Importance of Metals

Serena Cuoghi
Title of Professor of Biology

Among the chemical elements found in the nature of our planet and in what has been explored so far in the Universe, there is a group of them that share certain properties, which have been of great benefit to humanity, making possible the scope of development that we have in all areas that can be mention. These elements are known as metals and have variable hardness, high electrical conduction capacity as well as heat, high melting points and a very versatile malleability at different temperatures and treatments; In addition to being recognizable in most cases by their glossy surfaces, they are also credited with the ability to react to the weather. oxygen, being able to transfer an electronic charge to this element, naturally producing compounds called oxides, from the various metals.

There are also elements that do not properly comply with what was previously described and, however, have also been classified as metals, due to the high reaction capacity that they have with other elements of the environment, making it impossible to find them in a pure molecular state in nature, but rather as part of salts, oxides and minerals of great variety.

Hardness, resistance and conduction

Metals have very diverse characteristics and among the main qualities that have been able to be used for technological development are mainly the ability conduction of electricity, a quality by which they are classified as semiconductors, such as cadmium and aluminum, conductors such as iron and copper, and superconductors such as gold; In the same way, the hardness and resistance to multiple physical and chemical phenomena, refer to a constant characterization of the metals when being selected for a specific function or work, on the other hand, these properties can also be altered in function of its maximum use when creating alloys between the various metals, as well as between these and other chemical elements various.

From benefit to risk

Its importance in all technological fields of humanity is an indisputable fact, dating back to the beginning of the Metal Age, with the discovery and use of copper some 7,000 years ago. years, which allowed the humans of that time to transcend the use of stone towards the development of increasingly complex and useful tools, reaching our present day in the which absolutely everything we use and possess depends strictly in one way or another on the use of a wide range of metals, even if they are not easily visible, such as the internal structures of constructions and buildings, the multiple vehicles and means of transport and even the electrical energy that we use at home, as well as the light bulb that we turn on with her.

Despite the fact that the mental image that we usually have about metals involves blunt, obvious objects that involve large materials, the reality is that these elements can also be found dispersed in minute proportions, or be part of a very wide range of compounds and solutions, of which end up detaching as free atoms, becoming easily assimilable in living organisms and whose accumulation ends up putting life at risk, for through the alteration of metabolic pathways, cellular and organic functions by which various syndromes, diseases and the very death.

Elements that exhibit this ability are known as heavy metals and have themselves become one of the greatest sources of concern when it comes to addressing the factors and dangers of contamination, since they can remain present for very long periods in all types of media, causing great deterioration in the quality of water, air and floors.

art with metals

Although the appearance of metals among our most distant ancestors immediately found a functional utility, the also prehistoric Human creativity has accompanied each of these elements towards its artistic use and the permanent aesthetic embellishment of any object. It will be elaborated, both by hand and industrially, maintaining this habit through the Ages and cultures, the various metals being part of the favorite elements of most artists and craftsmen around the world, expressing the best of human talent in arts ranging from jewelry even the sculpture.

References

Bokstein, B. S., & Pagola, A. g. (1980). Diffusion in metals (pp. 37-38). USSR: Look.

Chang, R. (1997). Chemistry. 4th Edition (1st in Spanish). McGraw-Hill. Mexico.

Ferrer, A. (2003). Metal poisoning. In Annals of the health system of Navarra (Vol. 26, p. 141-153). Government of Navarre. Health Department. Spain.

Londono-Franco, L. F., Londoño-Muñoz, P. T., & Muñoz-García, F. g. (2016). The risks of heavy metals in human and animal health. Biotechnology in the agricultural and agroindustrial sector, 14(2), 145-153.