7 Metals

Learn these three metal names! Semi metals; true metals; transition metals.

The semi-metals (or metalloids) include silicon, Si, one of the most common elements on earth. It's extremelly versatile, as it can act like a metal to carry electricity, yet also act like a non-metal and not carry electricity.

What's SiO2? You can melt SiO2 to create fulgurites; you merely need a bolt of lightening. (Can you find out more with an Internet search?)

If you mixed other elements with SiO2, you could create jasper, agate, amethyst.

The true metals include aluminium (Al), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), gallium (Ga), indium (In), thallium (Tl), bismuth (Bi) and polonium (Po). Find out about one or more from our favourite chemists at Nottingham.

The transition metals are, in Ellen's story, the bridge that spans the left to the right side of Periodic Table Town. They include gold, mercury, iron, copper, and zinc.

Transition metals conduct electricity. Read Ellen's story of how transition metals conduct electricity by 'sharing their electrons'. In her words, if the electrons are like kids, we could say, 'You can play anywhere in the neighborhood, just don't leave the neighborhood.'

6 Noble gases and non-metals

The noble gases become heavier as you go down the column of the Periodic Table. Helium is the smallest molecule; xenon is the largest. What would you expect to happen as you filled balloons with each gas?

Do your own research too. Find out an interesting detail to share about the gases; anything about neon, argon, krypton, radon, xenon, helium?

Watch this video. And this. Could you ascribe a character to each of these elements? Maybe you could make a family from them. (The mother is the brilliant and pleasant character, obviously.)

Find out something new to you too, and share your knowledge, about these non-metals: carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, sulfur, selenium.

You've now seen several chemists demonstrating the properties of liquid nitrogen. You could key liquid nitrogen experiments into Youtube and see what you can find.

Here's one video, with an interesting side discussion on handling liquid nitrogen - I recall seeing chemists handling it very quickly, and have had to assume they are experienced in what they do, which is why their fingers don't immediately freeze.

5 The Alkalis and Halogens

Visit periodictable.com and find the alkali brothers on the far western shore of the periodic kingdom.

Find sodium. (Watch sodium blow up here.) Find chlorine in the halogen family. Can they be paired up? What do they produce? Read Ellen McHenry's chapter explaining the properties of sodium and chlorine.

Find the 'cousins' of the alkali brothers: magnesium and calcium. Read the chapter to find out their special bonding abilities.

Here's the flame test she refers to in this chapter.

And for review... the Periodic Table game at Funbrain.

4 More about atoms: electrons

Four rules electrons live by:

1. Spin.
2. Always try to pair up with someone of the opposite spin.
3. Get plenty of privacy - stay away from other electron couples.
4. Try to live in a perfect neighbourhood - often a group of eight.

- Thanks to Ellen McHenry.

Read the rest of her chapter to find out about the special electron properties of the noble gases. Try the activities and I'll read, The Periodic Kingdom.

Plenty of videos on atoms; try this one.

3 Atoms

Can you draw and label an atom by following these statements?

-An atom is made up of three smaller particles: protons, neutrons and electrons.

-The protons and neutrons are at the nucleus of the atom.

-The electrons are smaller, and circle the centre.

-The routes the electrons travel in are orbits.

-The proton has a positive charge.

-The electron has a negative charge.

-The neutron has no charge.

And go through these:
Video showing an electron cloud.
Video showing how electrons fit together in configurations.
The Chem4kids site on Atoms. Quiz on atomic structure.

Also:
Try the free trial on BrainPOP; see if the site is useful.
Read how to find numbers of protons, neutrons and electrons, at the Jefferson Lab.
At the same site, learn how to model an atom.
GCSE chemistry support with animations of electrons orbiting nucleus at purchon.com.

In other words, loads of stuff.

Read the Ellen McHenry chapter and try placing electrons on the Atom-izer with me. Ellen suggests using nuts as the electrons. This is a great idea and I totally recommend it.