Could someone provide some cuick Chemistry help?

Question

I'm a newbie in chemistry, so could someone state two properties of an element? (real question is: List the first elements of the periodic table. State 2 properties of each elements) but i know how to find the first 18.

Also...

Are the physical properties of the compound sodium chloride (table salt) an average of the properties of the elements it contains? Explain.

I won't playgarise (i hope i spelled that right) and i won't copy exactly what people say. I just need some help with it. My version of help is not just giving me the answer to write down. many thanks

Answer 1

your first question - well there's many different properties... You can look at physical properties (its state, solid/liquid/gas, melting/boiling point) for an easy start.

As for your question about salt, the easy answer is NO a compound is not necessarily the average of the two properties.

Look at sodium - highly volatile, reacts violently if dropped into water

Then look at chlorine - nasty, toxic, potent greenish gas

and to think we combine these two and sprinkle it on our food?

So as you can see, when an element ionises (ie gains/loses an electrons, has a charge) and then forms a compound it may take on cmopletely new properties.

Answer 2

First, I think they want you to give two properties each of the first several elements. For example, hydrogen is a gas at ordinary conditions, and it is flammable. Helium is a gas at ordinary conditions, but not only is it nonflammable, it does not react at all. Lithium is a metal, and it reacts explosively with water.

Sodium chloride does not have an average of the properties of the elements. Salt is a crystalline solid that can make food taste better when eaten. Chlorine is a poisonous, irritating gas that corrodes almost everything it contacts. Sodium is a metal so reactive that it explodes in water and must be kept under some kind of oil to keep it from reacting with the air.

Good luck with your chemistry studies!

Answer 3

Two basic properties? Every element has a set number of protons ( its atomic number ) and electrons that are equal to that number in a stable state. If the element gains or loses electrons, it becomes what is called an "ion". Every element also has neutrons. A change in neutrons is called an "isotope."

Sodium Chloride is NaCl. It is a solid. When put in water, NaCl goes into what is called the "aqueous" (dissolved in water), when NaCl solid (s) turns into Na+ and Cl- (the shared electrons in NaCl are broken by the water molecules, and the sodium turned into is sodium ion, and chlorine becomes its ion)