Name that element! this element may be a real lightweight, but it can lift more than 10,000 lbs. and make Darth Vadar sound like Minnie Mouse. What's the mystery element? Grab a periodic table and follow these eight clues to find out. Then turn the page to test your chemistry IQ.Clue 1 NOBLE LONER loner Psychiatry A single young man estranged from society and family, who suffers from psychogenic pain, and tends to live 'on the edge', vacillating between aggression and depression; loners often have unrealistic goals, but are unable to work towards those goals The mystery element, which sits in the far right column of the periodic table, is one of the "noble gases." You can't see it--it's a colorless, odorless o·dor·less adj. Having no odor. o  dor·less·ly adv.o gas. And liker all noble gases, it's chemically inert, or doesn't combine with any other elements except in extreme cases. But don't be fooled by this loner. It makes up about 7 percent of all the atoms in the universe. GOT IT ALREADY? SCORE 100 POINTS. IF NOT, READ CLUE #2. CLUE 2 DIVE DEEP Scuba divers who go deeper than 40 meters (130 feet) or stay underwater for long periods of time breathe a gas mixture of this element and two other 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. elements--oxygen and nitrogen--from their tanks. That's because this element helps prevent decompression sickness decompression sickness, physiological disorder caused by a rapid decrease in atmospheric pressure, resulting in the release of nitrogen bubbles into the body tissues. It is also known as caisson disease, altitude sickness, and the bends. , or "the bends," a painful and potentially deadly condition that occurs when microscopic gas bubbles enter the bloodstream. NABBED THE ANSWER? SCORE 80 POINTS. STILL GUESSING? TAKE THE NEXT CLUE. CLUE 3 SQUEAK! Inhale this element and you'll squeak like Bubbles the Powerpuff Girl. Sound waves in your mouth and throat travel two and a half times faster through this low-density (amount of mass in a given space) gas than through air. Faster sound waves have a higher frequency (number of vibrations in a given time), which we hear as a high-pitched squeak. But beware: You can pass out or suffocate suf·fo·cate v. 1. To impair the respiration of; asphyxiate. 2. To suffer from lack of oxygen; to be unable to breathe. suf breathing only this gas. GAME OVER ALREADY? SCORE 60 POINTS. STILL PLAYING? CHECK OUT CLUE #4. CLUE 4 ROCKET SCIENCE rocket science n. 1. Rocketry. 2. Informal An endeavor requiring great intelligence or technical ability. Without this element, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Colonel Buzz Aldrin, Sc.D (born January 20, 1930 as Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.) is an American pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 11, the first lunar landing. couldn't have walked on the moon. After blasting off, astronauts use liquid-fuel rockets containing this element to navigate the spacecraft. This type of rocket helped safely land the Lunar Module on the moon's surface--and maneuver the space shuttles The term Space Shuttles refers to partly or fully reusable launch vehicles for regularly placing payloads into low earth orbit. See:
NAME IT NOW, SCORE 40 POINTS. CLUE 5 SAVING AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE The ink dried in 1776. But because of this element, tourists in Washington, D.C., can still see our forefathers' signatures on the Declaration of Independence. Exposure to air damages the fragile document, so in 1951 it was sealed in a glass box filled with the mystery element. Unlike oxygen, this inert gas inert gas or noble gas, any of the elements in Group 18 of the periodic table. In order of increasing atomic number they are: helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon. doesn't react with the paper or ink. But the element is so tiny--the second-smallest atom--that over time it's leaked through minuscule holes in the containers. The document is now being resealed in a box filled with another inert--but larger--element: argon argon (är`gŏn) [Gr.,=inert], gaseous chemical element; symbol Ar; at. no. 18; at. wt. 39.948; m.p. −189.2°C;; b.p. −185.7°C;; density 1.784 grams per liter at STP; valence 0. . HIT ON THE ANSWERS? SCORE 2 POINTS. IF NOT, KEEP TRYING! CLUE 6 AIR TIME Converse once designed basketball shoes filled with this lightweight element to help players leap like the pros. The now-defunct sneakers sneakers Noun, pl US, Canad, Austral & NZ canvas shoes with rubber soles sneakers npl (US) → zapatos mpl de lona; zapatillas fpl had three gas-filled canisters in the heel of each shoe. Filled with just air, the canisters would weigh about 100 grams (3.5 ounces). Filled with the mystery gas, they weighed only 14 g (0.5 oz). But the tiny weight loss didn't really boost basketball players' scores. SCORE 10 POINTS IF YOU NAME THE ELEMENTS WITH THE HELP OF SIX CLUES. STILL GUESSING? READ ON. CLUE 7 FUTURE FUEL This element may be the nonpolluting energy of the future. Scientists hope to use one form of the element in fusion (combining two atoms to form one new atom), a reaction that releases large amounts of energy. But even though it's the second most abundant element in the universe, Earth's supply will likely run out in less than 50 years. Miners may soon head to the moon, which has the useful form in its soil. "The moon has a thousand years worth of Earth's electrical energy needs," says Gerald Kulcinski of the University of Wisconsin. GUESS THE ELEMENTS? SCORE 5 POINTS. IF NOT, TRY YOUR LAST CLUE. CLUE 8 HEAVY LIFTING It's the power lifter of the periodic table. Although it has only 92 percent of the lifting ability of hydrogen--the only lighter element--the mystery gas is non-flammable and safer to use. Seven times lighter than air Some gases are buoyant in air because they have a density that is less than the density of air (about 1.2 kg/m3, 1.2 g/L). Lighter than air gases are used to fill craft called aerostats which include free balloons, moored balloons, and airship to make the whole aircraft, on , its buoyant force hoists the 12,800-pound Goodyear Blimp The Goodyear Blimp is the collective name for a fleet of blimps operated by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for advertising purposes and for use as a television camera platform for aerial views of sporting events. . And every year, Macy's uses about 400,000 cubic feet of the gas to float giant cartoon characters in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. STILL NO ANSWER? TURN TO PAGE 16. ANATOMY OF AN ELEMENT X Atomic number ?? Element symbol Name Element name X.XXXX Average atomic mass 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 Adj. 1. positively charged - having a positive charge; "protons are positive" electropositive, positive charged - of a particle or body or system; having a net amount of positive or negative electric charge; "charged particles"; "a charged battery" 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 atomic mass, the mass of a single atom, usually expressed in atomic mass units 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. The periodic table is a systematic way to organize Earth's elements, substances that consists of atoms of only one kind. Today, there are 112 known and named chemical elements. Elements are arranged according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. their increasing atomic number. Hydrogen (H), for example, has an atomic number of 1 and is the lightest known natural element on Earth. Scientist 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 47 electrons orbiting its nucleus? A. copper (Cu) B. cadmium (Cd) C. silver (Ag) D. tungsten (W) 3. The elements in the far right column of the periodic table are called: A. alkali metals alkali metals, metals found in Group 1 of the periodic table. Compared to other metals they are soft and have low melting points and densities. Alkali metals are powerful reducing agents and form univalent compounds. B. nonmetals C. metals D. noble gas 4. Inert elements: A. combine only with nonmetals B. don't combine with other elements except in extreme cases C. combine with all elements D. re alkali metals 5. Which of the following elements is the heaviest A. lead (Pb) B. zirconium zirconium (zərkō`nēəm), metallic chemical element; symbol Zr; at. no. 40; at. wt. 91.22; m.p. about 1,852°C;; b.p. 4,377°C;; sp. gr. 6.5 at 20°C;; valence +2, +3, or +4. (Zr) C. radon (Rn) D. manganese (Mn) 6. What property increases from left to right in a period on the table? A. atomic number B. atomic weight atomic weight, mean (weighted average) of the masses of all the naturally occurring isotopes of a chemical element, as contrasted with atomic mass, which is the mass of any individual isotope. C. number of protons D. all of the above EASY ORBIT: Atoms of the mystery element have two electrons orbiting a nucleus that contains two neutrons and two protons. 1. Helium 2. c 3. d 4. b 5. c 6. d Did You Know? * Helium balloons don't keep their shape as long as balloons that are filled with air because the tiny helium atoms readily escape through microscopic holes in the rubber. * The name helium is derived from helios, the Greek word for sun. It's the only element to have been discovered on the sun before it was found on Earth. In 1868, astronomer Pierre Janssen detected a bright yellow line in the spectrum of light from the sun. Every element gives off a unique color when it's heated to a high temperature, and this color hadn't been identified yet. It was determined to be helium by astronomer Joseph Norman Lockyer Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer (May 17, 1836 – August 16, 1920) was an English scientist and astronomer. Along with the French scientist Pierre Janssen he is credited with discovering the gas helium. Biography Lockyer was born at Rugby in Warwickshire. and chemist Edward Frankland. Chemist Sir William Ramsey finally found helium on Earth 27 years later. * Liquid helium is the only fluid that cannot be solidified by lowering its temperature; at normal pressures it remains a liquid to absolute zero. Cross-Curricular Connection Math: Helium gas can lift about 1 gram per liter. If the average party balloon holds 14 liters of gas, about how many would you need to lift off? (Hint: 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds) For a related activity, turn to TE 5. Critical Thinking: In the future, fusion energy using helium atoms may be a way to produce electricity without polluting the atmosphere. But since there isn't enough helium on Earth to last very long, scientists think we should send miners to the moon, which has the useful form in its soil. Do you think it's a good idea to dig up the surface of the moon for helium? Why or why not? For an interactive periodic table with basic information about all of the elements see: www.chemicalelements.com/ The Goodyear site has a detailed history of blimps. It includes a diagram of the blimp, descriptions of how each component works, and lots of pictures: www.goodyearblimp.com/ Scientists release helium filled balloons to monitor the weather and collect data about the atmosphere. This National Weather Service site has information about the balloons and how they are used: www.srh.noaa.gov/elp/kids/balloon.shtml To test your knowledge of the symbols and names of the elements on the periodic table, play the FunBrain game: www.funbrain.com/periodic/ The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant site has information about scuba diving and decompression sickness. Includes experiments and quizzes: www.seagrant.wisc.edu/madisonjason11/diving.html |
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