Download The Most Plentiful Elements

The Most Plentiful Elements
The tables below show the most abundant element in the atmosphere, sea, and crust of the earth.
Use the data table to answer the questions.
There are 92 naturally occurring elements on our planet. However, there are millions of different
materials, including over 2500 minerals. Explain how this can be? _____________________
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The first eight elements list in the Crust table make up what percentage of the earth’s crust? ____
Which element is most abundant? ________
Atomic number _____ Symbol _____
What is the second most abundant? __________
Atomic number? ______ Symbol ____
Silicon Dioxide is a compound containing one silicon
atoms and two oxygen atoms Together they make the
mineral quartz. It is a relatively hard mineral. The sand on
beaches is made of quartz that has been weathered, eroded
and later accumulated along the ocean shore. What would
the formula be for quartz? _____________. Together
oxygen and silicon make up what percent of the earth’s
crust? ______
Elements in Crust
Oxygen
Silicon
Aluminum
Iron
Calcium
Sodium
Potassium
Magnesium
Others
% mass
46.71
27.69
8.07
5.05
3.65
2.75
2.58
2.08
1.42
Fill out the chart for the following elements: Gold, Silver, and Platinum.
Element Symbol Number of Group Period
Protons
Gold
Silver
Platinum
These elements are considered precious metals. One meaning of precious is of great value or
high price. Why do you think these metals are so costly? Refer to the Crust table.
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Use map colors; create a key by coloring each
element on the data chart a different color.
Complete the pie graph by labeling each section
with the appropriate elements symbol and coloring
the pie graph with the same color you used in the
chart.
What is the most plentiful element in the atmosphere? _________ Is it a metal or nonmetal?
Are oxygen and nitrogen found in the same family or period or neither? Circle one.
There is a lot of talk about global warming. CO2 is the
major green house gas. Is it a compound or mixture?
What percent of the atmosphere’s volume is
carbon?______
Elements in the
atmosphere
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Argon
Carbon
Others
% vol
78.08
20.95
0.93
< 0.01
trace
Is the atmosphere a mixture or compound? Explain.
_______________________________________________
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In general, what can you say about the difference between elements found in the atmosphere and
elements found in the earth’s crust? Solid and gas will not be enough.
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Elements in the
ocean
Oxygen
Hydrogen
Chlorine
Sodium
Magnesium
Sulfur
Calcium
Potassium
Others
The most common salt in the ocean is Sodium Chloride.
Its symbol is NaCl. Na is a ____________ element found
85.7 the on ________ side of the periodic table. Chlorine is a
10.8 ______________ found on the __________ side of the
periodic table. Together they form an ionic bond. Sodium
1.9 “gives” one of its electrons to Cl.
1.05
0.14 Would the ocean be a homogeneous or heterogeneous
mixture in terms of the element dissolved in it?
0.09
0.04 What about in terms of the plants and animals in it?
0.04 _________
% mass
Trace
Is the list of elements in the ocean more like the earth’s crust list or the atmosphere list? Explain.
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Create a bar graph depicting the information in one of the charts above. You may pick
atmosphere, ocean, or crust. Place your elements along the x – axis and your percentages along
the y – axis. Be sure to include a key and all the characteristics of quality graph, including a title.