• Question: what is the most dangerous element?

    Asked by anon-39917 on 10 Nov 2022.
    • Photo: Vincent Monchal

      Vincent Monchal answered on 10 Nov 2022:

      I would say Thorium because his nuclear decay can produce nastier element than Uranium and itt less stable than Uranium.

    • Photo: James Brown

      James Brown answered on 10 Nov 2022:

      Does the element of surprise count đŸ™‚
      Its all relative i think, does it kill you quickly now (many toxic elements) or slowly over time (like many of the radioactive elements)?

    • Photo: Vanessa Rodrigues

      Vanessa Rodrigues answered on 11 Nov 2022:

      Oh. This question made me revise my basics. Good one!
      Most of the elements that we classify as dangerous are rare in nature. They are not easy to find. The one most frequently found in our day-to-day lives is probably Mercury (Hg). We use it a lot in thermometers. I’d say, that is the most dangerous based on probability of exposure.

    • Photo: Sean O'Halloran

      Sean O'Halloran answered on 11 Nov 2022:

      Element, probably one of the radioactive ones, radium, or uranium. But we rarely work with single elements in our lab. Most dangerous compound, probably sodium cyanide.

    • Photo: Ingmar Schoen

      Ingmar Schoen answered on 14 Nov 2022:

      The greek philosopher in me would say ‘fire’. The physicist in me rather thinks of a radioactive element. The chemist in my household (=my wife) might say fluorine or chlorine.

    • Photo: Ciara Buckley

      Ciara Buckley answered on 1 Dec 2022:

      I suppose it depends on your definition of dangerous. I would be of the mindset of a halogen like chlorine- as you are so likely to come across it in your daily life.

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