5th Grade Scientific

Story Lessons

ByJackDuffin,JasonFranks,
KyleJones,andJoeMalliaras

HistoryofTheElements
Eversincetheuniversecameintoexistence,therehasbeenelements.Hydrogenand
heliumarethemostcommonlyfoundintheearlyexistenceofplanetsandinstars.
Slowlymoreandmoreelementsarediscoveredbydifferenttypesofpeople.Thefirst
persontodiscoveranelementwasaGermanphysiciannamedHennigBrand.He
discoveredphosphorusin1669.Astheyearsprogressedpeoplehavediscoveredmore
andmoreelements.Thenextelementtobediscoveredwascobaltin1735byGeorg
Brandt.Afterthistherewasanewelementdiscoveredatleastonceeverytenyears,
sometimesmore.From1807to1808,therewere7newelementfound,andsevenof
themwerebyoneEnglishChemist,SirHumphryDavy.Hediscoveredpotassium,
sodium,barium,strontium,calcium,andmagnesium.Elementscontinuedtobe
discoveredbypeoplefromallaroundtheworld.Anotherchemistfoundmultiple
elements.Hewasa
SwedishchemistnamedCarlGustavMosander.Hediscovered2
in1839and2in1843.Theywerecerium,lanthanum,terbium,erbium.Newelement
werediscovereduntil1954,whenthelastelementwasdiscovered,byaresearcherat
Cal
Berkeley,
named
Albert
Ghiorso.
Someofthe
elements
cameinto
existence
bydying
stars,which
isshownto
theleft.

Almostallofthecolorandthedustinthepictureisheliumandhydrogen.Isntthat
crazythatthegalaxywasonlymadeupof2elementsafterthebigbangwithover100
elementsinexistence!

MatterandElements
Thedefinitionofmatterisaphysicalsubstanceandaphysicalsubstanceismadeupof
elementsorisanelement.Thinkofapieceofgranite.Wouldyouthinkoftheelements
withinitorwouldyouthinkitisjustarock?

This,infact,ismadeupof
iron,magnesium,titanium,calciumandsodium,andenrich
themeltinpotassiumandsilicon.Theseelementsmaketherockwhatitis,hard,solid,
andbeautiful.
Everythinghaselementsinit.Forexample,takethepencilthatisonyourdeskorthe
pieceofpaper.

Theelementsinyourpencilarecarbon,oxygen,hydrogen,nitrogen,andzincoxide.
Theelementsinyourpaperaremainlycarbon,hydrogenandoxygen.

AtomsinChemicalReactions
Atomsareelementsandthesizeofanatomdetermineswhatelementitis.Eachatom
containsprotons,neutrons,andelectrons.Elementnumbertwoishelium,soitcontains
2protons,2electrons,and2neutrons.Forexample,hydrogenisthesmallestatom
becauseitonlyhasoneproton.

Asyoucansee,thisisalithiumatombecauseithas3protonsand3electrons
Whenelementsreacttoeachothertheyformproducts,andonlytheatomsthatare
presentcanbecomepartoftheproduct.Noatomsaredestroyedormade.
Ina
chemicalreaction,reactantscontacteachother,bondsbetweenatomsinthereactants
arebroken,andatomsrearrangeandformnewbondstomaketheproducts.


PureElementsandCombinationalElements
Whenyoulookattheperiodictableyouarelookingatthepureelementsbecausethey
arebythemselves.Acombinationalelementisacombinationoftwoormoreelements
tocreateanewsubstance.AnexampleisH
2
Owhichiswater.

Asyoucanseethereisoneoxygenatomandtwohydrogenatomscreatingwater.This
isthemostcommonexampleofacombinationalelement.
CombinationalelementsarenotonthePeriodicTable,buttheyaremadeupfrom
thingsoffoftheperiodictablewhichonlycontainpureelements.

ChemicalandPhysicalProperties
Achemicalpropertyisamaterialspropertyafterachemicalreactionhasoccurred.A
physicalpropertyisthephysicalappearanceofamaterialafterithasoccurreda
change.Achemicalchangewouldbetheseparatetwohydrogenatomsandthe
separateoxygenatomtocreateonewatermolecule.Aphysicalchangewouldbethe
gasesturnedintowater.

Theimageaboveshowsthechangesfromseparateatomstoonemolecule.

PopQuiz

1. Whattwoelementswerefoundinspaceafterstarexplosions?
2. Whatismatter?
3. What3thingsmakesupanatom?
4. Whatisacombinationalelement?
5. Whatisachemicalproperty?

Answersheet
1. Hydrogenandhelium.
2. Aphysicalsubstance.
3. Protons,neutrons,electrons.
4. Acombinationoftwoormoreatomstocreateanewsubstance
5. Amaterialspropertyafterachemicalreactionhasoccurred.

PropertiesofMatter

Matterisanythingthattakesupspaceandhasmass.Lookaroundtheworld,inside,
outside,everywhere.Everythingyouseeandevenseveralthingsyoudonotseeare
consideredmatter.Yourteacherismatter,yourdeskismatter,yourdrinkingwateris
matter,eventheairyoucannotseeortouchismatter!
Therearethreedifferenttypesofmatter:solids,liquids,andgases.Mostitemsused
byushumansaresolids.Yourhouse,afootball,andyourbooksareallexamplesof
solids.Ifanitemisasolid,itmeanstheatomsinthissolidareinafixedposition,hardly
movingatall.
Thesecondtypeofmatteristheliquidform.Themostcommonliquidiswater,but
thereareatonmoreoutthere!Somemoreexamplesofliquidaremilk,snow,soup,and
more.Liquidshaveatomsthatareabletomoveslightly,makingitsoyoucanputyour
handrightthroughthem.
Thefinaltypeofmatteristheinterestinggasform.Whenyouthinkofgas,themost
commonthingthatcomestomindiscargas.However,thisisnotagas,itisactuallya
liquid.Typesofactualgassesincludetheair,steam,evaporation,andfire.Many
gassesyoucannotsee,suchasoxygen,whichkeepsusalive.Ingases,atomsmove
aroundfreely,givingthemnophysicalfeeling,andoftenmakingtheminvisible!


OrganismsWithElements

Asyouhavelearned,anelementisa
substancecomposedofonlyonetypeofatom.
Everythingintheworldismadeofelements.
Thereoveronehundredofthemalltogether
ononeperiodictable.
Everyorganism,oreverylivingthing,is
composedofelements.Whilethereareother
elementsinorganisms,therearesixelements
thatareineverysingleone.Theseare
Carbon,Hydrogen,Nitrogen,Oxygen,
Phosphorous,andSulfur.
Carbonisresponsibleforcarbohydrates,
proteins,nucleicacids,andlipidsin
organisms.Itisoneofthemostversatile
elements.
Hydrogenisanothercrucialelement.It
createsvitalhydrogenbondsinorganismsthat
areimportant.
Nitrogencontributestoover70%ofthe
Earthsatmosphere.Itisessentialtoallliving
organismsincludingorganisms.
Oxygenislikelythemostpopularelements.
ItispresentinEarthsairandmanyelements
andiswhathumansbreathetostayalive.
Phosphorousisneverfoundalone.Itis
alwaysinamixture,andisusedinfertilizers
andusedwithorganismgrowth.
Sulfuristhefinalessentialelement.Sulfur
iswhathelpsproteinsinorganismsdotheir
jobs,whichisnecessaryfororganisms.

PropertiesofSalts

Allsaltsaremadeupofasolidandchlorine.Alsoallsaltsarecrystalsandcrystallike
compoundslikeatablesalt.TablesaltiscalledSodiumChlorideandisahardcrystal
substance.Allsaltsareelectricallyneutralandallsaltsareanioniccompound.The
structureofthesecompoundsarecubeshaped,likeallothercrystals.
Ioniccompoundsarehardandbrittlebecausetheirionsarearrangedintounit
cellswhichformlayers.Aslongasthelayersstayaligned,theioniccompoundishard.
But,ifonelayerisshifted,likechargeswillbenexttooneanother.Therepulsiveforces
betweenlikeionscausesthelayerstobreakapart.Ioniccompoundshavehigher
meltingandboilingpointscomparedtoothertypesofcompounds(covalent
compounds)becausetheionsinanioniccompoundformstrongbondswithanumber
ofdifferentionsduetotheirarrangementintocrystallinestructures.

HowtoReadAPeriodicTable

Readingaperiodictableiseasyifyouknowhowtodoitproperly.First,youshould
understandwhatthealphabeticalsymbolsmean.Eachsymbolisaonetwoletter
abbreviationderivedfromtheelementsEnglishorLatinname.Underthislargesymbol
isthewrittenoutnameoftheelement.Onthetopofacertainpieceofthetable,isa
wholenumber.Thiswholenumberrepresentstheatomicnumber.Theatomicnumber
isequaltotheamountofprotonsinthenucleusoftheelement.Thisnumberisalso
equaltothenumberofelectronsintheelectroncloud.Nextisthedecimalnumberon
theverybottomofthecardofanelement.Thisnumberistheatomicmass.Theatomic
massisaweightedmassofalloftheelementsisotopes.
Forexample,takeChromium.Asyoucansee,wehaveour
twolettersinthemiddleofthecard.Thatistheabbreviation
forChromium,thewordseenbeneaththesymbol.Inthetop
leftcorner,weseethenumbertwentyfour.Thisrepresents
theelementsatomicnumber.UnderthewordChromium,
weseethenumber51.996.Thisistheatomicmassofthe
element.

PeriodicTableHistory
ThePeriodicTablewasstartedin1869byaRussianchemistnamed
DmitriMendeleev.
Thefirstthinghedidwasarrangetheelementsbyatomicmass.Hepredictedthe
discoveryofotherelements,andleftspacesopeninhisperiodictableforthem.

ThisisMendeleevs1871versionofthePeriodicTable.

Therewereotherattemptsthatwenotassuccessful.Theearliestattempttoclassify
theelementswasin1789byAntoineLavoisiergroupedtheelementsbasedontheir
propertiesintogases,nonmetals,metalsandearths.Severalotherattemptswere
madetogrouptheelementstogetherinlateryears.In1829,JohannDobereiner
recognizedtrendsoftheelementswithchemicallysimilarproperties,suchaslithium,
sodiumandpotassium,andshowedthatthepropertiesofthemiddleelementcouldbe
predictedfromthepropertiesoftheothertwo.

ThroughmanyyearsandmanydifferentversionsofthePeriodicTablescientistscame
upwithourcurrentone:

FinalTest

1. Whodiscoveredthefirstelement?
2. Whatwastheelementhediscovered?
3. Whatisthedefinitionofmatter?
4. Name3elementsthatgraniteismadeupof.
5. Whatare3partsoftheelement?
6. Canyoudestroyormakeanatom?
7. Whatisacombinationalelement?
8. Whatisthemostcommoncombinationalelement?
9. Whatisachemicalproperty?
10. Whatisanexampleofphysicalchange?
11.Whatismatter?
12.Whatarethethreetypesofmatter?
13.HowmuchofEarthsatmosphereismadeupofnitrogen?
14.Howmuchofthehumanbodyisoxygen?
15.Whatareallsaltsmadeupof?
16.Whatistablesaltcalled?
17.Whatisthetopnumberoneachelementcard?
18.Whatisthenumberonthebottomofeachelementcard?
19.WhoofficiallystartedthePeriodicTable?
20.Whenwastheearliestattempttoclassifyelements?

FinalTestAnswerSheet

1. HennigBrand
2. Phosphorus
3. Itisaphysicalsubstance.
4. Iron,Magnesium,Titanium
5. Protons,Electrons,Neutrons
6. Noyoucannot.
7. Acombinationoftwoormoreelementstocreateanewsubstance.
8. H2O
9. Amaterialspropertyafterachemicalreactionhasoccurred.
10. GastoLiquid.
11. Anythingthattakesupspaceandhasmass.
12. Solid,Liquid,Gas.
13. 70%
14. 65%
15. SolidandChlorine
16. SodiumChloride
17. Theatomicnumber
18. AtomicMass
19. DmitriMendeleev
20. 1789