Analía Bellizzi – Chemistry Classes

Ronald Reagan Senior High School

A volatile History assignment

Chemistry: A Volatile History

QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED WHILE WATCHING THE VIDEO

Episode 1 – Discovering The Elements.

Just 92 elements made up the world, but the belief that were only four – earth, fire, air and water – persisted until the 19th Century. Professor Al-Khalili retraces the footsteps of the alchemists who first began to question the notion of the elements in their search for the secret of everlasting life. 
He reveals the red herrings and rivalries which dogged scientific progress, and explores how new approaches to splitting matter brought us both remarkable elements and the new science of chemistry. 

  1. What element did Humphrey Davy discover?
  2. What force did he use?
  3. What is everything made of (and how many are there)?
  4. What is an element?
  5. Greek elements were:
  6. 16th century alchemists were trying to do what?
  7. Paracelsus’ idea was…
  8. Mercury facts:
  9. The pursuit of gold led to what idea?
  10. Brandt used urine to discover what element?
  11. What did it look like? What does it do?
  12. Uses of Phosphorus (and phosphates):
  13. Boyle’s experiment:
  14. What useful item did it lead to?
  15. What did Boyle do to alchemy?
  16. 1667 The Blind Alley…flogiston explain what their idea was…
  17. Cavendish’s experiment with “airs” (describe it) led to what discovery?
  18. H______________________is the most a________________________ element in the universe
  19. What was the Hindenburg? What happened and why?
  20. Why couldn’t water be an element?
  21. 19 elements discovered so far…in the mid 1700’s there were 3 Airs: a,   b,    c,
  22. Priestley investigated carbon dioxide (F______________air) What does carbon dioxide do to flame?
  23. 1774 Mercuric oxide heated … created what gas?
  24. What test was used on this gas?
  25. Deflogisticated air plus a mouse; the first on Earth to breath pure O____________________
  26. Oxygen facts:
  27. Lavoisier used a quantitative approach to investigate…what did he do?
  28. Lavoisier destroyed the Flogiston myth and discovered the significance of O______________________ crushing the idea of greek elements
  29. Lavoisier’s definition of an element:
  30. How many elements did he list?
  31. He developed a new language to identify elements…what did they use to call iron oxide?
  32. What happened to Lavoisier?
  33. Humphrey Davy broke down potash with what?
  34. How does the narrator create a current? How does this match your own recent labs?
  35. Describe the experiment that Davy did as reproduced onscreen?
  36. What would Davy had seen?
  37. Potassium facts:
  38. How many elements had been found at the time of Davy’s death?