Man has always sought to find materials that leave no chance for their competitors. Since ancient times, scientists have been looking for the hardest materials in the world, the lightest and heaviest. The thirst for discovery led to the discovery of an ideal gas and an ideal black body. We present you the most amazing substances in the world.

1. The blackest substance

The blackest substance in the world is called Vantablack and consists of a collection of carbon nanotubes (see carbon and its allotropic modifications). Simply put, the material consists of countless "hairs", hitting which, the light bounces from one tube to another. In this way, about 99.965% of the light flux is absorbed and only a negligible part is reflected back to the outside.
The discovery of Vantablack opens up broad prospects for the use of this material in astronomy, electronics and optics.

2. The most combustible substance

Chlorine trifluoride is the most flammable substance ever known to mankind. It is the strongest oxidizing agent and reacts with almost all chemical elements. Chlorine trifluoride can burn through concrete and easily ignites glass! The use of chlorine trifluoride is almost impossible due to its phenomenal flammability and the inability to ensure the safety of use.

3. The most poisonous substance

The most powerful poison is botulinum toxin. We know it under the name Botox, that is how it is called in cosmetology, where it has found its main application. Botulinum toxin is Chemical substance produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. In addition to the fact that botulinum toxin is the most toxic substance, it also has the largest molecular weight among proteins. The phenomenal toxicity of the substance is evidenced by the fact that only 0.00002 mg min / l of botulinum toxin is enough to make the affected area deadly for humans for half a day.

4. The hottest substance

This is the so-called quark-gluon plasma. The substance was created using the collision of gold atoms at almost the speed of light. Quark-gluon plasma has a temperature of 4 trillion degrees Celsius. For comparison, this figure is 250,000 times higher than the temperature of the Sun! Unfortunately, the lifetime of a substance is limited to one trillionth of a trillionth of a second.

5. The most corrosive acid

Antimony fluoride H becomes the champion in this nomination. Antimony fluoride is 2×10 16 (two hundred quintillion) times more caustic than sulfuric acid. This is very active substance, which can explode when a small amount of water is added. The fumes of this acid are deadly poisonous.

6. The most explosive substance

The most explosive substance is heptanitrocuban. It is very expensive and is used only for scientific research. But a slightly less explosive HMX is successfully used in military affairs and in geology when drilling wells.

7. The most radioactive substance

Polonium-210 is an isotope of polonium that does not exist in nature, but is made by man. It is used to create miniature, but at the same time, very powerful energy sources. It has a very short half-life and is therefore capable of causing severe radiation sickness.

8. The heaviest substance

It is, of course, fullerite. Its hardness is almost 2 times higher than that of natural diamonds. You can read more about fullerite in our article The Hardest Materials in the World.

9. Strongest magnet

The world's strongest magnet is made up of iron and nitrogen. At present, details about this substance are not available to the general public, but it is already known that the new super-magnet is 18% more powerful than the strongest magnets currently in use - neodymium. Neodymium magnets are made from neodymium, iron and boron.

10. The most fluid substance

Superfluid Helium II has almost no viscosity at temperatures close to absolute zero. This property is due to its unique ability to seep and pour out of a vessel made of any solid material. Helium II has the potential to be used as an ideal thermal conductor in which heat does not dissipate.

Since time immemorial, people have been actively using various metals. After studying their properties, the substances took their rightful place in the table of the famous D. Mendeleev. Until now, the disputes of scientists regarding the question of which metal should be given the title of the heaviest and densest in the world have not subsided. On the scales are two elements of the periodic table - iridium, as well as osmium. What are they interesting, read on.

For centuries, people have been studying the beneficial properties of the most common metals on the planet. Science stores the most information about gold, silver and copper. Over time, mankind got acquainted with iron, lighter metals - tin and lead. In the world of the Middle Ages, people actively used arsenic, and diseases were treated with mercury.

Thanks to rapid progress, today the heaviest and densest metals are considered not one element of the table, but two at once. Osmium (Os) is located at number 76, and iridium (Ir) at number 77, substances have the following density indicators:

• osmium is heavy due to its density of 22.62 g/cm³;
• iridium is not much lighter - 22.53 g / cm³.

Density refers to physical properties metals, it is the ratio of the mass of a substance to its volume. Theoretical calculations of the density of both elements have some errors, so both metals are now considered to be the heaviest.

For clarity, you can compare the weight of an ordinary cork with the weight of a cork made of the heaviest metal in the world. To balance scales with an osmium or iridium stopper, more than a hundred ordinary stoppers will be required.

History of discovery of metals

Both elements were discovered at the dawn of the 19th century by Smithson Tennant. Many researchers of that time were studying the properties of raw platinum, processing it with "royal vodka". Only Tennant was able to detect two chemicals in the resulting sediment:

• the sedimentary element with a persistent smell of chlorine, the scientist called osmium;
• a substance with a changing color is called iridium (rainbow).

Both elements were represented by a single alloy, which the scientist managed to separate. Further study of platinum nuggets was undertaken by the Russian chemist K. Klaus, who carefully studied the properties of sedimentary elements. The difficulty of determining the heaviest metal in the world lies in the low difference in their density, which is not a constant value.

Vibrant characteristics of the densest metals

Experimentally obtained substances are a powder, rather difficult to process, forging metals requires very high temperatures. The most common form of the commonwealth of iridium with osmium is an alloy of osmic iridium, which is mined in platinum deposits, gold beds.

Iron-rich meteorites are considered the most common place to find iridium. Native osmium is not found in the natural world, only in commonwealth with iridium and other components of the platinum group. The deposits often contain sulfur compounds with arsenic.

Features of the heaviest and most expensive metal in the world

Among the elements periodic table Mendeleev, osmium is considered the most expensive. Silvery metal with a bluish tint belongs to the platinum group of precious metals. chemical compounds. The most dense, but very fragile metal does not lose its luster under the influence of high temperature indicators.

Characteristics

• Element #76 Osmium has an atomic mass of 190.23 amu;
• A substance molten at 3033°C will boil at 5012°C.
• The heaviest material has a density of 22.62 g/cm³;
• The structure of the crystal lattice has a hexagonal shape.

Despite the amazingly cold sheen of a silvery sheen, osmium is not suitable for production. jewelry due to high toxicity. To melt the jewelry, it would take a temperature like on the surface of the Sun, because the densest metal in the world is destroyed by mechanical action.

Turning into powder, osmium interacts with oxygen, reacts with sulfur, phosphorus, selenium, the reaction of the substance with aqua regia is very slow. Osmium does not possess magnetism, alloys tend to oxidize and form cluster compounds.

Where apply

The heaviest and incredibly dense metal has high wear resistance, so adding it to alloys significantly increases their strength. The use of osmium is mainly associated with the chemical industry. In addition, it is used for the following needs:

• manufacture of containers intended for storage of nuclear fusion waste;
• for the needs of rocket science, weapons production (warheads);
• in the watch industry for the manufacture of mechanisms of branded models;
• for the manufacture of surgical implants, parts of pacemakers.

Interestingly, the densest metal is considered the only element in the world that is not subject to the aggression of the "hellish" mixture of acids (nitric and hydrochloric). Aluminum combined with osmium becomes so ductile that it can be drawn without breaking.

Secrets of the rarest and densest metal in the world

The fact that iridium belongs to the platinum group endows it with the property of immunity to treatment with acids and their mixtures. In the world, iridium is obtained from anode slimes in copper-nickel production. After processing the sludge with aqua regia, the precipitate is calcined, resulting in the extraction of iridium.

Characteristics

The hardest silver-white metal has the following group of properties:

• element of the periodic table Iridium No. 77 has atomic mass 192.22 amu;
• a substance molten at 2466°C will boil at 4428°C;
• the density of molten iridium is within 19.39 g/cm³;
• element density at room temperature - 22.7 g / cm³;
• the crystal lattice of iridium is associated with a face-centered cube.

Heavy iridium does not change under the influence of ordinary air temperature. The result of calcination under the influence of heating at certain temperatures is the formation of polyvalent compounds. The powder of fresh sediment of iridium black lends itself to partial dissolution with aqua regia, as well as with a solution of chlorine.

Application area

Although Iridium is a precious metal, it is rarely used in jewelry. An element that is difficult to process is in great demand in the construction of roads, the production of automotive parts. Alloys with the densest metal that is not susceptible to oxidation are used for the following purposes:

• production of crucibles for laboratory experiments;
• production of special mouthpieces for glassblowers;
• covering the tips of nibs and refills of ballpoint pens;
• production of durable spark plugs for cars;

Alloys with iridium isotopes are used in welding production, in instrumentation, and for growing crystals as part of laser technology. The use of the heaviest metal has made it possible to carry out laser vision correction, crushing of kidney stones and other medical procedures.

Although Iridium is devoid of toxicity and does not pose a threat to biological organisms, in natural environment you can meet its dangerous isotope - hexafluoride. Inhalation of poisonous vapors leads to instant suffocation and death.

Places of natural occurrence

deposits of the dense metal Iridium in the natural world is negligible, much less than the reserves of platinum. Presumably, the heaviest substance has shifted to the core of the planet, so the volume of industrial production of the element is small (about three tons per year). Iridium alloy products can last up to 200 years, jewelry will become more durable.

Nuggets of the heaviest metal with an unpleasant odor, Osmium, cannot be found in nature. In the composition of minerals, traces of osmic iridium can be found along with platinum and palladium, ruthenium. Deposits of osmic iridium have been explored in Siberia (Russia), some states of America (Alaska and California), Australia and South Africa.

If deposits of platinum are found, it will be possible to isolate osmium with iridium to strengthen and strengthen the physical or chemical compounds of various products.

Among the curiosities hidden in the depths of the universe, a small star near Sirius will probably forever preserve one of the significant places. This star is made of matter 60,000 times heavier than water! When we pick up a glass of mercury, we are surprised by its heaviness: it weighs about 3 kg. But what would we say about a glass of matter weighing 12 tons and requiring a railway platform to transport? This seems absurd, and yet such is one of the discoveries of modern astronomy.

This opening has a long and the highest degree instructive story. It has long been observed that the resplendent Sirius makes his own motion among the stars, not in a straight line, like most other stars, but in a strange tortuous path. To explain these features of its movement, the famous astronomer Bessel suggested that Sirius was accompanied by a satellite, which “perturbed” its movement with its attraction. This was in 1844 - two years before Neptune was discovered "at the tip of a pen." And in 1862, after Bessel's death, his guess was fully confirmed, since the suspected satellite of Sirius was seen through a telescope.

The satellite of Sirius - the so-called "Sirius B" - orbits about main star at 49 years at a distance 20 times greater than the Earth around the Sun (i.e., about the distance of Uranus). This is a weak star of the eighth or ninth magnitude, but its mass is very impressive, almost 0.8 of the mass of our Sun. At the distance of Sirius, our Sun would have to shine as a star of magnitude 1.8; therefore, if the satellite of Sirius had a surface reduced in comparison with the solar one in accordance with the ratio of the masses of these luminaries, then at the same temperature it would have to shine like a star of about the second magnitude, and not the eighth or ninth. Astronomers originally explained such a weak brightness by the low temperature on the surface of this star; it was considered as a cooling sun, covered with an already solid crust.

But this assumption turned out to be wrong. It was possible to establish that the modest satellite of Sirius is not a fading star at all, but, on the contrary, belongs to stars with a high surface temperature, much higher than that of our Sun. This completely changes things. The weak brightness must therefore be attributed only to the small size of the surface of this star. It is calculated that it sends out 360 times less light than the Sun; this means that its surface must be at least 360 times smaller than the sun, and the radius must be j/360, i.e., 19 times less than the sun. From this we conclude that the volume of the satellite of Sirius should be less than 6800th of the volume of the Sun, while its mass is almost 0.8 of the mass of the daylight. This alone speaks of the high density of the matter of this star. A more accurate calculation gives for the diameter of the planet only 40,000 km, and therefore, for the density - the monstrous number that we gave at the beginning of the section: 60,000 times the density of water.

“Prick up your ears, physicists: an invasion is being planned into your area,” Kepler’s words come to mind, spoken by him, however, on a different occasion. Indeed, no physicist could imagine anything like this until now. IN normal conditions such a significant compaction is completely unthinkable, since the gaps between normal atoms in solids are too small to allow any noticeable compression of their substance. The situation is different in the case of "mutilated" atoms that have lost those electrons that circled around the nuclei. The loss of electrons reduces the diameter of an atom by several thousand times, almost without reducing its weight; the naked nucleus is about as many times smaller than a normal atom as a fly is smaller than a large building. Shifted by the monstrous pressure prevailing in the bowels of the stellar ball, these reduced atoms-nuclei can approach a thousand times closer than normal atoms, and create a substance of that unheard-of density, which is found on the satellite of Sirius.

After what has been said, it will not seem incredible the discovery of a star whose average density of matter is another 500 times greater than that of the matter of the previously mentioned star Sirius B. We are talking about a small star of the 13th magnitude in the constellation Cassiopeia, discovered at the end of 1935. no bigger than Mars and eight times smaller the globe, this star has a mass almost three times the mass of our Sun (more precisely, 2.8 times). In ordinary units, the average density of its substance is expressed as 36,000,000 g/cm3. This means that 1 cm3 of such a substance would weigh 36 tons on Earth. This substance, therefore, is almost 2 million times denser than gold.

A few years ago, of course, scientists would have considered the existence of a substance millions of times denser than platinum unthinkable. The abysses of the universe hide, probably, many more such wonders of nature.

Space. There is nothing more interesting and more mysterious. Day by day, humanity is increasing its knowledge of the universe, while expanding the boundaries of the unknown. Having received ten answers, we ask ourselves a hundred more questions - and so on all the time. We have collected the most Interesting Facts about the universe, in order not only to satisfy the curiosity of readers, but also to rekindle their interest in the universe with renewed vigor.

The moon is running away from us

The moon is moving away from the Earth - yes, our satellite is "running away" from us at a speed of about 3.8 centimeters per year. What is the risk? With an increase in the radius of the lunar orbit, the size of the lunar disk observed from the Earth decreases. This means that such a phenomenon as a total solar eclipse is under threat.

In addition, some planets rotate from their star at a distance suitable for the existence of water in a liquid state. And this makes it possible to find planets suitable for life. And already in the near future.

What is written in space

American scientists and astronauts have been thinking for a long time about the design of a pen that could be used to write in space, while their Russian colleagues simply decided to use an ordinary slate pencil in zero gravity, without changing it in any way and without spending huge sums on developing concepts and experiments.

diamond rain

According to Jupiter and Saturn, it rains diamonds - thunder constantly rages in the upper atmosphere of these planets, and lightning discharges release carbon from methane molecules. Moving to the surface of the planet and overcoming the hydrogen layers, being subjected to gravity and enormous temperatures, carbon turns into graphite, and then into diamond.

According to this hypothesis, up to ten million tons of diamonds can accumulate on the gas giants! At the moment, the hypothesis still remains controversial - many scientists are sure that the proportion of methane in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn is too small, and, having hardly converted even into soot, methane most likely simply dissolves.

These are just a few of the vast mysteries of the universe. Thousands of questions remain unanswered, we still do not know about millions of phenomena and secrets - our generation has something to strive for.

But we will try to tell more about space on the pages of the site. Subscribe to updates so you don't miss a new release!

Among the substances always try to select those that have the most extreme degree of a particular property. People have always been attracted to the hardest materials, the lightest or heaviest, light and refractory. We invented the concept of an ideal gas and an ideal black body, and then tried to find natural analogues as close as possible to these models. As a result, a person managed to find or create amazing substances.

1.


This substance is capable of absorbing up to 99.9% of light, almost perfect black body. It was obtained from specially connected layers of carbon nanotubes. The surface of the resulting material is rough and practically does not reflect light. The areas of application for such a substance are extensive - from superconducting systems to improving properties optical systems. For example, through the use of such a material, it would be possible to raise the quality of telescopes and greatly increase the efficiency of solar batteries.

2.


Few have heard of napalm. But this is only one of the representatives of the class of strong combustible substances. These include styrofoam, and especially chlorine trifluoride. This strongest oxidizing agent can ignite even glass, reacts violently with almost all inorganic and organic compounds. There are cases when a spilled ton of chlorine trifluoride as a result of a fire burned through the concrete coating of the site and another meter-long gravel-sand cushion deep into 30 centimeters. There were attempts to use the substance as a military poison or rocket fuel, but they were abandoned due to too much danger.

3.


The strongest poison on earth is also one of the most popular cosmetics. We are talking about botulinum toxins, used in cosmetology under the name botox. This substance is a product of the vital activity of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum and has the highest molecular weight among proteins. This is the reason for its properties as the most powerful poisonous substance. Enough 0.00002 mg min / l of dry matter to make the affected area deadly for humans for 12 hours. In addition, this substance is perfectly absorbed from the mucous membranes and causes severe neurological symptoms.

4.


In the depths of the stars, nuclear fires burn, reaching unimaginable temperatures. But man managed to get closer to these figures, having received quark-gluon "soup". This substance has a temperature of 4 trillion degrees Celsius, which is 250,000 times hotter than the Sun. It was obtained by colliding gold atoms at almost the speed of light, as a result of which neutrons and protons were melted. True, this substance existed for only a trillionth of one trillionth of a second and occupied one trillionth of a centimeter.

5.


In this nomination, fluoride-antimony acid becomes the record holder. It is 21,019 times more corrosive than sulfuric acid and can melt through glass and explode when water is added. In addition, it emits deadly toxic fumes.

6.


Octogen is the most powerful explosive, moreover, resistant to high temperatures. This is what makes it indispensable in military affairs - for the creation of shaped charges, plastics, powerful explosives, fillers for fuses of nuclear charges. HMX is also used for peaceful purposes, for example, when drilling high-temperature gas and oil wells, and also as a component of solid rocket fuel. HMX also has an analogue of heptanitrocuban, which has even greater explosive power, but is also more expensive, and therefore is used more in laboratory conditions.

This substance does not have stable isotopes in nature, while generating a huge amount of radioactive radiation. Some of the isotopes polonium-210”, is used to create very light, compact and at the same time very powerful neutron sources. In addition, polonium is used in alloys with certain metals to create heat sources for nuclear installations, in particular, such devices are used in space. At the same time, due to the short half-life of this isotope, it is a highly toxic substance that can cause severe radiation sickness.

8.


In 2005, German scientists designed a substance in the form of a diamond nanorod. It is a set of diamonds at the nanoscale. Such a substance has the lowest degree of compression and the highest specific gravity known to mankind. In addition, a coating of such a material will have great wear resistance.

9.


Another creation of specialists from laboratories. It was obtained on the basis of iron and nitrogen in 2010. For now, the details are kept secret, since the previous substance in 1996 could not be reproduced again. But it is already known that the record holder has 18% stronger magnetic properties than the closest analogue. If this substance becomes available on an industrial scale, then we can expect the appearance of the most powerful electromagnetic engines.

10. The strongest superfluidity