Page 205 - The Periodic Table Book

Period or decays. When a nucleus Synthetic Toxic
A set of elements in a row in decays, it releases at least one Another word for artificial. Another word for poisonous Glossary
the periodic table. Each atom particle and its atomic number Out of the 118 known or harmful.
of the elements in the first changes, so that the atom elements on Earth, more than
period have one electron shell. becomes a different element. 25 are synthetically made. Transparent
Atoms in the second period Another word for see-through.
have two electron shells. Reaction Toughness Glass, water, and air are
A chemical process in A quality of a solid that transparent to light. Many
Periodic table which atoms or molecules shows how difficult it is to materials are transparent
A table that identifies and form bonds with each other break. Steel is very tough – to other forms of radiation.
classifies all known elements. to form a new compound – it may bend or twist, but is
or rearrange, to produce much harder to break. Vacuum
Photograph negative different compounds. An empty space that
A film or plate that has been Transition metal does not contain air
exposed to light to show an Renewable energy A member of the set of or any other substance.
image with reversed colours. A source of energy that will metals that sit in the middle
not run out, for example, wind. of the periodic table. Most Vapour
Photosynthesis metals belong to this set. A gas that can easily be
A complicated set of chemical Rust changed back to a liquid,
reactions by which plants make The common name for by cooling it or putting it
their food. They use the energy the compounds that form under pressure.
of sunlight to convert water when iron reacts with
and carbon dioxide into sugar oxygen and water. Verdigris
and oxygen. The green-grey layer that
Salt forms on copper when it
Pollution A compound that forms comes in contact with air.
Harmful substances that are when an acid reacts with
released into the environment. an alkali. Sodium chloride
Pollution can be chemical – a is the most familiar example
gas, liquid, or solid added to of a salt.
the air, water, or soil.
Semi-metal
Pressure An element that has properties
A measure of how hard a force of both metals and non-metals.
pushes on a surface. Pressure
depends upon the strength Smelting
of the force and the area of A chemical process that
the surface. involves great heat in which a
metal is extracted from its ore.
Proton
A positively charged particle Solid The Statue of
in the nucleus of an atom. A state in which the particles Liberty is covered
Protons attract electrons, and of matter (atoms or molecules) with a layer
they circle the nucleus. are bound to each other, so of verdigris.
they remain in fixed positions.
Radar A solid has a fixed shape
A system that detects the and volume.
positions and speed of distant
objects, such as aircraft. Stainless steel
An alloy of iron and carbon
Radiation that also contains other metals,
Energy released by atoms such as chromium, which stop
as light, infrared, ultraviolet the iron from rusting and
(UV), and X-rays. The term increase its toughness.
“radiation” is also used to
describe the rays given out Superconductor
by radioactive substances. A substance through which
an electric current flows
Radioactive with no resistance; most
Describes a substance that substances resist the flow
contains unstable atoms, in of electricity, and produce
which the nucleus breaks apart, heat when current flows. 203

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