Weird (and Interesting!) Facts About Metals That’ll Make You Say “Huh”

It’s not surprising we’re obsessed with exciting facts about metals, especially, when you consider how long metals have adorned the planet.

Did you know that Nicolas Appert first invented steel cans back in 1810 to try to preserve food for Napoleon’s army?!

Well if you found that interesting, you’ll love the rest of this blog post. So, without further ado let’s dive in!

1. Humans Have Loved Silver for Thousands of Years

The human race has loved and used silver for centuries. In fact, archaeological evidence proves that we’ve decorated ourselves with beautiful metal for at least 5,000 years. That takes us back to prehistoric times!

Silver doesn’t only look divine, but it also resists both oxidation and corrosion. These are both processes that typically damage other metals, especially when exposed to damp air.

Interestingly, silver was one of the first five metals ever to be discovered by Homo sapiens, alongside:

• Iron
• Lead
• Copper
• Gold

How cool is that?!

2. Rhodium: The Most Valuable Metal

Not many people know this, but rhodium is the most valuable of all the precious metals.

This is namely because there’s high demand for this material despite its low yield. Like all markets, the price of Rhodium fluctuates. However, on today’s market rhodium is worth as much as $2,250 per troy ounce!

It’s characteristically silvery white in color, has a shiny appearance, is incredibly hard, and belongs to the platinum family of metals. For all of these reasons, rhodium is the perfect material for producing high-quality jewelry.

3. Mercury’s Liquid Properties

Fascinatingly, mercury is the only metal that becomes liquid at room temperature.

4. Beryllium Is Invisible to X-Rays

Beryllium has an incredibly low density and atomic mass. This makes it very difficult for it to absorb X-ray radiation, and therefore it’s almost invisible in scans.

5. Metal Has a Fascinating Etymology

Did you know the word ‘metal’ literally comes from the Greek word ‘metallon.’ When translated, this means ‘to mine, excavate or to extract from the ground,’ which seems fitting when you consider how we go about harvesting our metals!

For those of you that don’t know, metal is usually found either inside rocks (known as ore) or in mines. Then in order to extract the metal we need from the ore, it’s heated to exceptionally high temperatures in a process named ‘smelting.’

6. Metals Steal the Show

Did you know that metals take up a whopping 75% of all the elements in the periodic table? That’s a lot.

This is just further proof of how essential metals are to our way of life!

Less interestingly, the metals highlighted in the periodic table are further broken down into different groups:

• Basic metals
• Transition metals
• Alkali metals
• Alkaline earth metals
• Rare earth
• Lanthanides
• Actinides

We can’t speak for you, but we certainly don’t remember being taught this in school!

7. The Earth Is Made of Metal

Fascinatingly, the Earth’s crust is composed mainly out of aluminum. However, despite aluminum being such a key player, the most common metal found across the globe is iron, which incidentally is what the Earth’s core is primarily made up of.

8. No, Metal Doesn’t Continually Glow in the Dark

Contrary to what we see on TV and in the movies, most radioactive metals don’t continually glow in the dark. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t glow at all…

You may find that some radioactive metals occasionally glow as a result of internal heat or the release radiation (which reacts and creates a light described as having a glowing effect).

Here are a few examples of radioactive metals that are said to have glowing properties:

• Plutonium (this glows red)
• Radon (this glows yellow to orange to red)
• Actinium (this glows blue)

Even if these metals aren’t continually displaying colorful lights, we still think it’s pretty neat!

9. Tungsten Has the Highest Melting Point

Interestingly, Tungsten has the highest melting point of all the metals. Furthermore, the only element that beats Tungsten is carbon, which claims the highest melting point of all.

10. Pure Gold Is Too Soft

A lot of people don’t know this, but pure gold is too soft for most of the things we use it for. Therefore, we have to combine it with other things to increase its durability.

For those of you who don’t know, 24 karat gold is 100% pure gold. This is why 18 karat gold is typically used to craft high-quality jewelry. Therefore, by this reckoning, only 25% of the jewelry is composed of other materials.

11. Metal Spinning Is a Thing

A lot of us haven’t heard of metal spinning but trust us; it’s a thing! This is both a versatile and practical technique harnessed by both manufacturers and engineers.

This practice used for making things such as dinnerwear and jewelry. Amazingly, this process dates as far back as the ancient Egyptians! Yet, high profile tech companies such as NASA continue to utilize these methods to this day!

If you’re looking for more information on metal spinning design be sure to click on the link to learn more!

Did You Find These Facts About Metals Interesting?

If you found these facts about metals interesting, then we’re confident you’ll love the other features published on our ‘popular weirdness blog.’

Over there we discuss everything from weird facts about online dating to popular vape tricks. Enjoy!

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