Chromium: Who needs it? All of us!
What element comes to mind when you think of a commonly used metal? I doubt many of you think of chromium. Do you think that you don’t need or use chromium? Do you believe that there isn’t a single piece of chromium in your house or garage? Then it may surprise you to learn that you can find chromium in your jewelry, kitchen, and all of your stainless steel objects. Chromium is responsible for making your rubies red and your emeralds green. Stainless steel can be made up of ten to twenty percent chromium. Chromium is a commonly used metal in many alloys and is cheap. You do not have to worry about your ruby ring chipping, for chromium is very strong. Coffee pots and electric toasters have a chromium coating, due to the fact it is very heat-resistant. Many car parts are made of stainless steel due to the presence of chromium, which is corrosion-resistant, too. With oxygen, it can form chromates and dichromates, and many of these are used in paints and dyes as well as in the tanning of leather. So you can thank chromium for your comfortable and stylish leather furniture. It is also used in cleaning laboratory glassware and equipment.
As I said previously, this handy metal is used in many different alloys. Furthermore, you will never find this metal naturally by itself, but rather always as a compound of some sort, proving the fact that it is a very reactive metal. However, there are ways to isolate chromium by itself if any of you kids want to become scientists. One of the simpler ways is to heat charcoal with chromium trioxide and the chemical reaction will give you chromium. Chromium’s major source is the mineral chromite, containing iron, chromium, and oxygen. The leading producers of chromium are South Africa, Southwest Asia, the Philippines, and Brazil.
You might be asking yourself why you do not have any prior knowledge of this magnificent metal, and that is a very good question. People have used chromium to their advantage for a very long time. In ancient China, Emperor Qin Shi Huang used a coating of chromium for his weapons when he built his Terracotta Army statues. The European chemist Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin recognized chromium as an element during the late eighteenth century. He is credited for naming chromium after the Greek word chromas, meaning color, since its compounds vary greatly in color. Despite all of the wonderful things chromium can do for us, it also has its downfalls, the major of these being its health hazard. Small amounts of chromium are not dangerous to the human body, and are sometimes added to dietary vitamins, though it is not proven that they are helpful. In large amounts, though, chromium can cause liver failure and diabetes as well as several other health problems. Chromium that is found in drinking water has proven to be carcinogenic. Therefore, the amount of chromium ingested should be monitored.
To conclude this very descriptive writing about the amazing element chromium, chromium is a very useful metal in alloys and it makes our jewelry pretty. It makes up our car bumpers and buildings and gives color to paints. However, don’t try eating it, for it could poison you! Buy chromium products, for they won’t let you down!
