Name:
Fill in the Blank (Questions 1-35)
Summer Reading 2012-The Disappearing Spoon STUDY GUIDE
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All of the following questions refer to passages throughout the book and do not refer to a specific element.
1.
2.
3.
Ch 11-The handbook of ___ is referred to as the chemists’ “Koran” because it lists
every physical property of every element known.
chemical properties.
help suppress flammability.
Ch 11-On a(n) ___ level, elements behave predictably and therefore, we know its
Ch 11-This kind of gas can be added to an oxygen enriched atmosphere and can
4.
Ch 11-In space, atmospheric pressure is virtually non-existent. Therefore, a very
small amount of interior gas is needed to keep a spacecraft from imploding or collapsing ___.
5.
Ch 03-Mendeleev, the Father of the Modern Periodic Table, used the word for
“beyond”: eka for eka-silicon and eka-aluminum for naming of elements yet to be discovered but were predicted by
him. This is from what language?
6.
Ch 03-He invented the spectroscope, an instrument that uses light to study
elements, thereby enabling the ability to identify elements hidden in unknown samples. He is also credited with
modifying the laboratory burner that we use in chemistry labs today adding an air vent or air intake valve.
7.
Ch 03-A feldspar mine, just on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden on the Isle of ___
was where raw ore for porcelain was mined. 7 elements were all found in this area.
8.
Ch 03-Numerous elements producing exotic pigments were located in the feldspar
mines. These elements became known as the ___ series of the periodic table.
9.
Ch 03-___ of Scandinavia was responsible for identifying the many bright rocks
found in the feldspar mine as individual, newly discovered elements. For his efforts, one of the elements was names
after him.
10.
Ch 01-The vast majority, 75%, of the elements found on the periodic table are
classified as (metals, non-metals, or metalloids)___.
Ch 01-In ancient Greece, ___ first formulated the concept of the atom.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Ch 01-This Greek philosopher minted the word “element” which come from the
Greek word - “shoicheia-“ meaning small particles of matter.
tiers called ___.
___ metals.
“donors”.
Ch 01-All atoms contain negative particles called electrons which reside in different
Ch 01-The most violent elements on the western edge of the periodic table are the
Ch 01-Acids, as defined by ___, are electron “thieves” and bases are electron
16.
Ch 01-Acid strength is measured by the ___ scale with lower numbers being
stronger acids. The strong acid known to date is carborane which has a ___ value of -18.
17.
Ch 01-The isotopes lead 204 and lead 206 have identical atomic numbers but
different numbers of ___, thereby giving them different mass numbers (atomic weights).
18.
___ virus which affected plants.
Ch 02-The first virus ever discovered was back in 1892. It was commonly called the
19.
Ch 04-___ is a planet that is so big we could have been a solar system with 2 starts
(the sun is a star) and it would have been a brown dwarf star but instead it cooled too rapidly and became a planet
instead. Astrophysicists think it may contain planet-sized diamonds and pools of oily, black hydrogen metal.
20.
Ch 04-With the aid of using the lead in meteors, Clair Patterson was able to
estimate the age of the earth and our solar system to this age.
21.
Ch 05-The Hague Convention of 1899 banned this type of weapon.
22.
Ch 05-Elements with 7 electrons in the outer energy level are known collectively as
this group name.
23.
Ch 05-This substance, a derivative of an insecticide created by Haber (a German
Jew) before WW I was used to gas the Jews by the Nazi’s during WW II.
24.
Ch 06-___ proposed the idea of a highly positive, densely packed nucleus in 1913
based upon experiments he did with gold foil and alpha particles.
25.
Ch 06-This man, a protégé of Rutherford, linked the place an element held on the
periodic table to its positive nuclear charge and atomic number. Before this, scientists did not realize that atomic
number and positive nuclear charge were related.
26.
Ch 06-In 1932 ___, another of Rutherford’s students discovered the neutral neutron
which adds weight to an atom without a charge.
27.
Ch 06-This scientist developed he idea of a nuclear chain reaction in 1933 but he
didn’t succeed in doing one until 1936 by using the newly discovered neutrons.
28.
Ch 06-The ___ was a research program designed by the United States during WW II
to create the first nuclear weapons.
29.
Ch 07-In 1940, the first ___ element (atomic number greater than Uranium) of this
type was created by Edwin McMillan.
30.
Ch 07-Al Ghiorso and his colleague ___, discovered/created more elements than
anyone else in history to date while at US Berkeley.
31.
Ch 07-Well past 1900, Russia used a misaligned calendar developed by the
astronomers of Julius Ceasar and thus it was always several weeks behind Europe, who used the ___ modern calendar
on their publishing dates for research. Even the famed Bolshevik revolution of 1917 occurred in November and not
October as its history books claim!
32.
Ch 07-The international body that govern chemistry developed a systematic, albeit
temporary method to assigning names to newly discovered elements. It also resolved naming disputes on previously
discovered elements too. The organization is known by this abbreviation:___.
33.
Ch 09-“Itai, Itai” was a disease identified in Japan by Dr. N. Hagino who found that
the workers in the ___ mines were being made sick from cadmium poisoning.
34.
Ch 10-Prontosil, a red dye, also kills bacteria because when placed in mammal cells,
the prontosil split into two and its derivative, ___, fought off infection. This was the first anti-bacterial drug ever
created by man.
35.
Ch 12-___ is a uranium rich ore that Marie and Pierre Curie utilized to obtain pure
uranium. Their work with this substance led to the discovery of 2 new elements and a second Nobel prize for Marie
Curie in 1911 (Pierre had already died at the time of the award.)
The Elements – (Questions 36-70) Give the NAME, SYMBOL and ATOMIC NUMBER for each element the statement is
referring to. The symbol must be written correctly, ie. sodium’s symbol is Na and not, NA. The chapter from which the
passage is taken is given at the beginning of each question to help you since this is an open book test.
Ch 11 - This element is the largest component of the mixture we call air.
36.
37.
Ch 11-In pure sample of this gas, flames will burn faster and hotter than in samples
of air because air is a mixture of gases. Even a spark created by the Velcro on a astronauts’ space suit could ignite in
this.
38.
Ch 03-Because of its low melting point, a spoon made with this metal seems to
disappear in cups of hot tea, hence the title of the book!
39.
Ch 11-This element triggers zero immune response when implanted in the body. It
integrates itself into the body thereby making it the standard for implants, ie. hip sockets, total knee joints and even
teeth.
40.
Ch 11-This is a hard-to-melt, pale metal that tastes just like sugar does, thereby,
fooling our taste buds but it is toxic to the body.
41.
42.
several weeks.
Ch 11-In protest of a tax placed on salt in India, Gandhi encouraged the people to
produce homemade salt which was deficient in this element. Using salt without this added leads to goiter and mental
retardation.
Intro-Quicksilver is the common name of this element.
43.
44.
45.
Ch 11-If spilt on oneself, this element will cause you to reek of pungent garlic for
beads to form proteins.
is this.
Ch 02-This element forms the backbone of amino acids which string together like
Ch 02-An element often cited as an alternative to carbon-based life in other galaxies
46.
Ch 02-The first transistor produced at Bell Labs in NJ in 1947 had this
semi-conducting element as the key component.
47.
Ch 04-Every star in the universe contains hydrogen which because of extreme
gravitational pressure fuses into this element. The cyclotron at Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, NJ tries to replicate this
process artificially.
48.
Ch 04-According to a scientific paper written in 1957, B FH, the final element, a
metal, fused in a stars’ natural life is this very abundant element found in the earth’s core.
49.
Ch 04-The heaviest elements on the periodic table are radioactive and almost
all-most notably uranium, break down into this very stable element.
50.
Ch 05-The Haber process captures the use of this gas and mixes it with hydrogen to
make ammonia. It is a key component in fertilizers and bombs.
51.
Ch 05-This element is added to steel which makes it much harder and more lethal
when used in the bomb making process. It was used to make “Big Bertha” bombs during WW I. The biggest source of
the element was found in Colorado before we entered the war.
52.
Ch 05-This metal was coveted by Nazi Germany for making machinery and armor
piercing missiles during WW II. Its symbol on the periodic table is from its German name.
2
53.
National Laboratory in Tennessee.
Ch 06-The last natural element was not discovered until 1942 at the Oak Ridge
54.
Ch 06-The US used two elements when creating the first nuclear bombs. The one
that was naturally occurring and was dropped on Hiroshima.
55.
Ch 06-The second nuclear bomb developed by the US used a synthesized and then
purified element. This bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.
56.
Ch 07-Glenn Seaborg was the only living scientist ever honored by having an
element named after him. This element is ___.
57.
Ch 08-This element has been discovered for the “first time” more than any other
element! The Germans, Japanese, Russians and the US all claimed to discover it first and at different times, as well!
58.
Ch 09-___ was once considered unimportant sludge in Japan and is now used as an
anti-corrosive agent in batteries and computer chips.
59.
Ch 09-This element has the dubious honor of being known as the deadliest element
on the periodic table. It mimicks other elements needed by the body in order to gain entrance into the body and then
attacks atoms inside the body where it accumulates and is NOT eliminated.
60.
Ch 09-Smoke detectors run on the radioactive element ___ which is also a reliable
source of alpha particles for experiments. Smoke absorbs the alpha particles which then disrupt the electric current
and causes the alarm to go off.
61.
Ch 10-This element traveled across pioneer America in Conestoga Wagons in milk
jugs which kept the milk from spoiling, exhibiting the metal’s antibacterial nature. However, if you drink too much of
the element your skin will turn permanently blue.
62.
Ch 10-The astronomer, Tycho Brahe had a prosthetic nose made of this ___ which
left a characteristic green stain on his skull bones when he was later exhumed. This metal has antiseptic powers as well.
63.
Ch 10-Although a powerful spermicide, it is not sold commercially, because it has a
tendency to alter blood sugar levels in users unpredictably.
64.
Ch 13-At one time, this element was more precious than gold and therefore, we
capped the Washington Monument with it because of the monuments’ importance.
65.
Ch 15-This element, found in high concentration in the locoweed plant, causes
“Blind Staggers” in cattle yet we need it as a nutrient in trace amounts.
66.
Ch 16-In 1962, a Canadian, Neil Bartlett created the first noble gas compound. This
element reacted with Platinum hexafluoride. It’s electrons are so far from the nucleus which allow this to happen when
reacting with very active substances.
67.
Ch 16-To get this “inert” gas to react, scientists had to lower that temperature to
-240°F at which temperature, Fluorine can react with it.
68.
Ch 16-The single hardest element humans have forced into a compound is ___.
Back in the year 2000, scientists were able to lower the temperature to -445 °F and react it with Fluorine, once again.
69.
Ch 05-Tantalum and ___ were two, heat resistant, non-corrosive metals that hold
electrical charges very well and are found primarily in the Congo Region of Africa. They are used extensively in the
making of cell phone batteries.
70.
were Radium and ___.
Ch 12-The Curie’s discovered 2 elements while working with Uranium ore. They