Atomic Number and Tellurium
Tellurium
Many historians believed that Franz Joseph Müller von Reichstein was born around 1740’s to 1742 in the Habsburg Empire, which later became known as the Austro-Hungary Empire. Müller had many different positions in the Austria-Hungary administration; but he’s most known for being a mineralogist and skilled miner. He started his rode to success by becoming a Markscheider (official mine surveyor), which then lead him to become an Hüttenwerke (royal commission for mining in the Banat). These two experiences helped him gain different pieces of knowledge and information about the process of mining.
As head surveyor of mining, Müller’s task was to analyze several different ore samples. In 1782 while viewing a gold ore, he soon discovered the chemical element, Tellurium. After analyzing the ore, Müller first came to the conclusion that it was Antinomy alloyed in there, but quickly realized it wasn’t. “The metal he had produced wasn't antimony at all, but a previously unknown element.”(Steven Gagnon) Because tellurium is found in various ores and contains the same properties as metals and nonmetals, it confused and baffled the scientist. Unaware of this new substance Müller decided to name it, “metallum problematum” which means problem metal. Since he was dealing with a new substance, he sent it over to be analyzed by another scientist in Berlin, Martin H. Klaproth, who quickly secluded the tellurium. Shortly after, Klaproth named the substance tellurium, rooting from the Latin word “tellus” meaning earth.
The main confusion that the element caused was the containment of similar properties from the metals and nonmetals. When an element can’t be distinguished between a metal and nonmetal due to having properties from both, they then classify as metalloids. Thus, making
Tellurium a metalloid and belonging to the chalcogen family, which is located in group 16 on the periodic table. Chalcogens are also known as the Oxygen family and considered the Main Group
Many historians believed that Franz Joseph Müller von Reichstein was born around 1740’s to 1742 in the Habsburg Empire, which later became known as the Austro-Hungary Empire. Müller had many different positions in the Austria-Hungary administration; but he’s most known for being a mineralogist and skilled miner. He started his rode to success by becoming a Markscheider (official mine surveyor), which then lead him to become an Hüttenwerke (royal commission for mining in the Banat). These two experiences helped him gain different pieces of knowledge and information about the process of mining.
As head surveyor of mining, Müller’s task was to analyze several different ore samples. In 1782 while viewing a gold ore, he soon discovered the chemical element, Tellurium. After analyzing the ore, Müller first came to the conclusion that it was Antinomy alloyed in there, but quickly realized it wasn’t. “The metal he had produced wasn't antimony at all, but a previously unknown element.”(Steven Gagnon) Because tellurium is found in various ores and contains the same properties as metals and nonmetals, it confused and baffled the scientist. Unaware of this new substance Müller decided to name it, “metallum problematum” which means problem metal. Since he was dealing with a new substance, he sent it over to be analyzed by another scientist in Berlin, Martin H. Klaproth, who quickly secluded the tellurium. Shortly after, Klaproth named the substance tellurium, rooting from the Latin word “tellus” meaning earth.
The main confusion that the element caused was the containment of similar properties from the metals and nonmetals. When an element can’t be distinguished between a metal and nonmetal due to having properties from both, they then classify as metalloids. Thus, making
Tellurium a metalloid and belonging to the chalcogen family, which is located in group 16 on the periodic table. Chalcogens are also known as the Oxygen family and considered the Main Group