Chart sparks appreciation for chemistry

Chemicals more interesting with real-life applications

One of my worst educational experiences was memorizing the Periodic Table of Elements. In our high school chemistry class, we had to know the element, its atomic number and its symbol.

Hydrogen, 1, H. Helium, 2, He. Lithium, 3, Li. And so on.

It was absolute torture, an exercise in memorization, and one that I absolutely hated.

Even now, decades later, I still don’t see the relevance of that exercise. And the lesson didn’t stick. I remember hydrogen and helium — lithium and any others, I would have to look up. (Although I do remember argon in a pirate voice … Ar!)

What would have been much more useful? Lessons on the elements themselves, how they work, and how chemistry impacts one’s life.

I was delighted this week to see an updated version of the table, “The Periodic Table of Elements, in Pictures and Words.” Mental Floss featured a story about this version, which was created by Boeing software engineer Keith Enevoldsen.

Enevoldsen’s table features each element’s atomic number and material state, and then shows where you would “might encounter each element in your life,” Mental Floss reports. What an amazing idea!

Some are obvious — Iron (Fe) is found in steel structures, and potassium (K) is found in fruits and veggies.

But I did not know that Chromium (Cr) is found in stainless steel, or that iridium (Ir) is found in spark plugs. And strontium (Sr) is found in fireworks — frankly, I don’t even remotely remember that element at all!

I was an honors student all through high school, yet chemistry was a complete, total struggle. I passed it, but the next year, I opted to take anatomy rather than move on to physics. Chemistry was the first time I met a subject that I truly did not like, but I wonder how much different that class would have been if the connections had been made between chemistry and life.

Today, I have some rudimentary understanding of chemistry. But I really wish there had been a lesson about where we find the elements every day, moving the ideas from intangible concepts to real life, easier to grasp and understand.

I’m glad Enevoldsen designed such an interesting chart. He may have to update it soon, however. I’m not sure how much longer kids will recognize his real-life application for bromine (Br): photography film!