Getting Started

This case table gives you information about all of the elements of the periodic table. Check out the table and graph and see what you can learn about them!

Examine the table and graph:

• Look at the column headers of the table. What information can you get from the table?
• Can you find out the atomic number of Oxygen?
• Look in the graph provided and click on one of the dots. What do you see in the table? Can you tell what the density of that element is?
• Hover over the highlighted dot in the graph. Can you tell what chemical series the element belongs to?

Create your own graph:

• Create a new graph by clicking on the Graph icon.
• Drag a column header, an attribute, to the graph y-axis. You should see an orange rectangle in the different areas of the graph that you can add attributes to.
• Drag another attribute to the x-axis. Is there a relationship between the x-axis attribute and the y-axis attribute?
• To remove an attribute from an axis, click on the axis label and select "Remove X" or "Remove Y."

Attribute Key

• Name = Element name
• Symbol = Element Abbreviation
• Table_Row = Row in periodic table (see Note)
• Table_Column = Column in periodic table
• Chemical_Series = Element type
• AtomicNumber = Equal to the number of protons in the nucleus
• AtomicWeight = Atomic weight
• Atomic Radius = Distance from nucleus to outermost stable electron orbit
• Density Density at 1 atm and room temperature
• NaturalState State at room temperature
• BoilingPoint = Temperature to boil
• MeltingPoint = Temperature to melt
• ThermalConductivity = A measure of the ability of the material to conduct heat
• SpecificHeat = A measure of the amount of energy to raise the temperature of a specified amount of the material by 1C
• Electron Affinity = The energy released when an electron is added to a neutral atom to form a negative ion
• Ionization Energy = The energy needed to remove an electron from a neutral atom
• NumberOfIsotopes = The number of isotopes of the element identified
• Classification = Type of element
• Year_Discovered = Year of discovery
• Discoverer = Person credited for discovery
• Cost = Cost in dollars/gram
• NaturalForming = Occurring in nature
• PrimaryUse = Primary use

Questions:

1. During what time periods were scientist most successful at identifying "new" elements, ones that had not yet been discovered? (You might want to create a new graph to visualize this)
2. Describe the changes over the years in the types of elements (e.g., natural state, naturally forming) being discovered at a particular time.

Data compiled from various sources by Jimmy Chang and Clifford Konold
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
April, 2003

Additional information added by: Bill Finzer, KCP Technologies, February, 2005

Added to and edited, April, 2006 CEK

Added to and edited, March, 2007 WFF