Here is the Element Quiz Question:

The Question:
This element was the last non-radioactive, non-synthesized, naturally
occurring element with stable isotopes to be discovered. An alloy, with
this element as one of its primary constituents, was used for the liquid
rocket thruster nozzles on the main engine of the Apollo Lunar
Modules. Compounds, which incorporate this element, are employed in gate
insulators in the 45 nm generation of integrated circuits by a number of
component fabricators. This element is pyrophoric—fine particles can
spontaneously combust when exposed to air.  Which element is being
described?

The Answer:
The element is Hafnium (Hf)! In 1923, four predicted elements were still
missing from the periodic table: 43 (technetium) and 61 (promethium) are
radioactive elements and are only present in trace amounts in the
environment, thus making elements 75 (rhenium) and 72 (hafnium) the last
two unknown non-radioactive elements. Since rhenium was discovered in 1908,
hafnium was the last element with stable isotopes to be discovered. An
alloy consisting of 89% niobium, 10% hafnium and 1% titanium was used for
the Lunar Module thruster nozzles. Hafnium-based compounds are employed in
gate insulators in the 45 nm generation of integrated circuits. Isotopes of
hafnium and lutetium are also used in isotope geochemistry and
geo-chronological applications, in lutetium-hafnium dating. It is often
used as a tracer of isotopic evolution of Earth’s mantle through time.This
is because 176-Lu decays to 176-Hf with a half-life of approximately 37
billion years.


The winner of the quiz is Joyce Koo and she will get the services of Clumpy
and Kloumpios for the week.


So far Clumpy and Kloumpios have done the following:

Past Quiz winners/tasks:
Week 1 Ravinder Ajmani, Western Digital
Week 1 Ron Feyereisen, SigmaTron Intl.
Week 2 Louis Hart, Compunetics
Week 3 Mark Kostinovsky, Schlumberger Ltd.
Week 3 John Burke
Week 4 Drew Meyer, Benchmark Electronics
Week 5 No Winner - no correct responses!
Week 6 Bhanu Sood, NASA
Week 7 Keith Calhoun, Sopark Corp
Week 7 Ian Fox, Rolls Royce
Week 8 Leland Woodall
Week 8 David Bealer, SMT
Week 9 Tom Carroll, Boeing
Week 10 Louis Hart, Compunetics
Week 11 Tom Carroll, Boeing
Week 11 Scott Decker, UTAS
Week 12 Matthias Mansfeld, Mansfeld Elektronik PCB Design and Assembly
Week 13 No Quiz,
Week 14 Matthias Mansfeld, Mansfeld Elektronik PCB Design and Assembly
Week 15 Bhanu Sood, NASA
Week 16 John Maxwell
Week 17 Leland Woodall
Week 18 Leland Woodall
Week 19 Tom Carroll, Boeing
Week 20 Robert Kondner
Week 21 Tom Brendlinger, ClearMotion Inc.
Week 22 Carl Van Wormer, Cipher Engineering LCC
Week 23 Juliano Ribeiro, DATACOM
Week 24 Gerry Gagnon, FLIR Commercial Systems
Week 25 Graham Collins, Sunsel Systems
Week 26 Joyce Koo, IPC International
Week 26 Todd MacFadden, Bose
Week 27 Bhanu Sood, NASA
Week 28 Leland Woodall
Week 29 Mordechai Kirshenbaum
Week 30 Leland Woodall
Week 31 Leland Woodall
Week 32 Steve Gregory
Week 33 Leland Woodall
Week 34 Jerry Dengler, Pergamon Corp
Week 35 Frank Kimmey, VeriFone Inc
Week 36 Graham Collins, Sunsel Systems
Week 37 Richard "Dean" Stadem
Week 38 Leland Woodall
Week 38 Tom Carroll
Week 39 Matthias Mansfeld, Mansfeld Elektronik PCB Design and Assembly

Week 40 Leland Woodall
- This week the boys will be helping me with Fall yard work.  If they
finish in time, we'll also check out the speckled sea trout run currently
going on in Belhaven, NC.

Week 41 Tom Carroll
- Clumpy and Kloumpios can help with winter cleaning chores around the
house. We just received our first blast of cold air today and it is
expected to be colder tomorrow, so tell the boys to pack their winter
suits. I need help removing air conditioners from windows and sealing up
some drafts around windows and doors. After that the boys can relax and
join me on a trip to Philadelphia to perform some FAA Conformities next
week. Do they like soft pretzels? The ones I get in Philadelphia are great,
especially when they are fresh out of the oven.

Week 42 Matthias Mansfeld, Mansfeld Elektronik PCB Design and Assembly
- assisted with ????

Week 43 Joyce Koo
- assisted with ????


I hope everyone has a awesome week.

Dave Hillman
Rockwell Collins
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