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1. Use the Video button to observe the reactions of Cs, Rb, K, Na, and Li with water and with acids. Arrange the metals in the order most reactive to least reactive.
Describe the observations you made that support your conclusions.
2. The oxide of an element capable of losing or sharing 5 electrons is used as a catalyst in the industrial production of sulfuric acid. Use your knowledge of chemistry and the periodic table to determine which elements form +5 oxides, then use the program to research these elements and identify the catalytic material.
3. The elements Zr and Hf are very similar chemically and therefore difficult to separate from each other. How did this similarity affect the discovery of hafnium?
4. Name three allotropes of carbon.
How did the most recently discovered allotrope get its name?
What is the surprising difference between diamond and graphite?
5. Recently a Noble prize winning chemist wrote a play about the discovery of oxygen, over which there has been a little debate for quite some time. How did Joseph Preistly contribute to oxygen's discovery?
How did Antoine Lavoisier contribute?
For the liberal arts majors: what do Lavoisier and A Tale of Two Cities' Sydney Carton have in common? (Note: there is no credit for this, and you won't find info. on Dickens characters on the CD.)
6. Research the halogens (group 7A elements). Describe the physical form of each element (color, state of matter). Who first prepared each element? How did each element get its name? Give two commercial uses for each element.
7. Who discovered Strontium? In what year? Which other elements did that same person discover?
Based on information about this element and its discoverer, suggest a reason why the same person might discover several elements at about the same time.
8. Compare the physical properties of Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ra. Look at the elements and compare their appearance. Comment on any trends in physical properties (including appearance) and relate them to the position of the elements on the periodic table.
9. Locate the element cerium, which is used in a general chemistry lab. What property, extremely interesting to pyromanics, does metallic cerium possess?
Which two chemists shared in its discovery?
What is the primary "claim to fame" of one of them, and what other elements is he credited with discovering?
Lanthanides like cerium are often used in making glasses. Which lanthanides are used to make glass for welding masks? Why?
10. Although all elements in this column are generally considered to be unreactive, Neil Bartlett showed that this element could react with PtF6. What is the element?
Who played a part in discovering and/or classifying all of the elements in this column?
What is one common use of the first three elements in this column?