4 ms·

According to King at the Ames Lab, an iPhone has about 75 elements in it, two-thirds of the periodic table. I'm really going to need some percentages of m

According to King at the Ames Lab, an iPhone has about 75 elements in it, two-thirds of the periodic table. I'm really going to need some percentages of mass here. The thing that lands in the box. Not the catalysts, and substances required for processes used during manufacture. If I'm not holding it in my hands, right now, it doesn't make the list. 01. H (1) Hydrogen 02. He (2) Helium 03. Li (3) Lithium 04. B (5) Boron 05. C (6) Carbon 06. N (7) Nitrogen 07. O (8) Oxygen 08. F (9) Flourine 09. Na (11) Sodium 10. Mg (12) Magnesium 11. Al (13) Aluminum 12. Si (14) Silicon 13. P (15) Phosphorus 14. S (16) Sulfur 15. Cl (17) Chlorine 16. Ca (20) Calcium 17. Sc (21) Scandium 18. Ti (22) Titanium 19. V (23) Vanadium 20. Cr (24) Chromium 21. Mn (25) Manganese 22. Fe (26) Iron 23. Co (27) Cobalt 24. Ni (28) Nickel 25. Cu (29) Copper 26. Zn (30) Zinc 27. Ga (31) Gallium 28. Ge (32) Germanium 29. As (33) Arsenic 30. Se (34) Selenium 31. Br (35) Bromine 32. Sr (38) Strontium 33. Y (39) Yttrium 34. Zr (40) Zirconium 35. Nb (41) Niobium 36. Mo (42) Molybdenum 37. Ru (44) Ruthenium 38. Rh (45) Rhodium 39. Pd (46) Palladium 40. Ag (47) Silver 41. Cd (48) Cadmium 42. In (49) Indium 43. Sn (50) Tin 44. Sb (51) Antimony 45. Te (52) Tellurium 46. Ba (56) Barium 47. La (57) Lanthanum 48. Hf (72) Hafnium 49. Ta (73) Tantalum 50. W (74) Tungsten 51. Re (75) Rhenium 52. Os (76) Osmium 53. Ir (77) Iridium 54. Pt (78) Platinum 55. Au (79) Gold 56. Hg (80) Mercury 57. Tl (81) Thallium 58. Bi (83) Bismuth 59. Po (84) Polonium 60. Rn (86) Radon 61. Ce (58) Cerium 62. Pr (59) Praseodymium 63. Nd (60) Neodymium 64. Sm (61) Promethium 65. Eu (63) Europium 66. Gd (64) Gadolinium 67. Tb (65) Terbium 68. Dy (66) Dysprosium 69. Ho (67) Holmium 70. Er (68) Erbium 71. Tm (69) Thulium 72. Yb (70) Ytterbium 73. Lu (71) Lutetium Some of those I'm not buying into.

jean_claude 10y ago
I think the takeaway from his statements are that it is virtually impossible to source the necessary raw materials that go into producing modern electronics from any one country.
- aab0 10y ago
  Some of the points are bogus, like the rare earths thing; they used to be mined in the USA just fine. But China was cheaper, especially since they didn't price in the negative externalities.
tzs 10y ago
> If I'm not holding it in my hands, right now, it doesn't make the list. I don't see why things that are used during manufacture but do not end up in your hand should be excluded. The question being asked in that section of the article is whether or not the product could be produced entirely with materials and labor from the US, and so everything involved in making it should count.
- wonkaWonka 10y ago
  The tone of the article suggests that an iPhone is made of these elements, moreso than it does that they are made with these elements. has about 75 elements in it It's like saying the natural gas and the oven belong on the printed wrapper in the list of ingredients for that cookie you just ate.
  - yompers888 10y ago
    Given the context, though, parent's comment is reasonable. The isolationist drive that would bring iphone manufacturing and all the associated mining back to the US would go hand-in-hand with a very isolationist economy, in which we'd presumably not be able to get anything from other countries. The thought exercise of in-sourcing everything that ever contributed to anything that eventually goes into a phone helps to point out how the idea of disentangling ourselves from the global market is absurd.

jean_claude 10y ago

I think the takeaway from his statements are that it is virtually impossible to source the necessary raw materials that go into producing modern electronics from any one country.

aab0 10y ago
Some of the points are bogus, like the rare earths thing; they used to be mined in the USA just fine. But China was cheaper, especially since they didn't price in the negative externalities.

tzs 10y ago

> If I'm not holding it in my hands, right now, it doesn't make the list. I don't see why things that are used during manufacture but do not end up in your hand should be excluded. The question being asked in that section of the article is whether or not the product could be produced entirely with materials and labor from the US, and so everything involved in making it should count.

wonkaWonka 10y ago
The tone of the article suggests that an iPhone is made of these elements, moreso than it does that they are made with these elements. has about 75 elements in it It's like saying the natural gas and the oven belong on the printed wrapper in the list of ingredients for that cookie you just ate.
- yompers888 10y ago
  Given the context, though, parent's comment is reasonable. The isolationist drive that would bring iphone manufacturing and all the associated mining back to the US would go hand-in-hand with a very isolationist economy, in which we'd presumably not be able to get anything from other countries. The thought exercise of in-sourcing everything that ever contributed to anything that eventually goes into a phone helps to point out how the idea of disentangling ourselves from the global market is absurd.