Name: ___________________ Per: ___
What kind of element am I?
Metal, Semimetal (or Metalloid), or Nonmetal?
(Hint: If characteristics are not listed, such as conductivity or malleability, assume that the element does not have those characteristics.)
1. At room temperature, I am a dangerous, reddish-brown liquid. My vapor has a strong, unpleasant odor and
it will irritate people’s eyes and throat, similar to the element chlorine. I produce painful sores when I am
spilled on skin. I am used in dyes, medicines, water purification, photography, and more.
What kind of element am I? ____________________
2. I am a solid at room temperature. In fact, I can be a very beautiful solid at room temperature. Jewelers use
me in creating colorful earrings and necklaces. I am shiny, white, soft, and ductile, meaning I can be easily
shaped or bent or drawn out. I am also used in stainless steels. And, because of my superconductive
properties, I have been used to manufacture superconductive magnets.
What kind of element am I? ____________________
3. I am found in the atmosphere and I can be found dissolved in all natural waters. I am found in the sun, stars,
comets, and large rock masses as well. As you can tell already, I can form compounds easily (especially with
atoms that are the same as me). In fact, life without me would be impossible!
What kind of element am I? ____________________
4. I am the color of steel gray. I am very brittle and I take on a crystalline structure. When I am tarnished in the
air and heated rapidly, I produce arsenous oxide which smells like garlic. I am poisonous. I am used in
bronzing, pyrotechnics, agricultural insecticides and poisons. I am also used as a doping agent in solid-state
devices such as transistors and other electrical devices.
What kind of element am I? ____________________
5. I am the 7th most abundant type of my kind of element (metal, semimetal, or nonmetal) and I make up about
2.4% of the Earth’s crust. I am soft, easily cut with a knife, and I appear silvery immediately after a fresh
surface of mine is exposed. I am used in fertilizers because I am an essential constituent for plant growth and I
am found in most soils. I am also used a heat-transfer medium, meaning that I am used in compounds in order
to help transfer heat. I am very reactive! I catch fire spontaneously when I am on the surface of water and I
burn a violet color in a flame.
What kind of element am I? ____________________