Class Report

Good morning.

My name is Kenji and I am going to tell you about the Periodic Table of Elements. You may not know it, but there are elements all around us.

The first two, hydrogen and helium, are used in the process called nuclear fusion (from the Sun section of the Solar System unit). Some basics of hydrogen is that it is a colorless gas, and history would tell us that the hydrogen-filled German Hindenburg blimp exploded over Lakehurst, New Jersey, in May 6th, 1937.

Basic facts about helium is that it is also a colorless gas. Helium is also the result of nuclear fusion. The gas also makes your voice sound high-pitched and squeaky. The next element is lithium, which is commonly used in batteries. Beryllium, boron, and carbon are the next three elements in the Periodic Table. Carbon’s atoms are the most common in chemical compounds (which are element atoms fused together).

The seventh, nitrogen, is the most abundant (which means the most common) element in our solar system. The next, oxygen, is the air that we need for life on Earth.

Fluorine is the substance that is made into fluoride, which is contained in toothpaste. Neon, the tenth, is used in lights all over big cities, as well as businesses and restaurants.

Sodium is found in salt, and is also a substance in toothpaste. Magnesium is used in many forms, such as foil, ribbon, and rod. Aluminum is used in kitchen foil and for industrial purposes. Silicon is found in the sun and the stars. Phosphorus is found in many different colors, such as white, yellow, red, black, and purple. Sulfur is a yellowish color, and is sometimes broken down into smaller pieces.

Chlorine is what is added to swimming pools to keep it clean. Argon is a gas similar to neon. Bananas are rich in potassium, the 19th element. Calcium is found in milk, cheese, and other dairy foods. It also helps to strengthen teeth and bones.

We don’t know much about the next 16 elements, but we know that iron and copper, the 26th and 29th elements, are mined in Michigan’s one and only Upper Peninsula.

We also know that arsenic, the 33rd element, is poisonous, just like thallium, the 81st element, and lead, the 82nd element.

The 38th, strontium, is a chemical used in fireworks. We don’t know much about elements 39-54, but what we do know is that technetium is a radioactive element used in the field of Medicine for ex MRI.

We also know that silver is used in jewelry, even though it isn’t true silver (because other chemicals were added to prevent the silver from turning black), and that tin is used as foil, and iodine is used in medical equipment. Elements 57-71 are lanthanides, named after the 57th element, lanthanum. Only one out of these 12 elements is radioactive (promethium, 61st element). The 74th, tungsten, is used for many things, such as wire and foil.

The 78th and 79th, platinum and gold are primarily used in jewelry. The 80th, Mercury, is used in thermometers, and in naturally occurring samples, is a liquid.

Radon, the 86th element, is used for the numerals of 1950’s clocks. Radium, the 88th, glows a red light when used in a filament, and was also used to paint the hands of some clocks and watches.

We know that elements 89-118 are radioactive and that uranium is the most commonly used in nuclear fission (when uranium atoms are split by free neutrons in a reactor to conduct energy).

Americium, the 95th element, is now used in smoke alarms. Americium and 17 other elements were man-made.

Elements 104-118 has been discovered in the last 50 years. Elements 116-118 haven’t been discovered until 2005. The formation of ununoctium is when Krypton 86 and Lead 208 molecules fuse together into a compound nucleus. Then a nitrogen atom is removed. Now we have Element 118. Here’s an equation to explain it:

Kr86 + Pb208 = Uuo293 +n1
294 = 294

There are a lot of questions about elements right now, including:

Will we discover a new element?
What will the new element look like?
Will they ever change the names of the elements? (Unununium was changed to Roentgenium recently.)
Why do scientists “make” some elements? (There are 18 man-made elements.)
If they find another natural element, will they put samples in the Elements Collection? (a sample of all 92 natural elements in glass containers)

Amazing element facts!!!
Hottest boiling point: Rhenium (5,596°C)
Coldest boiling point: Helium (-269°C)
Liquid in natural phase: Bromine, Mercury
Most common in crust: Oxygen (461,000 milligrams per kg in crust)
Least common in crust: Krypton, Xenon, Rhenium, Francium, Radium, Radon, Promethium, Polonium, Astatine, Actinium, Protactinium
(<0.001 milligrams per kg in crust)

You can find out more about each element at www.webelements.com.

Field Trip #1

On the 8^th of November 2006, it was about to be a day of adventure, excitement, fun, as well as interesting facts and feats. Only one place has it all: the Walter P. Chrysler Museum. Even the night before, I was excited about the field trip. We also had to wake up early, since the school bus that was going to take me there would leave at 8:10. During the long ride, we played games associated with cars, such as looking for yellow cars on the road. When we finally got there, we watched a film about simple machines.

Here are some examples of simple machines:

• wheel
• axle
• pulley
• lever
• wedge
• gear
• worm gear

Then my group (Kameron, Shane, Shawn, Justin, Daniel, and Khaire) made a model car made out of LEGO® bricks. We also had to sell it. Ours cost $65.00 per month. After we left, I took a picture of the Viper crew (Ethan, Curtis, Christian, and Dylan). We also visited exhibits about how much power it takes to make the lights shine on an alternator and a generator, parts of an engine, and a replica of Walter P. Chrysler’s workshop. I also found out some of the differences between a 1902 Rambler and a car built at a later date. Here are some of them:

• A retractable roof
• Windshield
• More seats
• Doors
• Steering wheel
• More storage space
• Battery-operated starter   

It was a fun field trip. I am looking forward to the next field trip.