Chromium

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Crescent School, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Chromium, 24, Cresent School, Toronto ON
Chromium: If you’ve seen the shiny bumpers on a ’57 Chevy, you’ve seen chromium’s flashiest application. But chromium’s no one-trick pony. It is used in a number of paint pigments, the most notable of which are the oxides of chromium VI. Crocoite, PbCrO4, is the primary pigment in both chrome red and yellow paints. The most identifiable application of these paints: the yellow school bus. This is why I painted a school bus: to dig up memories, to stir our emotions.

Artwork by Andrew Chung. Teacher: Michael Jansen, Crescent School, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Atomic properties*

Name:
Chromium
Symbol:
Cr
Atomic number:
24
Atomic mass:
51.9961 amu
Melting point:
1907°C
Boiling point:
2671°C
Density:
7.15 g/cm3
Electronegativity:
1.66
# of Isotopes:
5
State:
Solid
Colour:
Silvery-metallic±
Classification:
Metallic±

* Haynes, W. M. (2011). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 91st edition: http://www.hbcponline.com/ Retrieved April 7, 2011

± Winter, M. (2010). Home of the Periodic Table. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from Web Elements: http://www.webelements.com/