Element Scrabble
The Experiment
Chemists work with chemicals that are often written as abbreviations using symbols from an
alphabet called the Periodic Table of Elements. It is similar to the alphabet you learned when
you were a little kid, but this one is designed just for chemicals. Just like the 26 letters in our
alphabet can be arranged to make words, combinations of the 108 elements in the Periodic
Table can be arranged to name every chemical known to man.
It was very important to learn the alphabet when you were a kid so you could read and write. It
is also important to be familiar with the names and symbols of the elements from the Periodic
Table, so you can read and understand chemical equations and formulas. Play Element
Scrabble to acquaint yourself with 36 of the 108 symbols of the chemistry alphabet.
TEKS Objectives
Objectives:
(6.5) Matter and energy. The student knows the differences between elements and
compounds. The student is expected to:
(A) know that an element is a pure substance represented by chemical symbols.
(C) differentiate between elements and compounds on the most basic level.
Materials
1
pencil or pen
1
Periodic Table of the Elements
1
imagination
Procedure
You have 10 minutes to create as many words as you possibly can using the symbols of the
elements listed below. For example, you can combine H and I to spell HI; or Ne, C and K to
spell NeCK. Use any symbol as often as you like and use them multiple times in a single word.
Let your imagination run wild! Be sure to copy the symbols exactly as they are written in the
space below. This is one time that you won’t get in trouble for mixing upper case and lower
case letters together. List the words in the spaces below. Good Luck!
H
He
Li
B
C
N
O
F
Ne
Na
Mg
Al
Si
P
S
Cl
Ar
K
Ca
Mn
Fe
Co
Ni
Cu
Zn
Br
Kr
Sr
Ag
Sn
Au
Hg
Pb
Ra
Th
U
Scrabble Words
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Last Updated 8/03/09
Element Scrabble
Translations
1. Select five words from your list and translate them. To do this, match the
symbols from your Scrabble words with the elements they represent in the
table below. For example, HI is made up of two symbols, H, which is the
abbreviation for hydrogen, and I, which is the abbreviation for iodine. You
would translate HI like this: HI Hydrogen, Iodine.
H
B
O
Na
Si
Cl
Ca
Co
Zn
Sr
Au
Ra
Hydrogen
Boron
Oxygen
Sodium
Silicon
Chlorine
Calcium
Cobalt
Zinc
Strontium
Gold
Radium
Chem Words
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
He
C
F
Mg
P
Ar
Mn
Ni
Br
Ag
Hg
Th
Helium
Carbon
Fluorine
Magnesium
Phosphorous
Argon
Manganese
Nickel
Bromine
Silver
Mercury
Thorium
Li
N
Ne
Al
S
K
Fe
Cu
Kr
Sn
Pb
U
Lithium
Nitrogen
Neon
Aluminum
Sulfur
Potassium
Iron
Copper
Krypton
Tin
Lead
Uranium
Translations
2. Have a classmate check your translations. When you both agree they are
correct, translate the actual chemical formulas listed below.
Chemical Words
a. NaOH
b. HOH
c. CaClCl
d. SiO
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Translations
Last Updated 8/03/09