|
|
Article: Name that element! It powers rockets to the moon, can bleach your hair, and decimates zits. It's Earth's most abundant element and interacts with a staggering number of chemicals. Can you name it? Grab a periodic table and follow these eight clues. Then turn the page to test your "element IQ." (Physical science: chemistry).
- Article from:
- Science World
- Article date:
- March 28, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Scholastic, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
CLUE 1
ELEMENTAL
It fills almost one half of Earth's crust, 21 percent of the atmosphere, and two thirds of the human body. In nature, it's rare to find a lone atom of this element. Instead, the mystery element exists mostly as a colorless, odorless gas made of diatomic molecules (two identical atoms joined to form a chemical bond).
GOT IT ALREADY? SCORE 100 POINTS. IF NOT, READ CLUE #2.
CLUE 2
CAR WRECKER
This nonmetal is one of the most reactive (chemically active) elements of the periodic table. It automatically yanks electrons (negatively charged particles that orbit an atom's center, or nucleus) away from ...