ELEMENTS OF A SMARTPHONE ELEMENTS COLOUR KEY: ALKALI METAL ALKALINE EARTH METAL TRANSITION METAL GROUP 13 GROUP 14 GROUP 15 GROUP 16 HALOGEN LANTHANIDE SCREEN ELECTRONICS 49 29 47 Indium tin oxide is a mixture of Copper is used for wiring in the In 8 indium oxide and tin oxide, used phone, whilst copper, gold and silver Cu Ag Indium in a transparent film in the screen are the major metals from which Copper Silver O that conducts electricity. This allows microelectrical components are 50 Oxygen 79 73 Sn the screen to function as a touch fashioned. Tantalum is the major Au Ta Tin screen. component of micro-capacitors. Gold Tantalum

13 14 28 66 59 The glass used on the majority of Nickel is used in the microphone as well Al Si smartphones is an aluminosilicate as for other electrical connections. Alloys Ni Dy Pr Aluminium Silicon including the elements praseodymium, Nickel Dysprosium Praseodymium glass, composed of a mix of alumina gadolinium and neodymium are used 8 19 (Al O ) and silica (SiO ). This glass 2 3 2 in the magnets in the speaker and 65 60 64 O K also contains potassium ions, which microphone. Neodymium, terbium and Tb Nd Gd Oxygen Potassium help to strengthen it. dysprosium are used in the vibration unit. Terbium Neodymium Gadolinium

39 57 65 14 8 51 A variety of Rare Earth Element Pure silicon is used to manufacture Si O Sb Y La Tb compounds are used in small the chip in the phone. It is oxidised Yttrium Lanthanum Terbium Silicon Oxygen Antimony quantities to produce the colours to produce non-conducting regions, 33 15 31 59 63 66 in the smartphone’s screen. Some then other elements are added in compounds are also used to reduce order to allow the chip to conduct As P Ga Pr Eu Dy UV light penetration into the phone. electricity. Arsenic Phosphorus Gallium Praseodymium Europium Dysprosium

64 Tin & lead are used to solder 50 82 Gd electronics in the phone. Newer lead- Gadolinium Sn Pb free solders use a mix of tin, copper Tin Lead and silver. BATTERY CASING 3 27 6 12 The majority of phones use lithium ion batteries, Magnesium compounds are alloyed to make Li Co 8 Lithium Cobalt which are composed of lithium cobalt oxide as a some phone cases, whilst many are made C Mg O positive electrode and graphite (carbon) as the of plastics. Plastics will also include flame Carbon Magnesium 6 13 Oxygen negative electrode. Some batteries use other retardant compounds, some of which contain 35 28 C Al metals, such as manganese, in place of cobalt. bromine, whilst nickel can be included to Br Ni Carbon Aluminium The battery’s casing is made of aluminium. reduce electromagnetic interference. Bromine Nickel

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