Bromine

Alexis D.

Bromine (Br) Address: 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p5 Atomic Number: 35 Atomic Mass: 79.904

Objective Bromine is a reddish-brown volatile liquid at room temperature. It is a halogen, which means that it has open space in its outermost p shell. This gives the element a very high electronegativity and also makes it very reactive due to the fact that Bromine only needs to gain one more electron to become stable. Bromine has a density of 3.1028g/cm3. Bromine was discovered independently on two separate instances by two different chemists, Antoine Balard of France and Carl Jacob Löwig of Germany. Balard found bromide salts in the ashes of sea weed from the salt marshes of Montpellier in 1826. The seaweed was used to produce iodine, but also contained bromine, which Balard distilled from a solution of seaweed ash saturated with chlorine. Since the properties of the new substance that he had found resembled an intermediate of chlorine and iodine, he believed that the new substance was iodine monochloride, but failed to prove so. He deemed the substance to be a new element and named it muride, which was derived from the Latin word muria for brine. The name was later changed because later scientists wanted to name it brôme for the characteristic smell of the vapors, so it became bromine. In 1825, Löwig isolated bromine from a mineral spring water. He used a solution of the mineral salt saturated with chlorine and extracted the bromine with diethylether. After evaporation of the ether a brown liquid, bromine, remained. Löwig’s results were delayed and Balard was able to publish his discovery first. Bromine was first used as for medicinal purposes and in daguerreotypes. Bromine is looking for a job in the New York Fire Department. Its ideal position would be a firefighter because bromine is often used as a fire retardant. If this position is already filled, bromine would be happy to take the position of photographer. Inorganic bromide is often used in photographic film, so it is very familiar with the field of photography.

Honors and Awards Bromine is the second most reactive nonmetal, inferior only to Fluorine. Since Bromine has the second highest electronegativity, which is a measure of how badly and element wants an electron, it is also the second most reactive. Bromine is good at killing bacteria and slowing down the spreading of fire. It is also good at staining things, such as DNA during agarose gel electrophoresis. It is also good at acting as an insecticide. It is also used as a gasoline additive. When bonded with potassium, it is used in some photographic developers to inhibit the formation of fog. Bromine, when combined with various other elements is a very strong sedative.

Experience and Skills Bromine excels at a variety of things. As previously mentioned, bromine is excellent at slowing down the spreading of fire. Bromine can also be used as a disinfectant. In pools, a bromine compound can be used in place of chlorine. It can also be used for staining DNA in an agarose gel electrophoresis. It can combine with several other elements to make anticonvulsants and sedatives.

References Potassium (K) and bromine have always had a very strong bond. Potassium frequently bonds with bromine through an ionic bond to form Potassium bromide. Potassium bromide was used as an anticonvulsant and sedative in the late 19th century and early 20th century. This ionic bond is formed because potassium has only one electron in its outermost shell, while bromine is missing one electron. By giving up its electron to bromine, potassium, as well as bromine, becomes stable. Sodium and bromine have also had a long-lasting bond. Sodium bromide is a small white crystalline solid that greatly resembles sodium chloride in appearance. Since Sodium has an electron configuration of 1s22s22p63s1, meaning it has one electron in its outermost shell, it wants to give up its electron. Since bromine is in need of one more electron to become stable and fully fill its outermost shell, sodium and bromine often bond, resulting in both becoming stable and having entirely filled electron subshells. Sodium bromide is also widely used as an anticonvulsant and sedative. It is often used in place of potassium bromide. The compound of sodium bromide is also used as an antimicrobial treatment regimen. In addition, sodium bromide is used in photography. Lithium has also developed a very strong bond with bromine over the years. Since lithium has an electron configuration of 1s22s1, it has only one electron in its outermost shell. Lithium wants to get rid of its extra electron. Bromine has seven valence electrons, but needs eight to become stable. Due to this, lithium and bromine ionicly bond to form lithium bromide. Lithium bromide is often used as a desiccant in air conditioning units. It is used to dehumidify the air. It was used as a sedative in the early 19th century, but its use stopped when some heart patients died after using it as a salt substitute. It was also used as a treatment for bipolar disorder.

Citations - http://www.webelements.com/bromine/ - http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/periodic/Br.html - http://www.radiochemistry.org/periodictable/elements/35.html - http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/br.html - http://www.lenntech.com/processes/disinfection/chemical/disinfectants-bromine.htm