Chapter 6: The Elements Flashcards
What is the philosopher’s stone?
The legendary substance that was believed to change common metals to gold, cure all diseases, and prolong life indefinitely.
What is alchemy?
A study of the natural world in an attempt to blend the natural world with the spiritual world. It flourished in Chinese, Hindu, Arabic, and European cultures and was very secretive. Different symbols were invented to prevent knowledge from being shared.
Who came up with the system for naming elements?
A Swedish chemist named Jons Jakob Berzelius in the 1800s. He also stated that every compound can be identified by a formula that shows the elements and their proportions.
How are elements named?
- the first letter of an element’s Latin name was used
- if the first letter was taken, a second letter was used.
- the first letter is always capitalized, and the second lower case
What are metals?
Elements that are shiny, malleable, ductile, good conductors, solid at room temperature, usually dense, and reactive with acids and water. (ex. iron, copper, aluminum)
What are non-metals?
Elements that do not have the characteristics of metals. They typically are dull in appearance, likely to be brittle or shatter when struck, often gases at room temperature, poor conductors, and have low boiling and melting points. (ex. chlorine, iodine, phosphorus)
What are metalloids?
Elements that share properties of both metals and non-metals. (ex. silicon, germanium, arsenic) *Most metalloids are semiconductors.
What are the basic elements of alchemy?
Fire, earth, water, and air. Alchemists believed that all the substances in the world were composed of some combination of these elements.
Who came up with the system of organizing the elements?
Dmitri Mendeleev, a Russian scientist in the mid 1800s.
What are periods?
The columns the elements are organized in, with masses increasing from left to right.
What are groups?
The rows the elements are organized in, with common properties.
