© Boardworks LTD 2008 1 of 35

1 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

How many different substances?
How many different substances can you think of?
There are millions of different substances! What are they all

made of?

All substances are made of atoms
All substances are made of tiny particles called atoms.
Many substances are made up of different types of atoms.
hydrogen and oxygen atoms carbon and hydrogen atoms
iron, aluminium, silicon, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen,

oxygen and boron atoms oxygen and sulfur atoms
What atoms are you made of?
Atoms are the smallest part of an element. Different elements
join together in different ways to make all the materials in the
Universe, from rocks to air.
Just like all materials other (%)

in the Universe, sulfur (0.25%)
humans are also potassium (0.35%)
made of atoms. phosphorus (1%)
Which atoms calcium (2%)
do you think are nitrogen (3%)
most common in hydrogen (10%)
the human body? carbon (18%)
oxygen (65%)

How big are atoms?
Atoms have a diameter of about 0.00000001 cm, which is far
too small to be seen with your eyes.
However, microscopes
called Scanning Tunnelling
Microscopes allow scientists
to see the outlines of atoms.
In one glass of water there are around:

 12,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
oxygen atoms
 24,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
hydrogen atoms.

Atomic zoom

Who discovered the atom?

What is an element?
An element is a substance that is made of only one type of
atom. Elements are the simplest substances in the universe.
Copper is an Carbon is an Helium is an

element made element made element made
up of copper up of carbon up of helium
atoms only. atoms only. atoms only.
What are molecules?
Molecules are made up of two or more atoms. Molecules can
be formed by two atoms of the same element, or by atoms
from two or more different elements.
Oxygen is an element made

up of oxygen atoms only.
How many atoms are there

in one oxygen molecule?
Other elements that

form molecules include
hydrogen, nitrogen,
chlorine and bromine.

Element or compound?

Who discovered the elements?
Some elements, such as silver and gold, have been known
about and used by people for centuries. However, many of the
elements were only discovered in the 18th and 19th century.
For example, British scientist Joseph Priestley discovered
oxygen when he experimented with heating gases.
Other scientists, such as Humphrey Davy,
used electrolysis to isolate elements such
as sodium and potassium for the first time.
At the start of the 20th century, Marie Curie
and other scientists discovered radioactive
elements like polonium and francium.
Which countries were these elements
named after?

How many elements are there?
There are currently 117 elements that have been discovered,
94 of which are naturally occurring. The remaining 23
elements only exist under laboratory conditions.
How many naturally-occurring elements can you name?

How are artificial elements made?
The first element to be artificially created was technetium,
which was discovered in 1937 by Italian scientists working
with the naturally-occurring element molybdenum.
Since then, other artificial

elements have been made in
particle accelerators. CERN is
one of the world’s largest particle
accelerators. It is situated
underground on the French-
Swiss border and is run by
scientists from all over Europe.
Most artificial elements are very unstable and usually only

exist for milliseconds before they decompose.

How does CERN work?

Symbols for elements
Each element can be represented by a symbol.
For many elements, the symbol is the start of the name, for
example H = hydrogen or Li = lithium. Can you think of any
other symbols like this?
However, some of the symbols are not always as you might
expect; for example, Pb = lead. Can you think of any other
elements with unexpected symbols?
The first letter of an element’s symbol is always a capital

letter, e.g. N (not n) for nitrogen.
If there are two letters in the element’s symbol, the second
letter is always a small letter, e.g. Co (not CO) for cobalt.

Chemical symbols game

Why are symbols important?
Why might scientists find it easier
to use symbols for elements rather
than names?
 Elements have different names
in different languages, e.g. in
Portuguese, nitrogen is called
‘azote’, and iron is called ‘ferro’.
 Symbols are quicker to write than names, and can be easily
used in chemical formulae, diagrams and equations.
The current system for naming elements and compounds
was devised by the International Union of Pure and Applied
Chemistry (IUPAC) so that scientists all around the world
could communicate without confusion.

Match the element

Spelling with symbols activity

Spelling with symbols
Write down the symbols for each element listed and use
these to spell out a word that matches the clue.
1. Board game: carbon, helium, two sulfurs CHeSS
2. Relative: sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen SON
3. Fuel: carbon, oxygen, aluminium COA
4. Group of fish: sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen, SHOA

aluminium
5. For the rubbish: boron, iodine, nitrogen. BIN
How many words can you spell using symbols?

Symbols for molecules of elements
The atoms of some elements join together in molecules.
Combining the symbols of the atoms in a molecule gives you
the formula for the molecule.
What is the formula for the molecules in each element?
oxygen = = O2
hydrogen = = H2
nitrogen = = N2
This tells you that there are two atoms in each molecule.

The periodic table
All the known elements are shown in the periodic table.
Can you spot any patterns in how the elements are arranged
in the periodic table?

Who invented the periodic table?

How are the elements arranged?
The elements in the periodic table are arranged in families
called groups and periods. A group is a vertical column in the
periodic table; a period is a horizontal row.
groups 0 to 7
The elements periods 1 to 6
in groups
tend to
have similar
properties.
For example, all the elements in group 0 are very unreactive

gases at room temperature, while all the elements in group 1
are very reactive metals.

Solids, liquids and gases
Why are some symbol names in the periodic table, below,
shown in different colours? (clue: think about group properties)
Bromine and mercury are liquids at room temperature; all

the other elements are solids or gases.

Metalloids
Metals are on the left and in the centre of the periodic table.
Non-metals are located mostly on the right.
Metalloids sometimes behave like metals and sometimes

like non-metals.
Metalloids are located

between metals and
non-metals in the
periodic table.
Silicon and germanium

are examples of
metalloids.

Metals, non-metals and metalloids

Glossary

Anagrams

Multiple-choice quiz

© Boardworks LTD 2008 1 of 35

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

© Boardworks LTD 2008 1 of 35

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

© Boardworks LTD 2008 1 of 35

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

2 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

There are millions of different substances! What are they all

3 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

hydrogen and oxygen atoms carbon and hydrogen atoms

iron, aluminium, silicon, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen,

Just like all materials other (%)

5 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

In one glass of water there are around:

6 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

7 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

8 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

Copper is an Carbon is an Helium is an

Oxygen is an element made

How many atoms are there

Other elements that

11 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

12 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

13 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

14 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

Since then, other artificial

Most artificial elements are very unstable and usually only

15 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

16 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

The first letter of an element’s symbol is always a capital

18 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

19 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

20 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

21 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

22 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

1. Board game: carbon, helium, two sulfurs CHeSS

2. Relative: sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen SON

3. Fuel: carbon, oxygen, aluminium COA

4. Group of fish: sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen, SHOA

5. For the rubbish: boron, iodine, nitrogen. BIN

How many words can you spell using symbols?

24 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

26 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

27 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

For example, all the elements in group 0 are very unreactive

28 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

Bromine and mercury are liquids at room temperature; all

29 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

Non-metals are located mostly on the right.

Metalloids sometimes behave like metals and sometimes

Metalloids are located

Silicon and germanium

30 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

31 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

33 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

34 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

35 of 35 © Boardworks Ltd 2008

You might also like