We are down to number 25 in Fearless’ epic voyage through
the periodic table of the elements and its relationship to Washington Capitals,
present and past, here and gone. He
assures me this is a good one…
Manganese
Up until now, our look at the Washington Capitals and their
counterparts in the periodic table of the elements has been rather
straight-forward. The qualities and characteristics of the elements have their
counterparts among the Caps. Element
number 25 – Manganese – is a little bit different.
Yes, it is a rather common element, found in many minerals
and often in combination with iron. In
fact, it resembles iron in appearance, a silver-gray metal. It is, however, more brittle. It is also similar to iron in that it has
wide biological importance, being a trace nutrient required by all living
organisms, present in many enzymes and acting as a toxin-fighting element,
among other uses.
Its history is somewhat unique and very interesting, though.
In the dim mist of ancient history, in Magnesia (what is now a part of modern
Greece), two minerals of black appearance were called “magnes” (Magnesia…magnes…get
it?), each thought to be different genders of the same substance. One was found to attract iron (the “male”
version), the other without powers of attraction but used to decolorize glass
(the “female” version).
It is the “female” version of the substance that is of
interest (hey, this gender thing was not my idea). It was later renamed “magnesia,”
then “manganesium,” then “manganese,” and finally “manganese.”
(Fearless, is there a point to this?)
Moving on… the choice of name is the interesting part. As we
noted, “manganese” comes from “Magnesia,” a part of what is now modern
Greece. More precisely, it is a part of
the region of Greece known as Thessaly on the eastern coast along the
Aegean Sea. It is an important
region in Greek mythology. In Homer’s “Odyssey,”
Odysseus comes upon Aeolia (an ancient name for Thessaly) in his journey. It is also the home of the mythical hero Jason,
who took off with his band of Argonauts on a quest for the Golden Fleece.
Lemnos, Thrace, Colchis, Crete – they hit all the tourist spots.
So, to recap… an element that resembles iron and even has
some similar applications, but which is more brittle. It is named for a region of the world from
which some of the most famous mythical travels occurred and that travelers
frequented. It brings to mind a player
who might resemble another, if not quite as sturdy… sort of like a backup
goaltender. It also can be linked to
great journeys, much like a goaltender who takes the circuitous route to the
NHL, say, from the Czech Republic to Plymouth, Michigan; to Windsor, Ontario;
to Oshawa, Ontario; to Charleston, South Carolina, to Hershey, Pennsylvania; to
Washington, D.C.; all in the space of four years.
Even Jason would have been exhausted.
Manganese…the “Michal Neuvirth” of the elements of the
periodic table.