1. Questions on Metals, Nonmetals and the Periodic Table

2. Section 2: Organizing the Periodic Table
1a. Question: In what order did Mendeleev arrange the elements on the first periodic table? Answer: Mendeleev arranged the elements by increasing atomic mass.
1b. Question: What pattern did Mendeleev discover when he arranged the elements? Answer: Mendeleev saw patterns in melting point, color, atomic mass, density, # of bonds that could form.
1c. Question: Describe two differences between Mendeleev’s table and the modern periodic table? Answer: 1) Our modern table is arranged by increasing atomic number, not atomic mass 2) Mendeleev’s table had far less elements than modern
2a. Question: List three kinds of information about an element that can be found in a square on the periodic table? Answer: atomic number, atomic mass, chemical symbol, name.

3. Section 2 continued
2b. Question: What element has 47 protons in its nucleus? Answer: silver
2c. Question: Why aren’t the atomic masses of most elements whole numbers? Answer: Atomic mass is found by calculating the weighted average of an element’s different percentages of isotopes, each with a different atomic weight, so this average of different percentages usually ends up as a decimal.
3a. Question: What does an element’s location on the periodic table tell you about that element? Answer: reactivity, what kind of element it is. For metal, groups further to the right are less reactive, to the left are more reactive.
3b. Question: Use the periodic table to name two elements that you would expect to have properties much like those of calcium: Answer: group 2, so beryllium, magnesium, strontium, barium, radium.

4. Section 3: Metals
1a. Question: What properties of metals do the terms conductivity and ductility describe? Answer: physical properties.
1b. Question: Give an example of how the ductility of a metal can be useful. Answer: Ductile metals like copper can be stretched into long, thin wires and used as electrical wire.
1c. Question: What properties of metals led to the use of plastic or wood handles on many metal cooking utensils? Explain. Answer: Metals are very good at conducting heat, so metal handles on pots/pans could get too hot. More insulating materials like wood and plastic wouldn’t get as hot.
2a. Question: What family of elements contains the most reactive metals? Answer: Group 1, Alkali metals.

5. Section 3 continued
2b. Question: What area of the periodic table is the best place to look for a metal that could be used to coat another metal to protect it from corrosion? Answer: Right side of the transition metals, groups 10-14, because they are less reactive metals.
2c. Question: If scientists could produce element 120, what predictions would you make about its reactivity? Answer: It would be in group 2, so it would be similar to an Alkali Earth metal such as calcium, and therefore quite reactive.
3a. Question: Describe the general process by which new elements are synthesized. Answer: Particle accelerators force the atoms of different elements to smash together at very high speeds. When this happens the nuclei of different elements can combine and produce new elements with high atomic numbers that don’t naturally exist on Earth.
3b. Question: How is plutonium made? Answer: By bombarding the nuclei of uranium-238 with neutrons in a nuclear reactor.

6. Section 4: Metalloids and Nonmetals
1a. Question: What physical and chemical properties are found among the nonmetals? Answer: Physical: Dull color, low density, 10/16 are gases, bad conductors of heat. Chemical: Many are reactive, noble gases (group 18) completely unreactive.
1b. Question: What happens to the atoms of most nonmetals when they react with other elements? Answer: Nonmetals gain electrons in chemical reactions.
1c. Question: How do the physical and chemical properties of the Halogens (group 17) compare with those of the noble gases? Answer: Physically similar. Chemically, halogens are extremely reactive and combine with many elements, whereas noble gases are stable and won’t react with other elements.
2a. Question: Where in the periodic table are metalloids found? Answer: On the “staircase” between groups

7. Section 4 continued
2b. Question: What are three uses of metalloids? Answer: Metalloids can conduct electricity, can be used to make semiconductors, and are used in some cleaning products.
2c. Question: What property makes certain metalloids useful as “switches” to turn a small electric current on and off? Answer: Some metalloids, mainly silicon, have a varying ability to conduct electricity, and are therefore used to make semiconductors.