Shaun McFee created a digital art piece for

 in Ontario, Canada to represent Molybdenum and its properties. Below you can see the art piece, the included justification for design, and a few other references such as a video on molybdenum and a mood board example.

 THEMUSEUM, Kitchener-Waterloo, asked visiting students to create a molybdenum

tile. Shaun McFee was voted as the winner from the entries displayed on the THEMUSEUM. Shaun’s tile description: My tile symbolizes transformation. From idea to execution it is meant to reflect that Mo touches life in both its earliest forms and the most modern applications. My tile was created using software to symbolize the intersection of technology and the natural world. The palette is mainly grayscale because of molybdenum’s silver colour. The layers of text reflect the over-lapping layers of modern uses. Juxtapositions that at first seem opposite (text like “Steel” and “Life”) prove to be inherent in one another’s properties or evolution. The repetitive symbols represent replication of cells and the thin drawn lines echo atom structures and basic life. Free-form and biological becomes angular and technological, tracing the arc of Mo over the life of the universe.

Look through the lessons from this unit to review concepts like the octet rule, electronegativity, periodic trends, and bonding. 

This is an illustration of a concept called "

". Outer electrons are partially shielded from the attractive force of the protons in the nucleus by inner electrons.

Figure 6.17.16.17.1: The shielding effect is shown by the interior electron cloud (light blue) shielding the outer electron of interest from the full attractive force of the nucleus. A larger shielding effect results in a decrease in ionization energy.

To explain how shielding works, consider a lithium atom. It has three protons and three electrons—two in the first principal energy level and its valence electron in the second. The valence electron is partially shielded from the attractive force of the nucleus by the two inner electrons. Removing that valence electron becomes easier because of the shielding effect.

There is no discernible trend, it is completely random

Fluorine is farther down the group than carbon

Fluorine has more charged particles attracting the electron cloud to the nucleus

Halogens have a larger atomic radius than carbon

Fluorine is the most electronegative element

Fluorine is more electronegative than carbon

oxygen is closer to filling its valence electron shell (octet rule)

oxygen has more positive protons in its nucleus that attract electrons

the octet rule and the atomic number both contribute to the higher electronegativity of oxygen

Design your own piece of art inspired by an element and its properties. 

Include a written description that details justification for design choices, this justification should be based in knowledge about atomic structure and properties, but can be abstracted, like in the example of molybdenum above. 

In your justification, include how the electronegativity and valence shell electrons of your element play a role in how it reacts with other elements. 

Use what you know about atoms and the periodic table to create an element inspired artwork. 

Atomic Art