The most common chemical elements in the entire universe. Chemical elements in nature What is the most common element in the universe

The most common chemical elements in the entire universe.  Chemical elements in nature What is the most common element in the universe

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 uses at least two hundred and twenty liters daily. 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.


Many stars and the sun are made up of approximately fifty percent hydrogen, where it is present in the form of plasma. Most of the interstellar medium, as well as the gases of nebulae, consists of it. Hydrogen is also present in the atmospheres of planets and comets.


It was identified as a chemical element in 1766. Henry Cavendish did it. Fifteen years later, he found out that the result of the interaction of hydrogen with oxygen is water. The “character” of hydrogen is truly explosive, which is why it received the name explosive gas.

But the largest star in the universe has a diameter of 1,391,000.
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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 a 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.


In 1825, the Swedish chemist Jons Jakob Berzelius obtained pure elemental silicon by the action of potassium metal on silicon fluoride SiF4. The new element was given the name “silicon” (from the Latin silex - flint). The Russian name “silicon” was introduced in 1834 by the Russian chemist German Ivanovich Hess. Translated into Greek kremnos - “cliff, mountain.”

In terms of prevalence in the earth's crust, silicon ranks second among all elements (after oxygen). The mass of the earth's crust is 27.6-29.5% silicon. Silicon is a component of several hundred different natural silicates and aluminosilicates. The most common is silica or silicon oxide (IV) SiO2 (river sand, quartz, flint, etc.), constituting about 12% of the earth's crust (by mass). Silicon does not occur in free form in nature.

The crystal lattice of silicon is cubic face-centered like diamond, parameter a = 0.54307 nm (other polymorphic modifications of silicon have been obtained at high pressures), but due to the longer bond length between Si-Si atoms compared to the length of the C-C bond, the hardness of silicon is significantly less than a diamond. Silicon is fragile; only when heated above 800 °C does it become a plastic substance. Interestingly, silicon is transparent to infrared radiation.




Elemental silicon is a typical semiconductor. The band gap at room temperature is 1.09 eV. The concentration of charge carriers in silicon with intrinsic conductivity at room temperature is 1.5·1016m-3. The electrical properties of crystalline silicon are greatly influenced by the microimpurities it contains. To obtain silicon single crystals with hole conductivity, additives of group III elements - boron, aluminum, gallium and indium are introduced into silicon; with electronic conductivity - additives of group V elements - phosphorus, arsenic or antimony. The electrical properties of silicon can be varied by changing the processing conditions of single crystals, in particular, by treating the silicon surface with various chemical agents.

Currently, silicon is the main material for electronics. Monocrystalline silicon is a material for gas laser mirrors. Sometimes silicon (commercial grade) and its alloy with iron (ferrosilicon) are used to produce hydrogen in the field. Compounds of metals with silicon - silicides - are widely used in industry (for example, electronic and nuclear) materials with a wide range of useful chemical, electrical and nuclear properties (resistance to oxidation, neutrons, etc.), and silicides of a number of elements are important thermoelectric materials. Silicon is used in metallurgy in the smelting of cast iron, steel, bronze, silumin, etc. (as a deoxidizer and modifier, and also as an alloying component).

the most abundant substance on earth

Alternative descriptions

Melted Ice

The most common liquid on earth

Transparent colorless liquid

. "It's not beer that kills people, it's people..."

. "Off a duck's back..."

. "Don't spill..."

. "Under a lying stone... it doesn't flow"

. "ash two O"

. “It lives in seas and rivers, but often flies across the sky, and when it gets bored of flying, it falls to the ground again” (riddle)

. “quiet... the shores are washing away” (last)

. “subtle matter” that found itself on the first step of the “ladder of nature”, built in the 18th century by the Swiss naturalist Charles Bonnet

You are life

65% of the human body

Without her, “neither here nor here”

There is no life without her

Most vodka

They usually hide the ends in it

The most important inorganic substance for us

Vodka without alcohol

Vodka without alcohol

Hydrogen+ oxygen

Second to water and copper pipes

Carbonated...

Hot and cold in the tap

Kills people, unlike beer

Destroyer of people (song)

Distilled...

Jewel in the Desert

Friends, don't spill...

It is not pounded in a mortar

It waters the garden and vegetable garden

Liquid cradle of life

Liquid

Liquid without taste, color or odor

Liquid in the bath

The liquid that flows in empty speeches

Liquid that has leaked a lot

Liquid necessary for the existence of all living things

What is a snowflake made of?

It was in this drop that the Roman sages advised to look “if you want to know the world.”

What coolant is usually used to cool a boiling reactor?

The stone sharpens

Painting by Russian artist S. Chuikov "Live..."

Well...

Concrete component

Vodka component

There is too much in vodka, according to drunkards

The best remedy for thirst

Flowing from the tap

An insignificant component of vodka

Mineralka

Mineral in a bottle

Mineral, carbonated

Muddy after ice drift

We drink it and bathe in it

We drink it and enjoy it

Pour into a bucket or glass

Pour into a kettle to boil

Filler for baths and seas

A prerequisite for life

One of the most common substances in nature

It turns out that you can get out of it dry

Deuterium oxide or heavy...

It flows in empty speeches

It can flow or it can drip

It does not flow under a lying stone

The basis of all life on Earth

The basis of life

Fresh milk in the night lake

Partner of fire and copper pipes

Drinking union of two gases

Rain Flesh

Flesh of the sea

According to the French chemist Leonel, the molecule of this substance resembles a peach with two apricots attached to its sides

The herbal liqueur "Danzig Gold...", popular in Germany, contains tiny particles of gold leaf.

Fresh...

Fresh in the lake

Fresh in the pond

Fresh liquid in a pond

A transparent, colorless liquid that is a chemical compound of hydrogen and oxygen

Flow in Jacuzzi

Hide and seek for ends

Melted Ice

Fish habitat

Escaped from the bucket

Seventh liquid on jelly

Seventh on jelly

Liquefied ice

According to the Kazakh proverb, without flaw only God, without dirt - only she

Contents. sieve according to the saying

Contents of the clepsydra

Contents of the river and sea

Contents of the samovar

Salty in the sea

Salty moisture of the sea

Salty sea...

Rescue from thirst

This is the name for the linear part of the distance for one boat

Shower turnover

Faucet leaking

What fish “breathe”

Something that won't spoil true friendship

What they carry to the offended

What is poured from the tap

Outdated ancient constellation

Quenches thirst

Film by A. A. Rowe "Fire, ... and Copper Pipes"

A chemical substance without which neither a person nor an animal can survive long.

Chemical substance in the form of a clear liquid

Walks without legs, sleeves without arms, mouth without speech (riddle)

How to dilute alcohol

What in Taoism has become a symbol of the triumph of visible weakness over strength

What boils in a samovar

What measured time in the ancient clepsydra

Not boiling. tea without sugar and tea leaves

Partner of fire and copper pipes

Don't drink it off your face, as the saying goes.

Contents of the cistern

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 a 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. 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.

We all know that hydrogen fills our Universe by 75%. But do you know what other chemical elements there are that are no less important for our existence and play a significant role for the life of people, animals, plants and our entire Earth? The elements from this rating form our entire Universe!

10. Sulfur (abundance relative to silicon – 0.38)


This chemical element is listed under the symbol S in the periodic table and is characterized by atomic number 16. Sulfur is very common in nature.

9. Iron (abundance relative to silicon – 0.6)

Denoted by the symbol Fe, atomic number - 26. Iron is very common in nature, it plays a particularly important role in the formation of the inner and outer shell of the Earth's core.

8. Magnesium (abundance relative to silicon – 0.91)

In the periodic table, magnesium can be found under the symbol Mg, and its atomic number is 12. What is most amazing about this chemical element is that it is most often released when stars explode during the process of their transformation into supernovae.

7. Silicon (abundance relative to silicon – 1)



Denoted as Si. The atomic number of silicon is 14. This blue-gray metalloid is very rarely found in the earth's crust in its pure form, but is quite common in other substances. For example, it can even be found in plants.

6. Carbon (abundance relative to silicon – 3.5)

Carbon in the periodic table of chemical elements is listed under the symbol C, its atomic number is 6. The most famous allotropic modification of carbon is one of the most coveted precious stones in the world - diamonds. Carbon is also actively used in other industrial purposes for more everyday purposes.

5. Nitrogen (abundance relative to silicon – 6.6)

Symbol N, atomic number 7. First discovered by Scottish physician Daniel Rutherford, nitrogen most often occurs in the form of nitric acid and nitrates.

4. Neon (abundance relative to silicon – 8.6)



It is designated by the symbol Ne, atomic number is 10. It is no secret that this particular chemical element is associated with a beautiful glow.

3. Oxygen (abundance relative to silicon – 22)

A chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8, oxygen is essential to our existence! But this does not mean that it is present only on Earth and serves only for human lungs. The universe is full of surprises.

2. Helium (abundance relative to silicon – 3,100)

The symbol for helium is He, the atomic number is 2. It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, and its boiling point is the lowest of all chemical elements. And thanks to him, the balls soar skyward!

1. Hydrogen (abundance relative to silicon – 40,000)

The true number one on our list, hydrogen is found in the periodic table under the symbol H and has atomic number 1. It is the lightest chemical element on the periodic table and the most abundant element in the entire known universe.

The simplest and most common element

Hydrogen has only one proton and one electron (it is the only element without a neutron). It is the simplest element in the universe, which explains why it is also the most abundant, Nyman said. However, an isotope of hydrogen called deuterium contains one proton and one neutron, and another, known as tritium, has one proton and two neutrons.

In stars, hydrogen atoms fuse to create helium, the second most abundant element in the universe. Helium has two protons, two neutrons and two electrons. Together, helium and hydrogen make up 99.9 percent of all known matter in the universe.

However, there is about 10 times more hydrogen in the universe than helium, Nyman says. “Oxygen, which is the third most abundant element, is about 1,000 times less abundant than hydrogen,” she added.

Generally speaking, the higher the atomic number of an element, the less of it can be found in the universe.

Hydrogen in the Earth

The composition of the Earth, however, is different from that of the Universe. For example, oxygen is the most abundant element by weight in the earth's crust. It is followed by silicon, aluminum and iron. In the human body, the most abundant element by weight is oxygen, followed by carbon and hydrogen.

Role in the human body

Hydrogen has a number of key roles in the human body. Hydrogen bonds help DNA stay coiled. In addition, hydrogen helps maintain the correct pH in the stomach and other organs. If your stomach becomes too alkaline, hydrogen is released as it is associated with regulating this process. If the environment in the stomach is too acidic, hydrogen will bond with other elements.

Hydrogen in water

In addition, it is hydrogen that allows ice to float on the surface of water, since hydrogen bonds increase the distance between its frozen molecules, making them less dense.

Typically, a substance is denser when it is in a solid state rather than a liquid, Nyman said. Water is the only substance that becomes less dense when solid.

What is the danger of hydrogen

However, hydrogen can also be dangerous. Its reaction with oxygen led to the disaster of the Hindenburg airship, which killed 36 people in 1937. Additionally, hydrogen bombs can be incredibly destructive, although they have never been used as weapons. However, their potential was demonstrated in the 1950s by countries such as the USA, USSR, Great Britain, France and China.

Hydrogen bombs, like atomic bombs, use a combination of nuclear fusion and fission reactions to cause destruction. When they explode, they create not only mechanical shock waves, but also radiation.


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