Transition Elements
Chapter 5 Section 3
The Metals in the Middle
 Remember
from Section 1 that the
Transition elements are in groups 3-12
 Transition elements don’t change
properties as much as Representative
elements do
The Iron Triad
 Most
transition elements are already
combined with other transition metals—
ores
 The iron triad is made of three elements in
period 4. Iron- Fe, Cobalt- Co, and NickelNi
Uses
 Transition
Elements have a wide variety of
uses:




Tungsten- light bulbs
Mercury- Thermometers
Chromium- paint colors
Ruthenium, Rhodium, palladium, osmium,
iridium and platinum- catalyst
• Catalyst- substance that makes a reaction happen
faster but doesn’t change the reaction
Inner Transition Elements
 WE
have already sort of talked about the
two series of inner elements---these are
the funny ones on the bottom of the table


The Lanthanide’s
The Actinide’s
Lanthanide Series
 Rare
earth’s—because they were once
thought to be scarce
 Soft metals
 Very hard to separate when they are in an
ore together—they are so similar in
properties
Actinide Series
 Are ALL radioactive
 Thorium,
Protactinium and uranium are
the only NATURALLY occurring elements
on Earth
 The rest are Synthetic elements

Synthetic--- made in laboratories and nuclear
reactors
Dentistry
 Dentists
have been using amalgam to fill
cavities

Amalgam is a mixture of silver, copper, tin and
mercury
• Since mercury is poisonous people have
complained or stressed their concern

Dentist now use a combination of chemically
resistant resins, porcelains and composites.
An after thought
 What
are the two Inner transition series
called and what is a trait of each?