Disappearing Spoons Guide

Name all of the halogens

fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine (-ine)

Name all of the noble gasses

helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon (-on)

Name all of the other nonmetals

hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, sulfur, and selenium (random)

What is the story behind the headline "S.D. Mother Wins Nobel Prize?"

A German woman named Maria Goeppert-Mayer had a lot of trouble finding a good, paying job, as she was awoman. However, she was the one to develop the nuclear shell model of atomic nuclei, a model that is very onfluential in science. This development eventually led to her winning the Nobel Prize, one of the most prestigious awards, if not the most.

Describe the process that changed aluminum from the most precious metal into the cheapest to produce.

Aluminum was so expensive due to the fact that finding pure aluminum was very hard. But two men, Charles Hall and Paul Héroult, each designed very similar machines to one another, but both had one purpose- to separate any other elements from aluminum. The machine Hall made was one that ran an electric current from handmade batteries through a liquid with dissolved aluminum compounds. The energy from the electric current zapped the metal, causing minute silver nuggets to form at the bottom. Eventually, this idea was made into a company, which flourished, and therefore made aluminum prices plummet.

What is cold fusion?

Cold fusion is nuclear fusion that takes place at room temperature. Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two nuclei with low atomic numbers combine, resulting in a heavier nucleus with the release of energy.

Why does Diet Coke erupt when a Mentos is added to it?

Diet Coke explodes when you drop Mentos into it because the grainy surface of the Mento acts as a net to snag small dissolved bubbles stitched into larger ones. Eventually, some of the bigger bubbles break off and rocket upward through the nozzle of the bottle, creating the explosion. So, bubbles are the sole reason why Diet Coke erupts when a Mentos candy is added to it.

Explain why elements at the bottom of the periodic table are not really discovered so much as made. How is an element made?

Elements at the bottom of the table are not really discovered so much as made because scientists have already discovered the 'main' elements- ones that we encounter on a daily basis and that are present in many things used in our lifetimes. These elements at the bottom of the periodic table are made, not discovered because they discover the idea that maybe the combination of some elements may result in another element, but they make the element. They chemically combine the elements in order to create this new element.

Francium is extremely dangerous. Why don't we hear about it being used as a weapon?

Francium, although extremely dangerous, is not used as a weapon because it is the second rarest element in the periodic table.

Summarize the life and work of Henry Mosely

Henry Moseley, the son of a naturalist, was drawn to the physical sciences. He was very talented and was always enthusiastic about work. This enthusiasm payed off, as he was the one who found a mathematical relation between the wavelength of X-rays, the number of protons an element has in its nucleus, and the element's atomic number. He was also the one to link an element's place on the periodic table to a physical characteristic, linking the atomic number to positive nuclear charge. After these discoveries, he joined the Turkish army in World War I, where he died at age 27 during a fight.

What is the importance in maintaining human health?

In the 1900's, it was determined that adding iodine to your diet prevents birth defects and mental retardation. Also, a lack of iodine can result in various health problems, such as goiter and a swelling of the thyroid gland. If iodine deficiency continues,more body will not function properly, as the thyroid controls the production and release of hormones, and the thyroid will shrivel up without iodine.

How did strontium research help shape the periodic table?

Research by Döbereiner for strontium helped to shape the periodic table because this research helped to organize the periodic table. Döbereiner found that this new element strontium' weight fell exactly between the weights of other elements calcium and barium. Curious as to if it applies to all of the other elements, he continued to test them all, and sure enough, the same thing happened- the middle element's weight fell between its chemical cousins. Knowing this wasn't coincidental, Döbereiner organized the elements into groups, the columns on the periodic table.

Name all of the transition metals

Scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, technetium, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, cadmium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, gold, Mercury, Rutherford, dubnium, seaborgium, bohrium, hassium, meitnerium

You probably have tantalum or niobium in your pocket right now. What does this statement mean?

Tantalum and niobium are two elements commonly used to make cell phones, as they both have qualities that metals used in cell phones need, including density and heat resistance

Explain the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, translated through quantum mechanics, says that the uncertainty in something's position times the uncertainty in its speed and direction always exceeds or is equal to the number "h divided by four times Pi". The h in this equation stands for Planck's constant, a very small number applied to only very tiny things such as electrons or photons. If you know a particle's position well, you cannot know the momentum of the particle well, and if you know a particle's momentum well, you cannot know the position of the particle well. Also, it only applies to individual particles.

Pierre and Marie Curie won two Nobel Prizes together. Describe the details of how they won these two prizes.

The first Nobel Prize was won by the couple in 1903 in Physics for the discovery that pure uranium emitted as many radioactive rays as uranium in minerals. Therefore, electron bonds between a uranium atom and the atoms surrounding it did not affect if or when its nucleus went radioactive. This discovery simplified chemistry because instead of testing millions of chemicals, scientists can now just test the elements. Their second Nobel Prize was won in 1911, this time in chemistry. It was won for the discovery of two new elements from the waste from Marie's uranium experiments, as it was 300 times more radioactive than the uranium itself. The new elements were found from the the boiling down of and the stirring of pitchblende, a uranium ore.

What is the rarest element? How much of it exists at any one time in the universe?

The rarest element is astatine. At any one time in the universe, one ounce of it exists out of six million billion billion kilos.

This book was named for a trickdone with gallium. Describe the trick.

The trick is that when put into hot tea, gallium dissolves. So, at parties, etc., people would form spoons out of gallium just to see the look on peoples' faces when they saw their stirring spoon disappear into their tea.

How are elements with atomic numbers greater than iron formed? **MIGHT BE WRONG**

They are formed through supernovas. They emerge through mini-big bangs, which results in the formation of huge stars that burn down to their cores in a day. Once this occurs, gravity causes the stars to collapse, eventually leading to an explosion, moving neutrons around, During the supernova that is caused by this explosion, neutrons are continually moving rapidly. If the iron nuclei ends up coated in neutrons, some of which decay back into protons, new elements may form, all which have greater atomic numbers than iron.

Why is it doubtful that life somewhere in the universe is based on silicon?

This is doubtful because, although silicon is very similar to carbon, it is different in ways that cause it to not be used for survival. For example, silicon life creatures would breathe in oxyfen, as carbon live creatures would, but would have to exhale a solid (SiO2). Also, SiO2 tends to not dissolve in water, unlike carbon dioxide.

Why is the official kilogram in Paris made of mostly platinum?

This kilogram in Paris is made mostly of platinum because platinum minimizes the surface area of the kilogram exposed to unacceptably dirty air. Also, platinum conducts electricity very well, high cuts down on static electricity buildup. This buildup could lead to the zapping of stray atoms, which is what should be avoided. In addition to all of this, its strength helps to lessen a chance of the kilogram being scratched when encountering humans.

How did the "Blue Man" in the 1900s become blue?

This man became blue by overdosing on silver nitrate to cure syphilis, a bacterial infection, but failed. Instead, since the ingestion of silver causes the skin to turn blue, he turned blue. This reaction is called argyria, and is not fatal to those who obtain the condition.

Describe at least three achievements of Linus Pauling.

Three achievements of Linus Pauling are that he: correctly figured out how quantum mechanics governs the chemical bonds between atoms, helping to modernize a portion of chemistry, was the first to trace a disease to a malfunctioning molecule through his determination that sickle-cell anemia kills people due to the misshapen hemoglobin in red blood cells cannot hold on to oxygen, and was the first to figure out how individual parts of individual proteins "know" what their proper shape is, and showed how proteins can form alpha-helix es, which are long cylinders that pitched into modernizing molecular biology.

Name all of the Alkaline earth metals

beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, radium (-ium cont'd)

What makes bismuth such a unique element?

it expands when it freezes

Name all of the Lanthanides

lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium (-ium)

Name all of the Alkalai metals

lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, francium (-ium)