Orbitals Posters and Art Prints

A shirt for the game Orbitals by Alleyway Games!

A golden design showing a basic solar system.

Fun chemistry design with a drawing of sp3 hybridised atomic orbitals drawn in blue and purple watercolor pencils. This geek artwork may represent orbitals in the molecule of methane, silicomethane and other chemical compounds. This design is great for a chemist, scientist and someone who loves chemistry, especially organic chemistry.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Terbium, element 65, can turn flat surfaces into speakers by a property called magnetostriction, allowing vibrations to create sound waves. Terbium is often alloyed with Iron (26) and Dysprosium (66) to make the Terfenol-D used in these compact and powerful speakers.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Rhodium, element 45, is a noble metal along with Palladium (46) and Platinum (78), which are used in catalytic converters. Rhodium is corrosion resistant, hard and rare. Jewelry is often thinly plated with Rhodium for scratch resistance and shine.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Erbium, element 68, was discovered in a Gadolinium sample. Erbium can be used to color glass and porcelain pink, and to absorb neutrons in nuclear reactor control rods. Erbium, when alloyed with metals such as vanadium, can lower hardness and improve workability.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Thulium, a rare earth element, was named after Thule, an ancient name for Scandinavia.Thulium is an expensive rare earth metal, and is used in high-temperature superconductors, lasers, arc lighting, and nuclear research.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Yes, Europium was named after Europe and its red glow under UV light is used to make sure euros are authentic, not fake. Europium is also one of several lanthanides used as neutron absorbers in nuclear reactors.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Holmium, element 67, has the highest magnetic moment of any known natually occurring element, making it useful for medical applications such as laser surgery and MRI. Some fanciful theories on monopoles / space portals also involve the use of holmium. Imagine traveling thousands, even millions of miles just by stepping through one of those!

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Gadolinium, element 64, was named after the mineral gadolinite. Gadolinium is also found in monazite and bastnasite, which typically contain other rare earth elements as well. Gadolinium is used in MRI to enhance image quality; in nuclear reactors as a neutron absorber; and in making luminescent materials for plasma displays, fluorescent lamps, etc.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Cadmium, element 48, is used in a variety of applications from batteries to solar cells to nuclear reactors. Cadmium is toxic and known to cause cancer. Interestingly, cadmium yellow (cadmium sulfide) was used to replace the toxic lead chromate pigment on yellow school buses.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Palladium, element 46, is named after the asteroid Pallas, which was in turn named after Pallas Athena, Greek goddess of wisdom. Athena accidentally killed Pallas, her close friend and cousin, during a sparring match. Grief-stricken, Athena added Pallas' name to her own so Pallas' name would live on. Athena also crafted a palladium, a wooden statue of Pallas, as a memorial. Palladium the element is used primarily in jewelry, catalytic converters, fuel cells, electronic components, and dental fillings.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Iodine, element 53, was named after the Greek word, ioeides, for voilet-colored. Isotope 127 is the stable iodine normally used for healthy thyroid functioning. Iodine 127 is often found in seafood and table salts with the iodized label. Nuclear disasters can release unstable iodine isotope 131 into the air and soil, increasing the chances of thyroid cancer, especially for those who were young during the exposure. This is why potassium iodide tablets are often made available to people who live near nuclear plants.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Rubidium, element 37, has a deep red color in its emission spectrum so Rubidium was named after rubidus, Latin for deep red. Rubidium is used in photocells, in dating rocks, in making specialty glass, in atomic clocks and other applications.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Copper, element 29, conducts heat and electricity well. Copper also plays important roles in making red blood cells, maintaining the immune system, forming collagen, producing energy, etc. Too much or too little copper can affect how the brain functions as well. Copper and its alloys have self-disinfecting properties, killing germs and bacteria. Therefore, brass (consisting primarily of copper and zinc) door knobs are antibacterial.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Technetium, element 43, was derived from the Greek word technetos, meaning artificial, since it was the first man-made element. Technetium (99m) is often created through a Technetium generator for use as a tracer to detect cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other medical conditions.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Zinc, element 30, is essential for a healthy body and zinc deficiency can affect immune health, skin, bones, wound healing, cell growth and other organs and processes. Our bodies must obtain zinc through food or supplements. Foods high in zinc include legumes, seeds, nuts, eggs, meat, shellfish, dairy, whole grains and dark chocolate.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Rhenium, element 75, often partners with Tungsten (74) and Molybdenum (42) for high temperature work (e.g., in jet engines). It is also used with Platinum (78) as catalysts for lead-free, high-octane gasoline. Rhenium is derived from the Latin name Rhenus for the river Rhine.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Silver, element 47, is the most conductive and reflective of all metals. It is also one of the seven metals of antiquity and has germ-killing properties. Silver (AgI) has been used for cloud seeding to induce rain.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Selenium was discovered after Tellurium (Greek for Earth). Since Selenium sits in the same column above Tellurium, the Greek for Moon (Selene) was chosen for element 34. Selenium is essential for humans, but toxic in excessive amounts. Foods high in selenium include brazil nuts, seafood, and organ meat.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Calcium, element 20, is a silvery metal that in its elemental form does not look like bone nor calx (Latin for chalk or limestone). The human body needs calcium to make and strengthen bones, circulate blood, release hormones and contract muscles. Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium, and yes, both too much or too little calcium can have negative health effects.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Lanthanum, element 57, is the lead of the Lanthanides, and the largest and most reactive of the rare earth elements. Lanthanum is soft enough to be cut with a knife, and is used in flint, arc lighting, clear glass, optical devices, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and electronic devices.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Plutonium, element 94, is considered the grim reaper of elements. The Fat Man plutonium bomb was about 40% more powerful than the uranium Little Boy bomb. Plutonium was named after what is now deemed a dwarf planet, Pluto. The name also has associations with Hades and its ruler.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Francium, element 87, is a very radioactive alkali metal. It was discovered by Marguerite Perey while working as a technician in Marie Curie's lab. Marguerite, like Marie, had great hopes of radioactive elements being used to cure cancer. Ah, some of the ironies of scientific research and hopes.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Titanium, element 22, was named after the Titans, gods and goddesses of Greek mythology before Zeus and his crew of Olympians took over. Titanium is strong, light and corrosion-resistant. It is also non-toxic and non-magnetic, and is therefore a good material choice for body implants and medical devices; automotive, marine and aerospace equipment; and sporting goods.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Scandium, element 21, was named after Scandinavia. Scandium by itself tarnishes in air, burns easily, and reacts with water. However, a little scandium in aluminum can greatly increase strength for aerospace and other applications.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Bismuth crystal structures can be multi-colored and beautiful, although most associations with bismuth is as a pink liquid or tablet treatment for upset stomach, heartburn, nausea, etc. Yes, Pepto Bismo contains bismuth.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Niobium, element 41, is often found with Tantalum and used in jet engines, rockets, beams, girders, and pipelines. Niobium was name after Niobi, daughter of King Tantalus. Niobe angered the goddess Leto by boasting she had more children. In retribution, Leto's children (Artemis and Apollo) killed all of Niobe's children. Mourning, Niobe was turned into the crying rock of Sipylus.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Lawrencium, element 103, is named after Ernest Lawrence, nuclear physicist and inventor / patent holder of a type of particle accelerator called the cyclotron. The Cyclotron was also the name of a historical movie drama/mystery/thriller.

The orbitals are whirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Seaborgium, element 106, was named after Glenn Seaborg, who was still alive when the element was named. This was controversial at the time since previously, elements were named after scientists who had died. Glenn Seaborg was a Nobel Prize winning Chemist whose work contributed significantly to the discovery and making of man-made elements, and to the arrangement of the actinides in the Periodic Table.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Argon, element 18, was the first noble gas discovered. Argon produces purplish, lilac colors in gas charged lamps, and bluish color when mixed with mercury.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Manganese, element 25, has Azorian secrets to tell. Project Azorian was a secret CIA operation to recover a sunken Soviet submarine from the Pacific Ocean. To do so, an elaborate story using the mining of manganese nodules as a cover was used. Manganese nodules (which includes manganese, cobalt, copper, and other metals) in the ocean floors are estimated to be worth between $8 to $16 trillion.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! For an element often associated with teeth, fluorine can bite! Fluorine is extremely reactive, and in its elemental / gaseous form, can burn through sand, metal, brick, and glass, especially if there is even a trace of moisture in these vessels.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Einsteinium, Element 99, was named after Albert Einstein. Einsteinium was first discovered in the fallout of the Ivy Mike nuclear test.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Astatine, element 85, is like a ghost element--appearing and disappearing because it is rare and unstable with 8.1 hours as the longest half-life. Astatine is a halogen, and is formed primarily through the decay of uranium and thorium. There is less than 30 grams of naturally occuring astatine on the Earth's surface at any given time.

The orbitals are swirling in Storistir to make holiday ornaments! Oganesson is part of the Noble Gas family, but may be a solid at standard conditions. Oganesson has the most protons and electrons of any element on the current Periodic Table.