Space and Physics
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There's the age-old question of what to get someone who has everything. Well, a Kickstarter programme might have the solution – a cube made of every collectible element in the periodic table.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.The project is the brainchild of Cillian McMinn, a young entrepreneur from Belfast, U.K. He has helped create a cube that is the world’s largest alloy, comprised of 62 elements in the periodic table, from Aluminium to Zirconium. Out of the 118 known elements, that's pretty much all the elements that aren’t gases, radioactive or synthesized in a lab.
The cube is just 5 by 5 centimeters (2 by 2 inches). Don’t be fooled by its lackluster appearance; it's like having the Lego bricks of the universe on your desk. McMinn’s cube will be a world record holder for the largest alloy in the world. Apparently, he's been talking to Guinness World Records to make it official. It was created through a process called 'powder metallurgy,' where the elements are taken in powdered form then pressed together.
If you’re not a grey cube kind of person, then the company is also planning to make necklaces and bracelets out of the alloy.
The Kickstarter ends on November 10, so it has still got a few weeks to shake its paper cup and rustle up some money. However, they’ve already surpassed their $3,826 (£2,500) target by reaching over $45,918 (£30,000).
The Element Cube can be yours for $77 (£50). You can check out the Kickstarter page here.
The 62 elements which will be in The Element Cube. Image credit: The Element Cube
