Pick an element and research it well. You will need to write a paper of AT LEAST 1000 words (not counting citations, numbers, cute introductions and conclusions etc). You will need AT LEAST 5 sources (which should be listed on a separate page in FULL detail that I can find them if I want to). Please note that just citing the UH library links or an overall website is NOT ENOUGH!!! You cannot count the following as one of the 5: Wikipedia, interviews, class notes, your class textbook. You can use these – but you have to have at least 5 other sources. Also – you cannot count the same web site more than once towards the 5. I do not care what format you use to cite the sources (APA, MLA etc) but you need to be sure to give enough information for me to find them. www.google.com is not enough for example!!!!!
Please note for the word count that ANY ATTEMPT to circumvent this word requirement will not be considered highly. Indeed, any section in which such attempts occur will be removed from the overall word count. This includes, but is not limited to describing Lewis structures (DRAW THEM), writing out formulas like “2 hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom” instead of H2O, writing out electron configurations using words etc.
Your paper should be split into 4 sections in this order.
First – talk about the element/atom type itself. Include where found, who found it (if known), state at room temperature (i.e., what it looks like), information about the atom (isotopes, electron configuration etc) and as many other bits of information as possible.
Then – I want you to discuss what the element is used for in everyday life – AT LEAST 4 DISTINCT uses – these cannot include making useful compounds.
In the third section, I want you to discuss AT LEAST 10 compounds formed by the element – the formula and structure (Lewis or other), how made (if made) or where found, physical state etc. DO NOT DISCUSS USES IN THIS SECTION.
Finally – I want you to pick AT LEAST 5 compounds that contain your element (which need not be but can be from those discussed in the third section) and talk about their everyday uses.
THE ABOVE DESCRIBES THE MINIMUM REQUIRED FOR THE PAPER. IF YOU ONLY DO THE MINIMUM, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE MORE THAN 80% FOR THE PAPER. I WILL ONLY GIVE AN “A” FOR A PAPER THAT DEMONSTRATES A CONSIDERABLY GREATER AMOUNT OF EFFORT, RESEARCH, TIME SPENT, AND UNDERSTANDING.
You should choose your element wisely! It has to have uses, and compounds and useful compounds. Any noble gas is a bad choice as they don’t form many compounds. Any inner transition metal is a bad choice for the same reason. Carbon is a bad choice as it forms too many compounds etc.
Good choices would be (but not limited to) H, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Ti, Fe, Ni, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, Zn, B, Al, Si, N, P, O, S, F, Cl
– MY CHOICE IS MAGNESIUM (Mg) –
I cannot read rough drafts for you; I also cannot help individually. One of the motivations behind assigning this is to force you to go and search for material in an area that is not familiar to you. I suggest you adopt a two-prong approach. For hard copy, use encyclopedias, dictionaries, the reference section of the library, and general books. You will not be able to understand most of the material in very specific books or the primary (“learned journals”) literature. Then, use the web. Search for the element itself but also for compounds. There are 3 wonderful web sites that I expect 95% of you to use – but a bunch of other good ones. Do searches on the compound names – there are a few super sites that will give you lots of information. BTW – I’m not going to tell you the sites – you have to find them yourselves!!!
An important word on PLAGIARISM!!!! I expect this paper to be your work but you may quote up to 150 words from other sources. When you quote (or almost quote) you MUST put the quote in quote marks and make it very clear where it came from. If you’re unsure whether what you did was plagiarism or not, be safe and cite where you got the information from.
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