Name:_____________________
Date: _____
Science
Period:___
Limited Number of Elements
The words written in red need to be recorded in your journal.
All questions and requested graphs need to be completed in your journal.
Atmosphere: the layer of gases surrounding Earth. The atmosphere is held in
place by the force (pull) of Earth’s gravity. Our atmosphere reflects a great
deal of the Sun’s radiant energy, protecting Earth from harmful levels of
radiation.
The atmosphere is made up largely of two elements. When asked if the
atmosphere is made mostly of Oxygen…the correct reply is NO!
Nitrogen makes up 78% of the atmosphere. Oxygen is just 21% of our
atmosphere.
[Get it? NO = Nitrogen (N) first at 78% and Oxygen (O) second at 21%]
Small amounts of other elements are also present in our air. The final 1 % of
the atmosphere is filled with several other gases including two very important
compounds…water vapor (H2O) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Elements and compounds found in the atmosphere are very important to all
living organisms. Nitrogen (N) is an important element supporting plant life. In
fact, Nitrogen (N), as an essential nutrient for plants, is in fertilizers. In
addition to Nitrogen, plants also need the compound Carbon Dioxide (CO2).
Plants get the Carbon (C) they need to make sugar from Carbon Dioxide (CO2).
Both plants and animals alike must have water to live. The amount water vapor
(H2O) present at any particular time will help determine if it will rain.
Elements of the Atmosphere
21%
1%
78%
Copy this graph into your journal and fill in the blanks.
Name:_____________________
Date: _____
Science
Period:___
Limited Number of Elements
The words written in red need to be recorded in your journal.
All questions and requested graphs need to be completed in your journal.
As you know, oceans are made of water…actually ocean water is salt water. Salt
water is the key to understanding what elements are most common in our
oceans.
The four most common elements found in the ocean are not found by
themselves. Like Earth’s crust, our oceans are dominated by compounds. Two
compounds make up the vast majority of our oceans.
Water is, of course, a compound with the chemical formula (H2O). Salt is the
common name for the compound Sodium Chloride (NaCl). Knowing the compounds
making up salt water should give you a big clue about the four most common
elements in oceans.
Water (H2O) is made of Hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O). Salt has the chemical
name Sodium Chloride. Sodium Chloride (NaCl) is made by bonding Sodium (Na)
and Chlorine (Cl). Based on this understanding the table below should make
sense.
Percentage of Elements in the Ocean
Element
Percentage %
Oxygen (O)
Hydrogen (H)
Chlorine (Cl)
Sodium (Na)
Magnesium (Mg)
Elements in the Ocean
85.84
10.82
1.94
1.08
.13
1%
1%
2%
11%
85%
Copy the graph and correctly label the percentages in your journal.
Name:_____________________
Date: _____
Science
Period:___
Limited Number of Elements
The words written in red need to be recorded in your journal.
All questions and requested graphs need to be completed in your journal.
Crust: the outermost layer of our planet. The crust is broken into pieces called
plates. All of Earth’s features (mountains, canyons, rivers, valleys, oceans,
volcanoes, etc.) are located in the crust. At least 90 chemical elements have
been found in the crust. However, just five elements make up about 90% of the
total mass of elements found in the crust.
Elements are seldom found by themselves in the crust. Pure elements, like Gold
(Au) and Silver (Ag), are extremely rare. They are just a very, very, tiny
fraction of the mass for all elements in Earth’s crust. (Now you know why they
are valuable…they are extremely rare!)
In fact, Earth’ surface is dominated by compounds! For example, rocks and
minerals are almost always compounds. So…the elements found in our crust are
most often a part of compounds. Look at the table below listing the most
common compounds found in the crust. Do you see something in common in
these formulas?
Compound
Silicon dioxide (Sand)
SiO2
42.86%
Magnesium oxide (Rust)
MgO
35.07%
Iron oxide (Rust)
FeO
8.97%
Aluminum oxide (Rust)
Al2O3
6.99%
Calcium oxide (Rust)
CaO
4.37%
Crust Elements
% by mass
Crust Elements
50
Oxygen (O)
Abundance
percent by weight
Formula
47
45
47%
40
Silicon (Si)
Aluminum (Al)
28%
8%
% of Total
35
30
20
15
10
5
Iron (Fe)
5%
Calcium (Ca)
4%
28
25
8
5
4
0
Use the information in the bar graph to create a pie
graph of the elements of the crust in your journal.
Name:_____________________
Date: _____
Science
Period:___
Limited Number of Elements
The words written in red need to be recorded in your journal.
All questions and requested graphs need to be completed in your journal.
Of the 92 naturally occurring elements, living things are composed of only about
26, and 6 of those make up practically all of the weight of most living things.
The 6 most abundant elements in living things are Oxygen (O), Carbon (C),
Hydrogen (H), Nitrogen (N), Calcium (Ca) and Phosphorus (P).
Living things are mostly Oxygen, 63 % for animals and 77% for plants. Even
though all living things are mostly Oxygen, they are known as Carbon based life
forms on Earth. Animals are about 19 % Carbon and plants are 12%. Both plants
and animals are about 10% Hydrogen. Nitrogen is found in the genes of living
things, animals are 4% Nitrogen and plants are 1%. Very few plants have
Calcium in them animals have skeletons so they have quite a more than plants.
Mammals, like rabbits are 2% Calcium. Phosphorous makes up the remaining 1%
of a plant or 2% of an animal.
What is the most abundant element in all living things?
What element is found in animals but not in most plants?
Create 2 Pie graphs to represent the elements in plants and animals.
Name:_____________________
Date: _____
Science
Period:___
Limited Number of Elements
The words written in red need to be recorded in your journal.
All questions and requested graphs need to be completed in your journal.
Just for fun print and color the following picture.