Did you know 2019 is the International Year of the Periodic Table? To celebrate this, the European Chemical Society (EUChemS) has created a new periodic table of chemical elements with a twist.
Unlike the traditional table, this one represents the 90 natural elements that make up everything in proper order of their atomic number, but by size according to their availability, scarcity and sustainability. This is important because the average smartphone is made up of 30 different elements, over half of which are becoming increasingly scarce due to consumer appetite for new gadgets and a lack of recycling.
EUChemS warns: “Unless solutions are provided, we risk seeing many of the natural elements that make up the world around us run out – whether because of limited supplies, their location in conflict areas, or our incapacity to fully recycle them.”
The website also contains a downloadable 2D platform game called Elemental Escapades to help children learn by combining elements to solve puzzles by creating useful compounds.
