The element of mystery

Indian Creek Middle School students work recently on a lab testing samples of unknown elements in their annual Mystery Element lab. Debbie Abel’s science class has received a $500 grant from the Nineveh Hensley Jackson Education Foundation for the last three years. Before completing the lab, students have studied the periodic table, and the different elements of the periodic table that include classifications, physical/chemical properties, etc. For the lab, students are given eight samples of pure unknown elements. They test all of the elements for their physical and chemical properties that include such things as conductivity, malleability, luster and chemical reactivity. As they test each element, they can eventually declare where it belongs on the periodic table due to its properties or characteristics.