Atomic Box Project (30 pts) due _________ Name______________ Per.

___
You are going to make an atomic box for our classroom periodic table. Each box will
be 7 x 7 inches with a border. Each box should include this information:
o Atomic number (1 tall bright! )
o Atomic Symbol (2 tall bright!)
o Element Name (bold!)
o Melting point (C)

Fun fact

Uses

o Where your element is found (or mined)

o Who and when your element was discovered (if
known).

o Boiling point (C)

o Atomic mass or weight
o phase

o a radioactive symbol if your element is

radioactive

o Group (Alkali, Alkaline-Earth, Transition Metals, Boron

Group, Carbon Group, Nitrogen Group, Oxygen Group,
Halogen, Inert Gases, Lanthanide Series, Actinide Series)

o if its a metal, nonmetal, or semimetal

o Picture (hand drawn- of something your
element is used in)

Your Names and period in lower right hand

corner

A. Your Atomic box must have a border (no bigger than the background).
B. Your work must be neat and accurate!!!!! Your picture(s) must be hand
drawn of something made from your element. It should POP!
C. Your fun fact should be interesting and relevant, not some boring detail.
D. Make rough draft on back. Then I will give you colored paper according to
your elements atomic number. This is the background for your atomic box.
E. IMPORTANT!!!!! Use color! not Pencil! Consider gluing on
information. Type if handwriting is bad. But must be nicely glued on. Your
element should STAND out, not fade into the background!
F. You will make a short presentation of your element & box in class (5 pts).
1. Use the pages I provided you from The Elements by Albert Swertka and these websites:
http://ed.ted.com/periodic-videos
http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/index.html
http://www.webelements.com/
http://periodic.lanl.gov/default.htm
http://www.lenntech.com/Periodic-chart.htm
http://www.chemicalelements.com/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chemistry-the-elements-revealed-interactiveperiodic-table/

Eighth Grade Science

Name:

____________________________
Science
Date: _________________

Period: ____

Research for Atomic Box and Class Presentation

Here you can put research that you can use for your atomic box and also for your
class presentation. You will have more information here than you will put on your
box! Some of it you will save for your presentation and some will just be for your
knowledge!
1. ake sure it is correct!
Element Name: Americium
Atomic Number: 95
Atomic Mass: 243
Melting Point (in Celcius!) 1176
Boiling Point (in Celcius!) 2011
Phase: Solid
Metal
Usually Radioactive, yes
Group(Actinide Series)
2. Discovered Who discovered this element, when, where and how it was
discovered.
It was Made in 1945 by G.T. Seaborg

3. Uses find as many things that you can that your element is used for: which one
will you list on your box and which ones will you make a drawing of for your
element?
Americium can be produced in kilogram quantities and has a few practical
uses. It is used in smoke detectors and can be used as a portable source of
gamma rays. Americium-241, with a half-life of 432.2 years, is used in these
products because it is easier to produce relatively pure samples of this
isotope.
As with all highly radioactive elements, americium and its compounds must
be handled only in an appropriate laboratory under special containment
conditions. Although most americium isotopes predominantly emit alpha
particles which can be blocked by thin layers of common materials, many of
the daughter products emit gamma-rays and neutrons which have a long

Eighth Grade Science

Name:

____________________________
Science
Date: _________________

Period: ____

penetration depth. The alpha activity from 241Am is about three times that of
radium. When gram quantities of 241Am are handled, the intense gamma
activity makes exposure a serious problem.

4. Fun Facts about your element

There are many commercial applications for americium isotopes. Americium-241 has
been used as a portable source of both gamma rays and alpha particles for a number of
medical and industrial uses. The 60-keV gamma ray emissions from 241Am in such
sources can be used for indirect analysis of materials in radiography and X-ray
fluorescence spectroscopy, as well as for quality control in fixed nuclear density
gauges and nuclear densitometers. For example, americium has been employed to
gauge glass thickness to help create flat glass. Americium-241 is also suitable for
calibration of gamma-ray spectrometers in the low-energy range, since its spectrum
consists of nearly a single gamma peak. Americium-241 is also used as the ionization
source in commercial smoke detectors. Several unusual applications, such as a nuclear
battery or fuel for space ships with nuclear propulsion, have been proposed for the
isotope 242mAm, but they are as yet hindered by the scarcity and high price of this
isomer.
5. Where your element is found (or mined)
In a particle accelerator

6. Major Properties of this Element (conductive, shiny, soft, brittle etc. )

Couldnt find anything

7. New Words and their definitions (at least 3-5 words)

Eighth Grade Science

Name:

____________________________
Science
Date: _________________

Period: ____

Radiography

an image produced on a sensitive plate or film by X-rays,

gamma rays, or similar radiation, and typically used in
medical examination.
spectroscopy

the branch of science concerned with the investigation and

measurement of spectra produced when matter interacts
with or emits electromagnetic radiation.
densitometer

a device for measuring the density of a material.

spectrometers

an apparatus used for recording and measuring spectra,

esp. as a method of analysis.
Hindered

create difficulties for (someone or something), resulting in

delay or obstruction
8. Bibliography Full bibliography entries for text sources. You must use at least 1
book source (can be the paper I gave you) and 2 internet sources.
Stwertka,Albert.AGuidetotheElements.NewYork:OxfordUP,2012.Print.

http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/index.html

Gagnon,Steve."ThePeriodicTableofElements."It'sElemental.Web.16Dec.
2014.
http://www.webelements.com/

Winter,Mark."HomeofthePeriodicTable."PeriodicTableoftheElementsby
WebElements.Web.16Dec.2014.
http://periodic.lanl.gov/default.htm

"PeriodicTableofElements:LosAlamosNationalLaboratory."PeriodicTableof
Elements:LosAlamosNationalLaboratory.Web.15Dec.2014.
http://www.lenntech.com/Periodicchart.htm

"PeriodicTable."ChartofAllChemicalElements.Web.17Dec.2014.
http://www.chemicalelements.com/

Bentor,Yinion."ChemicalElements.comAnInteractivePeriodicTableofthe
Elements."ChemicalElements.comAnInteractivePeriodicTableoftheElements.
Web.17Dec.2014.