Friday, December 28, 2012

Element of the Year Tryouts -- 2012

Wow, wasn't it an exciting year in Chemistry? Yes!  Yes it was! And now it is time once again to select the Element of the Year!

It's never easy. We investigated twelve more extremely excellent elements this year, and as always we'll have a tough time indeed picking one out for top honors.

Here's the traditional table of the elements that shows where we've been so far.  The 2010 Elements of the Month are in grey, and the 2011 Elements in light blue.  This year's candidates -- the 2012 Elements of the Month -- are shown in orange.  (I have also updated things a bit, indicating in light yellow the elements that the primitive humans that created this table didn't even have proper names for.  I also added some that they didn't even know about, but you will probably not be able to notice because I did a very professional job.)


January: Ir -- Iridium
February: Cm -- Curium
March: Zr -- Zirconium
April: Os -- Osmium
May: La -- Lanthanum
June: Ca -- Calcium
July: Cu -- Copper
August: Bh -- Bohrium
September: Fr -- Francium
October: Ga -- Gallium
November: Pd -- Palladium
December: I -- Iodine

How will we decide? Same as last year! YOU, that's right YOU, gentle reader, may pick your first, second, and third favorites, and make your votes in the comments.  Voter turnout is likely to be low, so impassioned advocacy on the part of the Element of your choice could really make an impact!



Behind in your Art Tournament voting after the holiday rush?  This convenient link can help you sort it all out.

You'll be relieved to hear that we're not going to do "Saint of the Year." 

7 comments:

Chuckdaddy said...

Rutherfordium because the name cracks me up and, hey wait a aecond krypton is real? Tell me more.

Michael5000 said...

Chuck: No, no -- we haven't done those two yet. Element of the Year has to be the readers' favorite of that year's Elements of the Month!

However, yes, Krypton is real.

Elizabeth said...

In third place, Iridium, because while it is a silvery metal it doesn't melt easily but it kills dinosaurs.

In second place, Gallium, because while also a silvery metal it melts very easily. Also France.

And in first place, Francium, because France. And it glows. Or at least if you get enough of them together they do, which is about as good an argument for social systems as I've ever heard.

The Calico Cat said...

Osmium is the densest of all elements and it smells like shit. FWIW

Morgan said...

Third, Iodine because it's pretty useful.
Second, Osmium because it's pretty dense.
First, Gallium because it's pretty melty.

gl. said...

somehow i have missed many of these elements! i feel that should disqualify me from voting, but in the meantime, my vote would be for melty, melty gallium. and not ONLY because i almost won a dork nomination from it.

mrs.5000 said...

My third is Bohrium, because I don't want it in my kitchen.
Second is copper, because I want it in my basement.
First is calcium, because I know it in my bones.