Elemental Limericks, Part 5

[deckardcanine]

Niobium doesn’t shed tears
Like Niobe; it simply appears
To be tantalum’s kin,
So the name’s settled in,
With “columbium” bygone for years.

Molybdenum’s named after lead,
As its ores seem like those ones instead,
But we’ve found it’s essential
And shows less potential
For poison or shooting folks dead.

Technetium’s isotope set
Is all radioactive (a threat).
It’s uncommon on Earth,
But red giants give birth
To it sometimes. Through fusion? You bet.

Ruthenium’s largely produced
For electrical contact-type use
And in thick-film resistors.
It might just assist us
In tech to absorb the sun’s juice.

While rhodium’s rare in Earth’s crust,
It is useful when diesel combusts
To convert toxic gas
To exhaust that may pass
With less danger and much less disgust.

Palladium’s used the same way,
But it also helps transverse flutes play.
It’s in white gold leaf, too,
And in dentistry goo
To fill cavities caused by decay.

While silver’s formed spoons, forks, and knives
Within many aristocrats’ lives,
It’s in water filtration
And some medication
So much of humanity thrives.

Ol’ cadmium’s common for coating
And plating to fight the corroding
Of the steel parts of planes,
But you’d best use your brains,
As the toxic effects are worth noting.

In batteries, indium’s good
At avoiding corrosion that would
Have resulted from merc-
Ury; this also works
In thermometers just as it should.

Some tin alloys function as solder.
Applications, of course, go much broader.
Think bell bronze and pewter.
It’s also accoutered
Pipe organs and pie safes (that’s odder).