Element Symbols Matching Cards
Cut out the cards and give them a good shuffle.
To play with one person, lay the cards face up on the table and see if you can pair up the fact card with the
element symbol. Check your pairs using the answer sheet. You could challenge yourself by timing each go
and seeing if you can get faster with each attempt.
To play with 2 or more people, lay the cards face down on the table in a grid. Take it in turns to flip over two
cards. If they form a pair then you can keep them. If they do not, then turn them back over. See if you can
remember where the matching cards are when others turn them over. Check your pairs using the answer
sheet. The winner is the person with the most correct pairs when all of the cards have been matched.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the most abundant
element in the universe. The planet
Jupiter is composed mostly of
hydrogen.
Hydrogen can be used as a pollutionfree fuel for hydrogen-powered cars
and buses.
Hydrogen is a gas at room
temperature.
Helium
Helium gets its name from helios, the
Greek word for the Sun, because it
was detected in the Sun many years
before it was found on Earth.
Helium is the second most abundant
element in the universe. It is present
in all stars.
Helium is a gas at room temperature.
1
H
1
4
He
2
Lithium
Lithium has the lowest density of all
metals. It can float on water.
Lithium gives the red colour to some
fireworks.
It is present in almost all igneous
rocks and mineral springs.
Lithium is a solid at room
temperature.
Beryllium
Emeralds are compounds containing
beryllium. Some of the oldest
emerald mines were developed by
the Romans in Egypt 2000 years ago.
Beryllium played a role in the
discovery of the neutron when James
Chadwick bombarded it with alpha
particles.
Beryllium is a solid at room
temperature.
Boron
Before 1808 the only source of boron
was from Lake Yamdrok Cho, in
Tibet.
It is essential for the cell walls of
plants.
Several boron compounds are being
studied as a possible treatment for
brain tumours.
Boron is a solid at room temperature.
7
Li
3
9
Be
4
11
B
5
Carbon
Carbon is found naturally as
diamond, graphite and anthracite (a
type of coal). Diamond is the hardest
known material.
Carbon is essential for life and makes
up 18.5% of the human body.
Living things get almost all of their
carbon from carbon dioxide.
Carbon is a solid at room
temperature.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen makes up 78% of the air.
Nitrogen is needed to build DNA and
amino acids (the building blocks of
proteins).
The nitrogen cycle is the process
of nitrogen circulating between the
atmosphere, soil and living things.
Nitrogen is a gas at room
temperature.
Oxygen
Oxygen makes up 21% of the
atmosphere.
Living things use oxygen for aerobic
respiration.
Life can exist in rivers, lakes and
oceans because oxygen is soluble in
water.
Oxygen is a gas at room
temperature.
12
C
6
14
N
7
16
O
8
Fluorine
Fluorine is the most reactive of all the
non-metal elements.
The first time it was produced
commercially was for the atom bomb
in the Second World War.
Compounds of fluorine are used in
toothpaste and sometimes added to
drinking water to prevent cavities in
teeth.
Fluorine is a gas at room
temperature.
Neon
Neon gets its name from the Greek
word neos which means new.
Neon does not react with any other
element.
When an electric current is passed
through neon it glows red. This
process is used to make advertising
signs stand out.
Neon is a gas at room temperature.
Sodium
We need to eat about 3g of sodium
a day, to replace what is lost in urine
and sweat. However, the average
person eats 10g. Extra sodium may
contribute to high blood pressure.
Sodium makes up 2.6% of the Earth’s
crust, but it is very reactive so is
never found naturally in its pure
form.
Sodium is a solid at room
temperature.
19
F
9
20
Ne
10
23
Na
11
Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential element in
the chlorophyll found in plant leaves.
Without magnesium, photosynthesis
would not take place and the world
would be a very different place!
Magnesium is essential for enzyme
function and humans need to take in
250-350mg of magnesium a day.
Magnesium is a solid at room
temperature.
Aluminium
Aluminium is the second most
malleable (easily shaped) metal.
It is the most abundant metal in the
Earth’s crust (8.1%) but is usually
found combined with other elements
in minerals such as bauxite and
cryolite.
Aluminium is a solid at room
temperature.
Silicon
Silicon is one of the most useful
elements to humanity.
Silicon is the second most abundant
element on Earth and makes up
27.7% of the Earth’s crust by mass.
Silicon has a higher density in liquid
form than it does when it is a solid.
Silicon is a solid at room
temperature.
24
Mg
12
27
Al
13
28
Si
14
Phosphorus
Phosphate is essential to all living
things. It forms the backbone of DNA
and RNA and is part of the molecule
ATP, which is essential for energy
transfer in living things.
We store 750g of phosphate in our
bodies, mostly as calcium phosphate
in our bones and teeth.
Phosphorus is a solid at room
temperature.
Sulfur
Sulfur dioxide is produced when
coal is burned. Sulfur dioxide in the
atmosphere causes acid rain.
Sulfur occurs naturally as a yellow
element, often in volcanic areas.
Intestinal gas can have a nasty odour
because of the sulfur compounds
released as waste by bacteria in the
gut.
Sulfur is a solid at room temperature.
Chlorine
Chlorine is a toxic gas that was used
as a chemical weapon in the First
World War.
In the past it was used to make the
anaesthetic chloroform. We now
know that chloroform can cause
liver damage, so its use is strictly
regulated.
Chlorine is a gas at room
temperature.
31
P
15
32
S
16
35.5
Cl
17
Argon
Argon is the third most abundant
atmospheric gas, making up 0.94% of
the Earth’s atmosphere.
When it is ionised, argon emits a
violet glow.
Argon is a gas at room temperature.
Potassium
Potassium is essential to life; it is
found in all cells. Sardines, nuts,
raisins, chocolate and potatoes
contain a lot of potassium.
Mining extracts about 35 million
tonnes of potassium a year, it is
mostly used to produce fertilisers
that replace the potassium in the soil
that crops use up.
Potassium is a solid at room
temperature.
Calcium
Calcium is essential for healthy
growth of teeth and bones. The
average human contains about 1kg
of calcium.
Hard water contains calcium
compounds. When these compounds
precipitate out in caves they form
stalactites and stalagmites.
Calcium is a solid at room
temperature.
40
Ar
18
39
K
19
40
Ca
20