Oxygen, Carbon, and Nitrogen OH MY

I did not mean to leave out these super important non-metals in my overview of the periodic table. Therefore based on the feedback I received from Kyla I am going to take a look at all three. All three of these non-metals are quite abundant and easily found in nature and they commonly form covalent bonds. Below is a brief look at each element along with the corresponding Periodic Table of Videos video explanation.

Oxygen: 

This element is perhaps one of the best known to the general public. It is found in group 16 of the periodic table and is highly reactive. Oxygen is the third most abundant element found in the sun and is an important part of the carbon-nitrogen cycle. 21% of the atmosphere is oxygen and about 2/3rds of the human body is composed of this element. There is no doubt that this element is extremely important to us.

Nitrogen: 

This element is found in group 15 of the periodic table and makes up around 78% of the earth's air by volume. It is found in all living systems within biological compounds. When organic matter decomposes you have the formation of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate these compounds are part of the nitrogen cycle which is extremely important for living organisms. Nitrogen is crucial to life and is a component of all proteins.

Carbon:

Carbon is found in group 14 of the periodic table and is found free in nature as, graphite, diamond, and fullerines. Carbon is also found in the atmosphere within carbon dioxide. Carbon like oxygen and nitrogen it can form a large number of compounds due to the number of valence electrons in their outer shells. Carbon itself is part of close to ten million compounds.

This is only just a very brief look at these three important non-metals. No doubt they are extremely important in the world of chemistry and just having a background on their presence on earth is important. This once again links chemistry and biology together and interconnects my strengths with my weaknesses. Thanks again to Kyla for her feedback and guidance in this matter. 

Sharing My New Found Knowledge

One of the things I wanted to get out of this process was the ability to confidently discuss atomic theory and how the periodic table is organized with an expert in the chemistry field. One of my colleagues has a bachelor of science in chemistry and math and has an expansive knowledge in the area of chemistry. We sat down this afternoon and discussed what I had gained form the experience and she gave me the confidence that I know how to clearly explain the theories and processes I described in detail throughout this blog. My colleague sent me her thoughts on my understanding in an email and I have included this below.

"Great job Jenn. I remember our conversation before we started this process and you were so surprised at how many trends were within the periodic table. You came a long way. I really enjoyed how many different resources you used to draw your information from. I found myself doing the same thing for microbiology. We will have to remember ,when we become teachers, that students will need just as many resources to understand concepts as we did to learn these areas. I really enjoyed how you separated your concepts well into postings and made it so easy to follow. You gave a great history of how atomic theory came about, and used clear terminology. I also liked your post about new elements. A common misconception I came across during my chemistry practicums was student's thinking the chemical periodic table can't change. Your research shows how dedicated you were to this project and how committed you are to understanding different sciences. Have confidence in your understanding and knowledge of atomic theory and the periodic table of elements because it most defiantly came through in our conversation and in your blog

In one of your postings you talked about each of the groups and gave some examples and information on them. For group 14-16 you included it with group 13, even though there are many non-metals located within these groups. Maybe you can write a bit about the non-metal elements in groups 14-16 (Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen) since a lot of high school chemistry, and even most of my B.Sc in chemistry were geared towards these three elements. Other than that I am so pleased with the work you put into this learning assignment, and know how far you've come since the start!

Kyla Gillis"

This has been a wonderful learning experience and I have found the blogging very useful to aid in my rediscovery process. I could see using blogging in the future if only as a place to put my thoughts down. I look forward to taking part in many more self directed learning tasks as I grow as a science teacher. Here is a cool image of the periodic table made of cupcakes :)

Yummy!

The Periodic Table of Videos

As my final post in my rediscovery process I want to briefly provide some feedback on the following online resource. It is called the Periodic Table of Videos and was created by The University of Nottingham and video journalist Brady Haran. The site contains a video for all 118 elements on the periodic table. The videos consist of descriptions of the elements, stories, samples, and experiments. The sit also has other series of videos on the go including a molecular series and new stories along with videos from adventures outside the lab. I wanted to make a specific posting just on this resource because I believe it has great potential for any chemistry classroom, especially for a teacher who may not be as comfortable with the material as others. Below I have included the video that goes with the element Hydrogen. The video provides a mixture of explanation along with an exciting experiment with a balloon filled with hydrogen... you can just imagine what happens.

The second video that I want to share with you from this neat site is from their new molecular series. It is about toxins that tiny frogs, usually found in Latin America, produce as a protection mechanism. A very small amount of the toxins can kill a human by attacking the nervous system. The frogs are endangered but they have broken down the toxin into its compound parts and can create it synthetically.   I really liked this video because I can see using it in a biology class and again connects biology and chemistry.

The videos done for this site are put together so well and and are extremely informative and engaging. This would have to be my favourite resource that I came across during this process. I would bookmark it if I were you!

New Elements?

As the nature of science clearly shows new discoveries are always happening in the world of science. As I was looking into the periodic table I discovered that there are two new elements that are currently trying to become members of the elusive club. The names, flerovium (atomic symbol Fl) and livermorium (atomic symbol Lv) have been supplied to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry who oversee the list of elements found in the periodic table. It is interesting to note that if you don't like the names you can voice your opinion until May of 2012 when they will get either the stamp of approval or thrown out.

Here is the article about the two new elements that was posted December 1st, 2012 in the New York Times for your own reading pleasure.

Names Proposed for 2 New Elements on Periodic Table

The great resource, The Periodic Table of Elements, also posted a video discussing these same new elements.

Cliques of the Periodic Table

 When Mendeleev began organizing the elements there were only 60 identified named elements. Now in the modern periodic table there are 112 named elements represented. These 112 elements are generally identified as either metals, nonmetals, or metalloids. 80% of the elements are metals (shiny elements that conduct heat and electricity well), 15% of the elements are nonmetals (poor conductors of heat and electricity), and the remaining elements are unique  in that that they share properties of metals and nonmetals called metalloids. These metalloids create a staircase shape in the periodic table as seen in the purple shaded area below.

Metals, Nonmetals, Metalloids

As was previously stated the periodic table is organized in both rows and columns. The columns are referred to as groups and indicate elements with similar chemical and physical properties. The modern periodic table consists of 18 of these cliques and we are going to take a closer look at each of these groups.

Periodic Table Groups

Group 1: Alkali Metals
Examples: lithium, sodium, potassium
Alkali Metals are highly reactive and not usually found freely in nature. They have only one valence electron and get their name from the highly alkaline substances, sodium hydroxide, they produce when reacting with water.

Group 2: Alkaline Earth Metals
Examples: magnesium, calcium, barium
Alkaline Earth Metals are less reactive than the group 1 metals and they are not usually found alone in nature. They have two valence electrons which they yield in chemical reactions. Common substances that contain Alkaline Earth Metals include seashells (calcium carbonate) and gemstones like aquamarine (beryllium).

Group 3: Lathanoids and Actinoids
Examples: actinium, uranium
This group includes shiny metals and radioactive elements. Lathanoids are abundant in the Earth's curst but are difficult to separate from their compounds while Actinoids are radioactive and are made in nuclear reactors. For of the Actinoids are found naturally however; actinium, thorium, protractinium, uranium.

Groups 4-12: Transition Metals
Examples: iron, nickel, gold, silver
Transition metals are all shiny metals and can be found naturally. They are however less reactive than groups 1 and 2.

Group 13 (some in 14-16): Metals
Examples: tin, lead, bismuth
Metals are harder and denser than those in groups 1 and 2 while they are softer and less dense than the transition metals. They can exist freely once refined but they are most often found as compounds in nature.

Group 17: Halogens
Examples: fluorine, bromine, iodine
Halogens are a group of similar non-metals. These elements are too reactive to occur freely in nature. The most characteristic chemical feature of the halogens is their ability to oxidize.

Group 18: Nobel Gases
Examples: helium, neon, xenon
Nobel gages are often called inert gases as well because they don't react with other elements. This is because their highest energy levels are full and they do not tend to share their valence electrons with other elements.

The Organizational Skills of Mendeleev

Although the evolution of the modern Periodic Table of Elements had many major contributions a Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev is credited with first trying to organize the chemical elements according to atomic weights  in 1869. He had predicted that the properties of the elements would change as the atomic weight increased. However Mendeleev discovered that these gradual changes changed suddenly at distinct steps or periods. Thus he grouped the elements in a table with both rows and columns. Mendeleev's discoveries led to the modern periodic table which we use today and is organized by atomic number.

The Periodic Table of Elements

The rows in a periodic table are called periods, and as you move right along a given period the chemical properties of the elements gradually change. The period number signifies the highest energy level an electron in that element occupies. The columns in the periodic table are called groups, and the elements in a given group share similar chemical and physical properties. a group of elements have identical valence electron configurations which allows them to behave in similar chemical fashion.

The Periodic Table of Elements - So Many Resources!

Upon a brief search in any search engine it is not difficult to find numerous web pages devoted to the famous Periodic Table of Elements. Before I provide an overview of some of the trends found in the Periodic Table I thought I would provide you with a list of my favourite online resources that I found.

1. Los Alamos National Laboratory - Periodic Table of Elements

2. Chemicool - Periodic Table of Elements

3. Royal Society of Chemistry - Visual Elements Periodic Table

4. Chemical Elements - An Interactive Periodic Table

5. Web Elements - Periodic Table

6. Visionlearning - Periodic Table of Elements

7. University of Nottingham - The Periodic Table of Videos

The internet provides numerous places to take an in depth look at each of the elements in the table and the trends found within the table. As a teacher it is wonderful to have resources so easily accessible. Learning has changed so much from when I was a student. I recall being in panic mode if I forgot my coloured photocopy of the Periodic Table when going to chemistry class. Now it is so easy to access the famous chemistry tool. I Bet there is even an app for that...

Well look at that there is an app for that. Take a look: Periodic Table of Elements App - ITunes