Name that element! It powers rockets to the moon, can bleach your hair, and decimates zits. It's Earth's most abundant element and interacts with a staggering number of chemicals. Can you name it? Grab a periodic table and follow these eight clues. Then turn the page to test your "element IQ." (Physical science: chemistry).CLUE 1 ELEMENTAL It fills almost one half of Earth's crust, 21 percent of the atmosphere, and two thirds of the human body. In nature, it's rare to find a lone atom of this element. Instead, the mystery element exists mostly as a colorless, odorless o·dor·less adj. Having no odor. o  dor·less·ly adv.o gas made of diatomic di·a·tom·ic adj. Made up of two atoms. diatomic 1. containing two atoms. 2. dibasic. molecules (two identical atoms joined to form a chemical bond). GOT IT ALREADY? SCORE 100 POINTS. IF NOT, READ CLUE #2. CLUE 2 CAR WRECKER This nonmetal nonmetal, chemical element possessing certain properties by which it is distinguished from a metal. In general, this distinction is drawn on the basis that a nonmetal tends to accept electrons and form negative ions and that its oxide is acidic. is one of the most reactive (chemically active) elements of the periodic table. It automatically yanks electrons (negatively charged Adj. 1. negatively charged - having a negative charge; "electrons are negative" electronegative, negative charged - of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge; "charged particles"; "a charged battery" particles that orbit an atom's center, or nucleus) away from almost every element. When iron atoms lose electrons to the mystery element, the metal corrodes, or forms rust on cars, ships, and bridges. NABBED THE ANSWER? SCORE 80 POINTS. STILL GUESSING? TAKE THE NEXT CLUE. CLUE 3 WHITE OUT The mystery element is the active ingredient An active ingredient, also active pharmaceutical ingredient (or API), is the substance in a drug that is pharmaceutically active. Some medications may contain more than one active ingredient. in commercial hair bleach. It breaks down the natural pigments (compounds that reflect a certain color of light) in hair follicles Hair follicles Tiny organs in the skin, each one of which grows a single hair. Mentioned in: Alopecia to wipe out color, leaving a gleaming white mane. GAME OVER ALREADY? SCORE 60 POINTS. STILL PLAYING? CHECK OUT CLUE #4. CLUE 4 LIFTOFF Rockets use this element's liquid form to blast into space at over 27,358 kilometers per hour (17,000 mph). Much like a car engine, the rocket uses this element in the process of combustion (burning fuel). But while a car sucks the element from the air, a rocket needs so much of this element that it's equipped with storage tanks that feed into the spacecraft's main engines. The engines consume more than 1.59 million kg (3.5 million lbs) of fuel in only eight minutes. NAME IT NOW, SCORE 40 POINTS. CLUE 5 BUSTED Cross-country ski champ Johann Muehlegg was stripped of a gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize at the 2002 Winter Olympics, when officials caught him using a drug that pumps up this element in the blood: Darbepoetin helps patients with kidney failure kidney failure or renal failure Partial or complete loss of kidney function. Acute failure causes reduced urine output and blood chemical imbalance, including uremia. Most patients recover within six weeks. increase the production of red blood cells Red blood cells Cells that carry hemoglobin (the molecule that transports oxygen) and help remove wastes from tissues throughout the body. Mentioned in: Bone Marrow Transplantation red blood cells . But some athletes inject the drug to gain strength and speed: "The more of this element you can get to the tissue, the more your muscles work," says Larry Bowers at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Red blood cells carry the mystery element to the muscles--where it burns food for fuel. HIT ON THE ANSWER? SCORE 20 POINTS. IF NOT, KEEP TRYING! CLUE 6 ZIT KILLER Acne is caused by anaerobic bacteria Anaerobic bacteria Bacteria that do not require oxgyen, found in low concentrations in the normal vagina Mentioned in: Aminoglycosides, Bacterial Vaginosis, Flesh-Eating Disease, Periodontal Disease , or single-celled organisms that die in the presence of this element. Propionibacterium acnes (bacteria that cause acne) burrow into pores under your skin and release toxic chemicals that cause red, pus-filled zits. Most popular acne creams deliver the mystery element to clogged pores--it kills the bacteria and clears your face. SCORE 10 POINTS IF YOU NAME THE ELEMENT WITH THE HELP OF SIX CLUES. STILL GUESSING? READ ON. CLUE 7 BLOOD LINES On clear, dark nights, eerie bands of light, known as the aurora borealis, pulse through the northern sky. When high-energy particles from the sun bombard bom·bard tr.v. bom·bard·ed, bom·bard·ing, bom·bards 1. To attack with bombs, shells, or missiles. 2. To assail persistently, as with requests. See Synonyms at attack, barrage2. 3. Earth's atmosphere, excited atoms of this element create the green and red colors of the northern lights. Periods of intense energy turn the sky blood red. "The lights scared medieval Europeans," says geophysicist Charles Deehr at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. They believed the vibrant red sky signaled the outbreak of war. GUESS THE ELEMENT? SCORE 5 POINTS. IF NOT, TRY YOUR LAST CLUE. CLUE 8 HEALTHY HIGH Some health bars and nightclubs offer a whiff of this element to patrons who shell out $1 a minute to breathe in the pure gas. It comes in a variety of flavors, including peppermint peppermint: see mint. peppermint Strongly aromatic perennial herb (Mentha piperita, mint family), source of a widely used flavouring. Native to Europe and Asia, it has been naturalized in North America. , cranberry, and wintergreen wintergreen or checkerberry, low evergreen plant (Gaultheria procumbens) of the family Ericaceae (heath family), native to sandy and acid woods (usually of evergreens) of E North America and frequently cultivated. . But most health buffs who inhale it believe the element relieves stress, increases energy, and reduces headaches. So far, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration isn't buying into the healthy high. STILL NO ANSWER? TURN TO PAGE 20. ANATOMY OF AN ELEMENT X--Atomic number ??--Element symbol Name--Element name X.XXXX--Average atomic mass atomic mass, the mass of a single atom, usually expressed in atomic mass units Key definitions: ATOMIC NUMBER atomic number, often represented by the symbol Z, the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, as well as the number of electrons in the neutral atom. Atoms with the same atomic number make up a chemical element. equals the number of protons (positively charged particles) in an atom's nucleus, or center. Every element contains a different number of protons, and hence has a unique atomic number. ATOMIC MASS equals the number of protons plus the number of neutrons found in a single atom of an element. The weight of an atom resides in its nucleus, which houses both protons and neutrons. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The periodic table is a systematic way to organize Earth's elements, which can't be broken down into simpler substances. Today, there are 112 known and named chemical elements. Elements are arranged according to their increasing atomic number. Hydrogen (H), for example, has an atomic number of 1 and is the lightest known natural element on Earth. Scientists have created elements with atomic numbers greater than 92--but they don't exist naturally. IT'S YOUR CHOICE Test your chemistry IQ! Answer the following questions about elements and the periodic table. 1. Name the mystery element! -- 2. Which element has 36 electrons orbiting its nucleus? A Aluminum B Krypton C Antimony D Beryllium 3. Elements in the same group on the periodic table have similar chemical properties. The mystery element typically gains two electrons when it forms a chemical bond. Which of the following elements is likely to do the same? A Calcium B Fluorine C Carbon D Sulfur 4. Which of the following statements is not true? A Atoms form chemical bonds by exchanging electrons. B Atoms form chemical bonds by exchanging protons. C More than two atoms can form a chemical bond. D A chemical bond can be broken. 5. Seven nonmetal elements exist naturally as diatomic molecules. Which of these molecules is not in its natural state? A [N.sub.2] B [Br.sub.2] C [K.sub.2] D [H.sub.2] OZONE is a molecule made of three atoms of the mystery element. In the ozone layer of Earth's atmosphere it shields humans from the sun's harmful rays. But pollutants seem to have blown a hole in the ozone layer. Did You Know? * The reactions in which elements combine with oxygen to form an oxide were among the first to be studied by early chemists, who called them oxidation reactions. The term is now used to describe any reaction in which an element loses electrons to another substance. * Oxygen free radicals are oxygen atoms that have at least one unpaired electron orbiting the nucleus. In the body, free radicals are a byproduct by·prod·uct or by-prod·uct n. 1. Something produced in the making of something else. 2. A secondary result; a side effect. Noun 1. of energy production that damage cells. Many scientists believe oxygen free radicals play a significant role in aging. * Oxygen gas produces the foam when you use hydrogen peroxide hydrogen peroxide, chemical compound, H2O2, a colorless, syrupy liquid that is a strong oxidizing agent and, in water solution, a weak acid. It is miscible with cold water and is soluble in alcohol and ether. to clean a cut or scrape. Cross-Curricular Connection Health/Physical Education/Math: The best way to see how hard you exercise is to measure the amount of oxygen in your blood. But because this is difficult to do, many athletes approximate this measurement by monitoring their heart rate. use this equation to approximate your maximum heart rate, or the heart rate you'll have when you're exercising the hardest. Max heart rate (beats per minute beats per minute Cardiac pacing The unit of measure for the frequency of heart depolarizations or contractions each minute–or pulse rate ) = 220 - your age. Now test how hard you exercise: Run for 5 to 10 minutes, then count the number of beats in your pulse for one minute. What percentage of your max heart rate did you achieve? Critical Thinking: Some athletes sleep at high altitudes or in low-oxygen tents and train at low altitudes before major competitions. What advantage would this give them and why? Should this practice be banned? Resources This high school textbook has some excellent pictures and descriptions of everyday uses of oxygen: Chemistry: Concepts and Applications, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2002. Basic chemical information on each element is available on the web at: www.webelements.com Experiment with oxidation: This step-by-step experiment from Michigan State University Michigan State University, at East Lansing; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1855. It opened in 1857 as Michigan Agricultural College, the first state agricultural college. explores why fruits turn brown in the air and how can you prevent it: agexted.cas.psu.edu/docs/29503198.html We use our lungs to breathe in oxygen. But do insects and fish? Compare how other forms of life get the oxygen they need at this interactive site: www.sk.lung.ca/content.cfm/compare More information on auroras, and a daily aurora forecast from Professor Charles Deehr is available at the University of Alaska's geophysical institute: www.pfrr.alaska.edu/~pfrr/AURORA/INDEX.HTM HTM HyperText Markup (file extension) HTM Hand To Mouth HTM harmful-to-minors HTM Held-to-Maturity HTM High Tide Mark HTM Hazlo tú mismo (Spanish: do it yourself) HTM Hierarchical Temporal Memory Name That Element! 1. Oxygen 2. b 3. d 4. d 5. c |
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