Elemental Limericks, Part 3

[deckardcanine]

There aren’t many scandium mines.
It’s uncommon and hard to refine.
But we did become fond
Of its versatile bond
With aluminum post-’69.

Titanium’s notably strong.
In oceans, it’s sure to take long
To begin to corrode,
So things stay up to code.
Not too dense, it can hardly go wrong.

Vanadium’s named for a god
Of good looks and fertility. Odd?
See its compounds’ wide range
Of bright hues, prone to change.
It’s a beauty that chemists applaud.

Our chromium’s prime application
Is preventing the discoloration
And corrosion of steel.
Plus, it helps in a meal—
But essential? Depends on your nation.

There’s manganese found in our bones
And in paintings since people used stones.
Once in glassmakers’ soap,
It gave alchemists hope.
Then we used it to power our phones.

We all know what iron is for.
It’s been used in devices galore,
And it runs in our blood.
It has served as our bud
For millennia. Who could want more?

Pure cobalt’s surprisingly gray,
Not the blue that we think of today
More or less by default,
But we use it in smalt
So that glassware may brighten our day.

American coins worth five cents
Are called nickels, but due to expense,
They are only a fourth
Made of nickel. Don’t snort
In disdain; for the mint, it makes sense.

The rest of the little coin’s source?
Same as penny plates: copper, of course,
One of few metals found
Pure in form all around
Without smelting or similar force.

That said, now the penny’s more zinc
As its value continues to shrink.
When the two are alloyed,
They make brass, as employed
In the valve that is under my sink.