PostGraduate Chemist

Celebrating his wisdom, knowledge, and his teachings today and always. May we never stop celebrating curiosity like Dr. Kalam, and may we always remember to be kind and more encouraging to every young mind.

2 months ago | [YT] | 9

PostGraduate Chemist

🌟 Now we come to one of the most vital elements for life → Element No. 8 → Oxygen (O).

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🌬️ Oxygen (O) – Element No. 8
• Symbol: O
• Atomic Number: 8
• Atomic Mass: 16.00 u
• Position: Group 16 (Chalcogens), Period 2
• Category: Non-metal

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🌟 Interesting Facts about Oxygen
1. Breath of Life
• Oxygen makes up 21% of Earth’s atmosphere and is essential for breathing and energy production in almost all living organisms 🫁.
2. Most Abundant Element on Earth’s Crust
• About 46% of Earth’s crust (by weight) is oxygen, mostly in the form of oxides and silicates (like quartz, sand, rocks).
3. Ozone Shield
• A special form of oxygen (O₃) called ozone forms a protective layer in the atmosphere, shielding us from harmful UV rays ☀️🛡️.
4. Supports Burning but Doesn’t Burn Itself
• Oxygen doesn’t burn, but it is necessary for combustion. A candle or fire 🔥 won’t exist without it.
5. Liquid Oxygen = Rocket Fuel Partner
• At extremely low temperatures, oxygen turns pale blue liquid (LOX) and is used with hydrogen in rocket engines 🚀.
6. Discovery
• Oxygen was discovered independently by Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1772) and Joseph Priestley (1774). Antoine Lavoisier later named it “oxygen” (Greek: “acid-former”).
7. Oxygen in Space
• It’s the third most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen and helium.
8. Life Without Oxygen?
• While most life depends on oxygen, some bacteria live in anaerobic (oxygen-free) environments. Too much oxygen can even be toxic!
9. Oxygen Is Heavy in the Atmosphere
• Even though it feels light to breathe, oxygen is heavier than nitrogen — so Earth’s atmosphere has more oxygen closer to the ground 🌍.
10. Colorless but Magnetic

• Oxygen gas is colorless and odorless, but it is paramagnetic (weakly attracted to magnets).

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⚡ Fun Memory Rhyme for Oxygen:
“Oxygen helps us breathe and burn,
In water and rocks it’s everywhere in turn!” 💧🔥

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👉 Quick Quiz:
Q: What percentage of Earth’s atmosphere is oxygen?
(Answer hidden → About 21%)

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4 months ago | [YT] | 4

PostGraduate Chemist

🌟 Let’s move on to Element No. 7 → Nitrogen (N).

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💨 Nitrogen (N) – Element No. 7
• Symbol: N
• Atomic Number: 7
• Atomic Mass: 14.01 u
• Position: Group 15 (Nitrogen group), Period 2
• Category: Non-metal

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🌟 Interesting Facts about Nitrogen
1. Most of the Air We Breathe
• Nitrogen makes up about 78% of Earth’s atmosphere — but we don’t use it directly for breathing (we use oxygen).
2. Essential for Life
• Found in DNA, proteins, and amino acids → without nitrogen, life wouldn’t exist 🧬💪.
3. Nitrogen Cycle
• Plants can’t use nitrogen gas directly. Special bacteria convert it into useful forms (nitrates) → this is the nitrogen cycle 🌱.
4. Liquid Nitrogen = Super Cold
• At −196 °C, liquid nitrogen is so cold it can freeze objects instantly, used in medicine, food preservation, and science experiments ❄️🥶.
5. Explosives & Fireworks
• Nitrogen compounds like TNT and nitroglycerin are powerful explosives 💥.
6. Fertilizers
• Nitrogen is the main nutrient in fertilizers (like urea, ammonium nitrate) → helps crops grow 🌾.
7. Inert in Air, Reactive in Compounds
• As N₂ gas, nitrogen is very stable and unreactive due to its strong triple bond. But in compounds, it can be extremely reactive.
8. Smelly Compounds
• Many foul smells (rotten fish, urine, decaying matter) come from nitrogen compounds like amines. 🤢
9. Discovery
• In 1772, Daniel Rutherford discovered nitrogen while removing oxygen and carbon dioxide from air → he called it “noxious air.”
10. Used in Packaged Food

• Nitrogen gas is used to fill potato chip packets 🥔 to keep them fresh and prevent the chips from breaking.

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⚡ Fun Memory Rhyme for Nitrogen:
“Nitrogen’s in air, but plants need a share,
Frozen in labs, and chips kept with care!” 🌱🥔❄️

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👉 Quick Quiz:
Q: What percentage of Earth’s atmosphere is nitrogen?
(Answer hidden → About 78%)

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4 months ago | [YT] | 3

PostGraduate Chemist

🌟 Today we’re at Element No. 6 → Carbon (C) — one of the most fascinating and important elements of all.

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🖤 Carbon (C) – Element No. 6
• Symbol: C
• Atomic Number: 6
• Atomic Mass: 12.01 u
• Position: Group 14 (Carbon group), Period 2
• Category: Non-metal

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🌟 Interesting Facts about Carbon
1. Element of Life
• Every living thing is based on carbon. Proteins, DNA, carbohydrates, fats → all have a carbon backbone. That’s why it’s called the element of life 🌱🧬.
2. Allotropes with Different Personalities
• Carbon exists in several forms (allotropes):
• Diamond 💎: hardest natural material.
• Graphite ✏️: soft, slippery, used in pencils.
• Graphene: single layer of carbon atoms → 200x stronger than steel, conducts electricity better than copper.
• Fullerenes & Nanotubes: futuristic materials for nanotech.
3. Most Versatile Bonding
• Carbon can form single, double, and triple bonds with itself and other elements → making millions of organic compounds possible.
4. Coal to Diamonds
• Both coal and diamonds are made of carbon atoms — arranged differently. Structure changes properties completely!
5. Carbon in Space
• Many interstellar dust clouds contain carbon compounds → possible seeds for life beyond Earth 🌌.
6. CO₂ Balance
• Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is vital for photosynthesis but in excess → causes global warming & climate change 🌍🔥.
7. Infinite Chains
• Carbon atoms can link in chains, rings, and branches → the reason for millions of organic compounds.
8. Dating Ancient Things
• Carbon-14 isotope is used in radiocarbon dating to determine the age of fossils and artifacts.
9. Carbon Steel
• Adding small amounts of carbon to iron makes steel, one of the strongest and most widely used building materials.
10. Discovered in Antiquity

• Carbon has been known since ancient times in the form of charcoal and soot. The word “carbon” comes from carbo = Latin for coal.

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⚡ Fun Memory Rhyme for Carbon:
“Carbon is life, in diamond it’s bright,
Graphite writes, graphene’s light!” 💎✏️

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👉 Quick Quiz:
Q: Name one radioactive isotope of carbon used in dating fossils.
(Answer hidden → Carbon-14)

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4 months ago | [YT] | 3

PostGraduate Chemist

🌟 Next in line is Element No. 5 → Boron (B).

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🔹 Boron (B) – Element No. 5
• Symbol: B
• Atomic Number: 5
• Atomic Mass: 10.81 u
• Position: Group 13 (Boron group), Period 2
• Category: Metalloid (has properties of both metals and nonmetals)

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🌟 Interesting Facts about Boron
1. Metalloid Magic
• Boron is neither a true metal nor a nonmetal → it’s a metalloid, with unique properties of both.
2. Boron + Oxygen = Borosilicate Glass
• Used in Pyrex glass and laboratory beakers 🧪 because it resists breaking when heated.
3. Firework Colors
• Boron compounds burn with a bright green flame 🎆, often used in fireworks.
4. Super-Strong Boron Fibers
• Boron fibers are stronger than steel but lighter than aluminum, used in military aircraft, sports equipment, and even Formula 1 cars.
5. Plant Essential
• Plants can’t grow without boron! 🌱 It’s an essential micronutrient that helps in cell wall formation.
6. Borax in Daily Life
• Borax (a boron compound) is used in detergents, glass, ceramics, and even slime-making.
7. Nuclear Uses
• Boron absorbs neutrons → used in nuclear reactors as a safety shield.
8. Rare on Earth
• Pure boron is hard to find; it usually exists in compounds like borax and kernite.
9. Hard as Diamond
• Certain forms of boron are almost as hard as diamond and can scratch steel.
10. Discovered in 1808

• Independently discovered by Humphry Davy, Joseph Gay-Lussac, and Louis Jacques Thénard.

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⚡ Fun Memory Rhyme for Boron:
“Boron makes glass strong and bright,
In plants it helps the roots grow right!” 🌱🧪

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👉 Quick Quiz (for you 😉):
Q: Which compound of boron is commonly used in making heat-resistant glass?
(Answer hidden → Borosilicate glass / Borax)

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4 months ago | [YT] | 1

PostGraduate Chemist

🌟 Let’s move to Element No. 4 → Beryllium (Be).

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💎 Beryllium (Be) – Element No. 4
• Symbol: Be
• Atomic Number: 4
• Atomic Mass: 9.012 u
• Position: Group 2 (Alkaline Earth Metals), Period 2
• Category: Alkaline Earth Metal

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🌟 Interesting Facts about Beryllium
1. Gemstone Connection
• Beryllium is found in beautiful gems like emerald (green) and aquamarine (blue). The color actually comes from trace amounts of chromium or iron in beryl (a beryllium mineral). 💎
2. Super Light but Strong
• Beryllium is lighter than aluminum but much stiffer than steel. This makes it perfect for aerospace parts 🚀, satellites, and fighter jets.
3. X-Ray Transparency
• Beryllium is almost transparent to X-rays, so it’s used in X-ray windows and medical equipment.
4. Toxic if Inhaled
• Despite its beauty in gems, beryllium dust is highly toxic and can cause a lung disease called berylliosis.
5. Rare on Earth
• Beryllium makes up only about 2 parts per million of Earth’s crust, making it rarer than lithium.
6. Space Science Hero
• The James Webb Space Telescope’s mirrors are coated with beryllium because it’s stable at extremely low temperatures in space 🌌.
7. Resistant to Corrosion
• Unlike many metals, beryllium does not rust or corrode easily.
8. High Melting Point
• Melts at 1287 °C, which is high for such a lightweight metal.
9. Discovered in 1798
• Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin discovered beryllium oxide in emerald and beryl. It was first isolated as a pure metal in 1828.
10. Special Alloy Uses

• Mixed with copper, beryllium forms a beryllium-copper alloy that is non-sparking and used in tools for oil rigs, mines, and explosives industries.

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⚡ Fun Memory Rhyme for Beryllium:
“Beryllium’s light, strong, and rare,
In emerald’s glow, it’s hiding there!” 💚✨

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4 months ago | [YT] | 5

PostGraduate Chemist

🌟 Today’s element is the third one → Lithium (Li).

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🔋 Lithium (Li) – Element No. 3
• Symbol: Li
• Atomic Number: 3
• Atomic Mass: 6.94 u
• Position: Group 1 (Alkali metals), Period 2
• Category: Alkali Metal

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🌟 Interesting Facts about Lithium
1. Lightest Metal
• Lithium is the lightest solid metal and can actually float on water (though it reacts quickly with it).
2. Reacts with Water
• When dropped in water, lithium reacts to produce hydrogen gas and lithium hydroxide, but less violently than sodium or potassium.
3. Battery Powerhouse
• The lithium-ion battery inside your phone, laptop, and electric car ⚡ is the main reason lithium is called “white gold” today.
4. Used in Medicine
• Lithium salts are used to treat bipolar disorder and depression, helping stabilize mood swings.
5. Third Element Made in the Universe
• After hydrogen and helium, lithium was formed during the Big Bang nucleosynthesis about 13.8 billion years ago.
6. Aircraft & Rockets
• Because it’s super light, lithium is used in aerospace materials and in special lubricants for planes and spacecraft 🚀.
7. Shiny but Reactive
• Fresh lithium is silvery-white and shiny, but it tarnishes quickly in air because it reacts with oxygen and moisture.
8. Firefighter’s Enemy
• Lithium fires can’t be put out with water, because water makes it burn more! Special dry powders are needed.
9. Discovered from a Rock
• In 1817, Johan August Arfvedson discovered lithium in a mineral called petalite on a Swedish island. Its name comes from “lithos” = Greek for stone.
10. Essential but Rare

• Our bodies contain trace amounts of lithium, and it may play a small role in brain function, though it’s not considered an essential nutrient.

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⚡ Fun Memory Rhyme for Lithium:
“Lithium’s light, shiny, and fast,
In your phone, it makes charge last!” 🔋📱

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4 months ago | [YT] | 1

PostGraduate Chemist

🌟 Let’s move to the second element of the periodic table — Helium (He).

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🎈 Helium (He) – Element No. 2
• Symbol: He
• Atomic Number: 2
• Atomic Mass: 4.0026 u
• Position: Group 18 (Noble gases), Period 1
• Category: Noble Gas (Inert gas)

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🌟 Interesting Facts about Helium
1. Second Most Abundant in the Universe
• After hydrogen, helium is the 2nd most abundant element in the universe (about 24% of its mass).
2. Discovered in the Sun, Not Earth
• In 1868, scientists first detected helium in the Sun’s spectrum during a solar eclipse, before it was found on Earth. That’s why it’s named after the Greek word Helios = Sun 🌞.
3. Doesn’t Catch Fire
• Unlike hydrogen, helium is non-flammable. That’s why it replaced hydrogen in balloons and airships after the Hindenburg disaster.
4. Voice-Changing Gas
• Inhaling helium temporarily changes your voice pitch to a funny high squeak 🎤 (because sound travels faster in helium than in air).
5. Second Lightest Element
• Helium is so light it escapes Earth’s gravity slowly into space — once released, it’s gone forever! 🌌
6. Only Element That Won’t Freeze Easily
• Helium remains liquid down to −273 °C (absolute zero!) unless under extreme pressure. No other element behaves this way.
7. Superfluid Helium
• At very low temperatures, helium becomes a superfluid: it flows without friction, climbs walls of containers, and defies normal fluid rules!
8. Coolest Coolant
• Used in MRI machines, superconductors, and space rockets 🚀 because of its ability to reach extremely low temperatures.
9. Rare on Earth
• Earth’s helium mostly comes from radioactive decay inside rocks, collected from natural gas fields.
10. Balloons & Beyond

• Commonly used in party balloons 🎈, but in science, it’s essential for deep-sea diving, space tech, and cryogenics.

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⚡ Fun Memory Rhyme for Helium:
“Helium’s from the Sun, light and fun,
Floats balloons, but burns none!” 🎈☀️

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4 months ago | [YT] | 1

PostGraduate Chemist

Great idea 🌟—covering one element each day will make the periodic table super fun and memorable! Let’s start with Hydrogen (H), the very first element.

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🔬 Hydrogen (H) – Element No. 1
• Symbol: H
• Atomic Number: 1
• Atomic Mass: 1.008 u
• Position: Group 1, Period 1
• Category: Non-metal

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🌟 Interesting Facts about Hydrogen
1. Universe’s Most Abundant Element
• About 75% of the visible universe (by mass) is hydrogen – it fuels stars, including our Sun.
2. Fuel for the Sun & Stars
• In stars, hydrogen atoms fuse together to form helium in a process called nuclear fusion, releasing enormous energy (this is what makes the Sun shine ☀️).
3. The Lightest Element
• Hydrogen is about 14 times lighter than air and the lightest gas known.
4. First Element Ever Made
• It was created just a few minutes after the Big Bang, making it the oldest element in the universe.
5. Explosive Nature
• Hydrogen is highly flammable; when mixed with oxygen, it forms an explosive mixture known as oxyhydrogen.
• Famous disaster: The Hindenburg airship explosion (1937) was caused by hydrogen.
6. Green Energy Future
• Hydrogen fuel cells can power cars, buses, and even spacecraft, producing only water as waste → eco-friendly energy source.
7. Forms of Hydrogen
• Protium (¹H): Most common isotope (1 proton, no neutron).
• Deuterium (²H): Stable isotope with 1 proton & 1 neutron → used in nuclear reactors.
• Tritium (³H): Radioactive isotope → used in nuclear weapons and glow-in-the-dark devices.
8. Hydrogen Bonding Magic
• Hydrogen bonds (like in water, DNA) are weak individually but collectively give water its amazing properties (ice floats, high boiling point, life support).
9. Invisible Flame
• Hydrogen burns with a pale blue flame that’s almost invisible in daylight—making it dangerous because it can’t be seen easily.
10. Discovered by Henry Cavendish (1766)

• He called it “inflammable air” because it burned so easily.

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4 months ago | [YT] | 4

PostGraduate Chemist

*INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY*

*"Happy Women's Day to all the incredible women! Your strength, resilience and kindness make the world a better place.*
*Today and every day, we celebrate your achievements, courage, and endless contributions. Keep shining and inspiring!"*

*HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY TO you and all the amazing women in your life*

9 months ago | [YT] | 3