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Periodic Table Trivia Crossword Puzzle Mark as Favorite (21 Favorites)

ACTIVITY in Elements, History, Periodic Table. Last updated January 29, 2024.

Summary

In this activity, students will be presented with trivia questions related to the periodic table of elements. Many of the questions can be answered by examining a periodic table, while others are related to specific elements and may require additional research. Students will complete a crossword puzzle as they answer each of the questions.  

Grade Level

High School

Objectives

By the end of this activity, students should be able to

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the periodic table, its organization, its history, and facts about common elements.

Chemistry Topics

This activity supports students’ understanding of

  • Periodic Table
  • Elements
  • History

Time

Teacher Preparation: minimal
Lesson: 15 - 20 minutes

Materials

  • Crossword Puzzle & Clues
  • Periodic Table

Safety

  • No specific safety precautions need to be observed for this activity.

Teacher Notes

  • This crossword puzzle could be used at the end of a chemistry course or at the end of a unit about the periodic table.
  • The AACT Video The History of the Periodic Table is a good reference and may help students.
  • The AACT Video Dimitri Mendeleev may be helpful for reference.
  • An answer key document has been provided for teacher reference.
  • There is a Periodic Table Unit Plan available in the AACT library that may be of interest to teachers as they plan to teach topics related to the periodic table.   

For the Student

The Periodic Table Trivia: Crossword Clues

Across

4) 90 of the elements on the periodic table can be found in ________.

6) The heaviest, naturally occurring element. (Hint: it has a single-letter element symbol.)

9) A group of elements are also called a ________.

11) The most abundant element on earth.

12) Sterling Silver is an alloy made of two elements, silver and _______.

14) _________ was the first man-made element.

16) The acronym responsible for maintaining the periodic table.

18) Several elements are named related to places on Earth. Francium is named the country, ________.

20) _________ is the second most abundant element in the universe.

22) The element named after Nobel Prize winning scientists, Marie Curie and Pierre Curie.

25) The noble gases all share this property.

26) Atoms of a particular element are identified by their number of __________.

27) Mercury and Bromine are both _________ at room temperature.

28) The element that can form over 10 million different compounds.

31) Alkaline Earth metals have two of these.

33) The most reactive nonmetal.

Down

1) Element named after the greek word “Argos” meaning “idle” or “lazy”. 

2) The element represented by the symbol W.

3) Brass is an alloy, made of two elements, copper and ______.

5) Diamond and graphite are both ____________ of carbon.

7) The most abundant element in the universe.

8) The most abundant element in the Earth’s crust.

9) The rarest element on Earth.

10) 75% of the elements are __________.

12) The element name Helium is derived from a Greek word meaning __________.

15) The element that makes up approximately 50% of bone mass.

17) An element that is a crucial building block of DNA.

19) The lightest metal.

21) He organized the periodic table by atomic weight.

23) The latin word for Tin, as indicated by its element symbol.

24) Recently discovered element 117.

26) A radioactive heavy metal, often considered as the most dangerous element.

29) A popular poison in history, often known as “inheritance powder”.

30) A soft slivery metal, often used by magicians.

32) The most abundant element in the human body (by mass).