What’s My Element?

Introduction

Reviewing the elements and their position on the periodic table will be enjoyable with this fun game. Students play in pairs, with each student challenged to find out the mystery element of an opponent who is trying to do the same! The first one to discover the opponent’s mystery element by careful deductive reasoning is the winner. 

Concepts

• Elements
• Periodic table
• Properties and uses of elements

Experiment Overview

The purpose of this activity is to review 24 common elements and their properties by playing a game. The objective of the game is to be the first to determine an opponent’s mystery element by asking a series of questions with yes or no answers. The challenge is to ask questions that will eliminate all but one possibility for the mystery element.

Materials

Prelab Preparation

1. Using a paper cutter or scissors, cut apart each set of 24 element playing cards. Note: If desired, laminate each sheet of What’s My Element? playing cards before cutting.
2. Rubber band each set of 24 element cards together or place each set in a resealable plastic bag.
3. Photocopy enough What’s My Element? Master Element List handouts (two per page, cut in half) so each student may have one list.
4. Photocopy enough What’s My Element? Game Instructions handouts and the accompanying worksheets for each student.

Procedure

1. Distribute the game instructions, master element lists, sets of 24 element cards and worksheets to each student group.
2. Go through the instructions and sample questions with the students.
3. Students may then play as many rounds of What’s My Element? as time allows.
4. The What’s My Element? Worksheet may be used as a pre- and post-activity assignment.

Student Worksheet PDF

12154_Student1.pdf

12154_Teacher1.pdf

Teacher Tips

• This kit contains enough reusable materials for 30 students playing in pairs or for 15 student groups: 30 sets of What’s My Element? playing cards and 15 periodic tables.
• If more than 30 students are in a class, students may play in teams of two and either alternate asking questions or collaborate as a team to choose questions.
• Students may have a book or folder in which to place their Master Element Lists to keep their respective element choice hidden from their opponents.
• This game is a great differentiated instructional tool to use after students are familiar with the elements and the organization of the periodic table.
• The What’s My Element? game is suitable for many levels from middle school to advanced high school. The types of questions asked depend on the skill levels of the students and the curriculum. Allowing use of the periodic table is optional.
• Game-playing in the classroom has several benefits. In addition to reinforcing science concepts, critical thinking skills are employed as students develop strategies for the types of questions to ask while playing the game. Students also learn from one another while engaging in play in a structured learning environment.
• Have students make additional playing cards for other elements in the periodic table, and include a graphic to represent the element.
• Flinn Scientific’s The Elements Periodic Table (Catalog No. AP7156) shows vibrant photographs of the elements and may stimulate even more student interest in the properties and natural occurrence of each element.

Answers to Questions

Pre-Game

1. List the following questions from least specific to most specific. Which would be the best question to ask near the beginning of the game? Explain your choice.
   1. Does your element have an atomic number less than 5?
   2. Is your element boron?
   3. Is your element solid at room temperature?

   The questions from least specific to most specific are c, a and b. The best question to ask near the beginning of the game is the most general question, c, in which case a yes answer would eliminate ⅓ and a no answer would eliminate ⅔ of the original 24 elements. More specific questions have a greater chance of only eliminating a few possibilities. Asking the most specific question only has a 1 in 24 chance of being correct and may result in a penalty if incorrect.

2. Write three other sample questions that would be suitable to ask near the beginning of the game.

   Is your element a (metal, nonmental)?
   Does your element have more than three valence electrons?
   Is your element in the first two periods?

3. What is the penalty for an incorrect guess? Why might a player choose to take that risk?

   The penalty for an incorrect guess is the loss of a turn, allowing one’s opponent to ask two questions in a row. Guessing the mystery element before the answer is certain may be worth the risk if one’s opponent has eliminated all but one possibility and could win on the next turn.

1. Elements in the first column of the periodic table belong to the alkali metal family. Name the alkali metals and describe two physical or chemical properties that all alkali metals share.

   The alkali metals are lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium and francium. Alkali metals are soft and mostly silvergray (cesium has a golden tint), have one outer energy level electron, are highly reactive, and have low melting points and densities. Note: Hydrogen, although often placed at the top of the first column, is not included with the alkali metals.

2. To which family of elements do helium, neon and argon belong? Describe two physical or chemical properties that these elements share.

   He, Ne and Ar are in the noble gas family, group 18. Noble gases are in the gaseous state at standard temperature and pressure, are odorless and colorless. Since their outer energy electron levels are full, these gases are very stable with little tendency to form compounds.

3. Suppose you were playing with a deck of 36 element cards that included all the elements in periods four and five. Read the following questions and answers. After each answer, write the symbols of the elements from the deck of 36 that have not been excluded based on this answer. What is the mystery element?

   Q1: Is the element a metal?
   A: No
   Ge, As, Se, Br, Kr, Sb, Te, I, Xe
   
   Q2: Is the element in the last two families?
   A: Yes
   Br, Kr, I, Xe
   
   Q3: Is the element a noble gas?
   A: No
   Br, I
   
   Q4: Is the element solid at room temperature?
   A: Yes
   I, the mystery element is iodine

4. The possibilities for an opponent’s mystery element have been narrowed down to these seven elements—boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon, phosphorus and sulfur. What question could be asked that would guarantee the elimination of more than two of the remaining possibilities?

   Does the element have more than four valence electrons? A yes answer would eliminate boron, carbon and silicon.
   Is the element found in all amino acids? A no answer would eliminate carbon, nitrogen and oxygen.

Discussion

Following are the 24 elements included in the What’s My Element? game (atomic numbers 1–20 and 26–29), listed by atomic number. Each playing card includes the name and symbol of the element, the atomic number, and a graphic that represents where the element may be found or a common use of the element.

1. Hydrogen: The most abundant element in the universe, the fusion of hydrogen nuclei fuels the sun and other stars.
2. Helium: An inert gas less dense than air, helium is used in airships known as blimps.
3. Lithium: Batteries with lithium or lithium compounds as the anode are used in many portable electronic devices.
4. Beryllium: The beautiful emerald is a gemstone form of the mineral beryl, beryllium aluminum silicate.
5. Boron: A common boron compound is sodium borate, also known as borax. Borax is often used in laundry products.
6. Carbon: The structure of a diamond consists of strong covalent carbon–carbon single bonds in all directions, making diamond the hardest of all minerals.
7. Nitrogen: Nitrogen makes up 78% of the Earth’s atmosphere and is an essential building block of amino acids. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria live in root nodules of legumes, converting elemental nitrogen to a form that can be used by higher organisms.
8. Oxygen: Produced by plants during photosynthesis, oxygen is used in cellular respiration for all complex life.
9. Fluorine: Fluorine is added to toothpaste as sodium fluoride (NaF) or stannous fluoride (SnF₂) to help prevent dental cavities.
10. Neon: Although other inert gases may be found in neon signs, the noble gas neon—emitting a reddish-orange glow when subjected to an electrical discharge—was the first gas used in these electric light-emitting tubes.
11. Sodium: Sodium chloride (also known as table salt) is a common compound of sodium. NaCl is often used as a preservative or flavor enhancer for foods and is responsible for the salinity of ocean water.
12. Magnesium: Magnesium burns with a brilliant white light and is used in flares and fireworks.
13. Aluminum: Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust and is 100% recyclable. The prevalent use of aluminum beverage cans has made aluminum recycling an important industry.
14. Silicon: The most common metalloid, silicon is the main component of many semiconductor devices (e.g., integrated circuits, LEDs, solar cells).
15. Phosphorus: Safety matches require the match head to be struck against a special surface on the side of the box. This rough surface contains phosphorus that reacts with a compound on the match head and ignites with heat from friction. A “strike anywhere” match head contains a phosphorus sulfide compound.
16. Sulfur: Sulfur dioxide is the third most abundant gas released from volcanic eruptions (after water vapor and carbon dioxide). The emission of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere can lead to the production of air pollution and acid rain.
17. Chlorine: Chlorine compounds are used as disinfectants to kill microorganisms and algae in swimming pools.
18. Argon: Incandescent lightbulbs are often filled with the inert gas argon to prevent the metal filament from burning out too quickly.
19. Potassium: Potassium is an essential micronutrient for healthy cell function. Many fruits are rich in potassium, including bananas.
20. Calcium: An important macronutrient, most of the calcium in humans is found in the bones and teeth. Dairy products are a common source of calcium in the human diet.

26. Iron: The famous Eiffel Tower is made of wrought iron, which was used to make many building materials before effective steel production methods were developed. Iron is also the main component of steel.
27. Cobalt: Much of the produced cobalt is manufactured into alloys, one of which is alnico (aluminum, nickel and cobalt), used to make strong permanent magnets.
28. Nickel: Even though it is named the nickel, the U.S. five-cent coin is only 25% nickel—the rest is copper. Nickels produced during World War II contained no nickel at all!
29. Copper: Copper has been used as a coinage metal since ancient times. The first U.S. pennies were 100% copper; the composition was later reduced to 95%. Due to the rising value of copper, the composition of pennies was changed in 1982 to a zinc core with copper plating.

References

Special thanks to Ashley Spooner, Boynton Beach High School, Boynton Beach, FL, for providing the idea and the instructions for this activity to Flinn Scientific.