AfL task: What can the Periodic Table tell me about everyday chemicals?

Topics Example (Helium) Chlorine Sodium Carbon Oxygen Argon

Location in the Right hand side Group 17 row 2 Group 1 row 3 Group 4 row 2 Group 6 row 2 Group 8 row 3
periodic table
Period 1 3 3 2 2 3
Group 0 17 1 4 6 8
Chemical symbol He Cl Na C O Ar
Atomic number 2 17 11 6 8 18
Mass number 4 35.4 22.98 12.01 15.9 39.948

Metal or non-metal? Non-metal Non-metal metal Non-metal Non-metal Non-metal

Solid/liquid/gas at Gas Gas Solid solid Gas Gas

room temperature?

Appearance and Helium is an inert gas. It is
properties colorless and odorless, light
monoatomic gas. It has very
low melting and boiling
points and density.
Chlorine is a greenish yellow gas at
room temperature and
atmospheric pressure.
Sodium is the most common
alkali metal and the sixth most
abundant element on Earth,
comprising 2.8 percent of Earth's
crust.
In 1961 the isotope carbon-12
was selected to replace oxygen
as the standard relative to which
the atomic weights of all the
other elements are measured.
In normal conditions oxygen is
a colorless, odorless and insipid
gas; it condensates in a light
blue liquid.
Argon is a colorless, odorless gas
that is totally inert to other
substances. Argon is often used
when an inert atmosphere is
needed. It is used in this way to
produce titanium and other
reactive elements.

Uses of the element Used for welding metals, in
rocket fuel tanks, in
balloons.
Reactions and uses of Helium is very unreactive
its compounds element as it has full outer
shell electron (2)
Health and safety Inhalation of helium in
matter excessive amounts can
cause dizziness, nausea, vom
iting, loss of consciousness
and death.
It is used to treat drinking water
and swimming pool water. It is also
used to make hundreds of
consumer products from paper to
paints, and from textiles to
insecticides.
Chlorine reacts with water to form
chloric acid and hydrochloric acid
in a disproportionation reaction.
Exposure to low levels of chlorine
can result in nose, throat, and eye
irritation.
Sodium is used as a heat
exchanger in some nuclear
reactors, and as a reagent in the
chemicals industry.
In ordinary air, sodium metal
reacts to form a sodium
hydroxide film, which can rapidly
absorb carbon dioxide from the
air, forming sodium bicarbonate.
Avoid contact with water or
moisture.
It is particularly important in the
iron and steel industries.
When carbon burns in the
presence of oxygen, it produces
heat and light.
Elemental carbon is of very low
toxicity.
Common uses of oxygen Argon is often used when an
include production of steel, inert atmosphere is needed
plastics and textiles, brazing,
welding and cutting of steels
and other metals, rocket
propellant, oxygen therapy, and
life support systems in aircraft,
submarines, spaceflight and
diving.
Oxygen forms compounds by Argon provides an inert
reaction with practically any atmosphere in which welded
other element, as well as by metals will not oxidize.
reactions that displace
elements from their
combinations with each other.
The main danger to people This gas is inert and is classified
from an oxygen enriched as a simple asphyxiant.
atmosphere is that clothing or
hair can easily catch fire,
causing serious or even fatal
burns.
Other interesting Helium is the second lightest Chlorine is sometimes in the form At room temperature, sodium Carbon usually has a valence of It makes up around 50% of the Argon only accounts for 0.94% by
of a poisonous gas. metal is soft enough that you can +4, which means each carbon Earth's crust, making it the volume of the gasses in the
facts element. cut it with a butter knife. atom can form covalent bonds most common element in the atmosphere.
It has the lowest melting with four other atoms. Earth.
and boiling points of the
elements.