Written by Cameron Clarke

History of bromine 

It was produced by Carl Löwig. He was a young student in his freshman year. However he could not produce more and someone else by the name of Antoine Jérôme Balard got credit for the discovery when he published a paper describing it. Its name origin is based of the greek word for stench bromos. ​

How much and what are the uses.

Its estimated abundance on the surface and below is 2.4 milligrams per kilogram. In the ocean it is 6.73•10 milligrams per liter. Bromine does naturally occur but ever since humans introduced into the environment. Bromine is a harm to the environment and humans. It can be found in rocks and sea water. There are also a lot of uses for bromine. They were used in gasoline but now are not. Other uses are insecticides, fire extinguishers, dye, flameproofing material, water purification compounds, sanitizers, medicine, emulsifier in sodas(at low levels), and it can also be used in pools to kill bacteria.

Reactivity

Like other halogens bromine is very reactive but less than fluorine (see halogens number 9) and chlorine (see halogens number 17) but more reactive than iodine (see halogens number 53). It highly reactive with metals and sometimes explosive. It also reacts with platinum (see transition metals number 78) and palladium (see transition metals number 46).  

Interesting facts about bromine

It is a liquid at room temperature.
It is a reddish dark brown.
It is in the halogen family or group 17.

Historical use

In ancient Rome a purple dye that was a bromine compound was collected from marine mussels. It was hard to get so only the wealthy could afford it.

Example of explosive reaction 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCwHzTsx5yY

Sources

http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele035.html
http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/br.htm
Book: World of Chemistry 2000. By Suzanne Sessine, Robyn V. Young
​Environmental Encyclopedia K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner

Element 35 - Bromine - Science Notes and Projects." Science Notes and Projects. Wordpress, 31 May 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2015.