as
distinct substances but not as
elements.
Albertus • German philosopher and
Magnus theologian.
• “heating one of it’s sulfur
compounds, orpiment with soap.”
• 16th century
ARSENIC • From the greek term “arsenikos” –
potent – chemically and
medicinally effective.
• In the entire period of the middle
ages, spanning a period of around
eleven centuries, this is the only
element discovered
 The • Work of Robert Boyle.
• Established the concept of chemical element that

Skeptical continues to be recognized to this day.

• He provided an operational definition of an element as
Chymist a substance that cannot be decomposed into “any
number of distinct substances.”
• This definition provided chemists with a conceptual
tool for testing whether a substance is an element or
not.
• 17th Century
 Antoine • Reaffirmed Boyle’s definition of the element.
• He said that elements are “the last point which analysis

Lavosier is capable of reaching,” and “into which we are able to

reduce bodies by decomposition.”
• Conduct a quantitative experiments , where he
measured the masses of the starting materials and the
resulting products of a reaction, provided further
confirmation that a substance was an element.
• He asserted that if a reaction produced a substance
thatweighed more than the original material, then the
substance could not be an element.
 Antoine • In 1789, he published what is considered as the first
chemistry textbook which contained a list of elements.

Lavosier Of these, ten were not previously recognized as

elements. In the following century, seven additional
were discovered.
• Lavoisiers list included heat and light which are kinds of
energy and not matter. It also included substances such
as hydrochloric acid and silica now recognized as
compounds. To his credit, Lavoisier acknowledged his
list was limited by the scientific knowledge at that time
and expressed his preparedness to be disproved,
saying,
 Antoine In continue to last bullet

Lavosier “Now that are entitled to affirm, that these substances we

consider as simple may not be compounded of two, or
even of a greater number of principles; but, since these
principles cannot be separated , or rather since we have
no hithero discovered the means of separating them ,
they act which regard to us as simple substances, and we
ought never to suppose them compounded, until
experiment and observation have proved them to be so.”
• Alchemist tried to produce some precious elements
like gold from metals like lead.
• Failure:
False: due to lack of persistence.
True: wrong notion of nature of elements and
substance
• Scientist have to wait for further progress of elements
and structure of atoms.
• With Dalton’s theory that atoms are indivisible.
Scientists did not know what in the atom differentiates
the atoms of one element to the atoms of another
element.
 1914 • English physicist. Identified the atomic number.

Henry Number of protons in te nucleus of the atom.

Mosley • Fundamental property that is unique to the atoms of

the element.
• Played a vital role in the synthesis of elements.

Transmutation became possible

False: Chemical reaction
True: Nuclear reaction
Dalton’s THE 19th CENTURY TO THE PRESENT
• Greater leap forward in the history of discovery of

Atomic more elements was archieved through this.

• Dalton’s theory provided the explanation of the
theory operational def. of an element given by Lavoisier and
Boyle.
• Start of 19th century – 31 known elements.
• Mid – 1860’s the number had doubted.
• At the close of the century – reached more than 80’s .
 Other • Improved analytical techniques to separate and
identified elements w/ similar properties (Ex: Ytrium

factors w/c and Terbium)

• Development of electrolytic methods of decomposing

boosted compounds into elements (Es: Sodium, Potassium and

Calcium.)

the • Invention of the spectroscope for studying light

discovery
emitted by atoms (Ex: Celsium and Rubidium)

of more
elements
Alchemists Contributed many useful info. Processes and
laboratory implements.

• Developed distillation, Filtration, and Titration

procedures.
• Mortar and pestle, Test tube, Rurnaces, Retorts, among
the others.
• Produced Hydrochlotic acid, Nitric Acid, Potash, and
Sodium carbonate.
• Identified elements like arsenic, antimony, and
bismuth.
• Elements with atomic numbers higher than that of
uranium (Z=92) the transuranium elements were first
discovered or synthesized in the laboratory. Some of
them are neptunium, plutonium, americium, curium,
and californium were later found in uranium or having
been produced from uranium as it underwent
radioactive decay.
 Three • The Radiation Laboratory now Lawrence Berkely
National Laboratory at the University of California,
Laboratories Berkely where elements Z=93 to 106 were discovered.

Where
• The society for heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt,
Hessen Germany where elemets Z= 107 to 112 were

Transuranium synthesized.
• The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research JINR) in Dubna,
produced. Russia collaborating with other laboratories including
the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the
United States where the heaviest known elements
(Z=113 and up) were discovered.

In a few cases like that of seaborgium (Z=106) the

discovery of an element was claimed buy two
laboratories.
 Group • Michael Peronce
Members • Cris Vilchez
• Eryn Jeremy Aquino
• Dorothy Nicole Climaco
• Vincent Maranan