Lab # ____
Classifying Elements
Name: __________________________
Question:
Can elements be grouped together by properties which they share?
Materials:
 Samples of some of the following elements: aluminum, iron, nickel, tin,
lead, copper, magnesium, silicon, zinc, carbon
 Magnet
 Electrical conductivity apparatus
Hypothesis:
Look at the list of elements in the materials list. Predict which elements
should be classified together.
Procedure:
1. Examine each element and note its colour and lustre (shininess). Record
your observations.
2. Try to bend or break each sample. Substances that shatter or crumble can be
described as brittle. Record your observations.
3. Pick up each of the elements. Which elements seem heavy or light for their
size? (This is how to rate their densities.) Record your observations.
4. Use a magnet to determine which elements are magnetic and which are non
magnetic. Record your observations.
5. Using the electrical conductivity apparatus, touch the leads to opposite ends
of each sample. If the lamp glows, the element is a conductor, if it doesn’t, the
element is an insulator. Record your observations.
Observations:
Properties
Element
Colour
Lustre
Hardness
Density
Magnetic
Other
Analysis and Conclusion:
1. Based on your observations, can you group the sample elements into
categories according to their properties? If you can, how many categories can
you use?
2. For each category you chose in answer to (1) list the elements that you would
place in each category. How are the elements in one category the same or
different from the elements in the other categories?
3. How do the properties of the following elements determine their use?
(a) Copper and aluminum were both used in electrical wiring at one time.
(b) Carbon rods are used in some batteries.
(c) Steel (iron) cans can be separated easily from aluminum cans.
4. You may have noticed that when you put certain solid objects against your
skin they feel cold.
(a) Why does this happen?
(b) What physical property explains this observation?
(c) Describe how an element with this property might be used.