Name: __________________________________________________ Exploring Biochemistry
Chemical Bonds: Directions: Fill in the questions with the correct answer from the interactive quiz
found at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/chemical-bonds-quiz.html
1. There are fewer than 120 elements, from the lightest—hydrogen—to heavyweights like uranium. Yet
atoms of these elements combine to form an astounding number of chemical substances. How many?
2. What holds atoms together in chemical substances? For instance, what binds two atoms of hydrogen
to one atom of oxygen in H2O?
3. Some elements, like hydrogen and oxygen, easily form bonds, while other elements, like neon,
remain chemically "aloof." What determines this tendency?
4. Pioneering chemist Gilbert Newton Lewis and other scientists of the early 20th century described
two main types of chemical bonds. What are they?
5. At room temperature, a compound with ionic bonds tends to be a... (Hint: What is NaCl?)
6. Most elements on the periodic table are metals. The nature of metallic bonding makes metals good...
7. What weak attractive forces allow geckos to climb even smooth glass walls?
8. Diamond and graphite are both pure carbon. What is the key difference between them, at the atomic
level?
An Elemental Quiz Directions: Fill in the questions with the correct answer from the interactive quiz
found at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/chemistry-elements.html
1. The periodic table is a chart of all known chemical elements, both natural and synthesized. Why are
the elements arranged in a curious pattern of unequal rows and columns?
2. Hydrogen is the first element on the table, helium the second, lithium the third, and so on. What
determines an element's numerical order?
3. Most elements were created inside of stars, but scientists have now made more than 20 elements in
laboratories. What was the first element synthesized in a lab?
4. Who officially names a newly discovered element?
5. What everyday object makes use of a synthesized heavy element?
6. In 1952, elements 99 and 100 were discovered. Where were they found?
7. The nuclei of elements with a so-called "magic number" of protons tend to be more stable. What is
the heaviest element found in nature with such a magic number?
8. In the 1960s, physicists predicted that if element 114 could be made, it would be more stable than
other superheavy elements. In 1998, when scientists finally created a single atom of element 114, it
survived for how long?
Nature’s Super Materials Directions: For each material, tell why it is so “super” and potential uses.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/nature-materials.html
Gecko Foot –
Abalone Shell-
Lotus Leaf –
Spider Silk –
Shark –
Cephalopod -