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Article Excerpt
OUR POPULAR MYSTERY SERIES RETURNS
Which element on the periodic table gives maraschino cherries their vivid red color, keeps car headlights shining bright, and is a powerful germ killer? Follow these eight clues to find out. Then turn the page to test your chemistry I!].
CLUE 1
DYNAMIC DUO
The mystery element--a nonmetal--is usually a found paired with its "twin." That's because the smallest unit of this element, or its atom, is highly unstable. So two atoms of the mystery element frequently bond together to form a more stable diatomic molecule (particle containing two atoms). At room temperature, the mystery element sublimes, changing from a shiny black solid into purple gas.
GOT IT ALREADY? SCORE 100 POINTS. IF NOT, READ CLUE #2.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
CLUE 2
CHERRY RED
Some of the cherries that top sundaes owe their tempting color to the mystery element. When the element combines with oxygen (O), carbon (C), and sodium (Na), it forms a red food dye. Most maraschino cherries wouldn't be bright red without the mystery element, says Penny Martin, a food chemist at Sensient Colors. The red dye also colors some candies, which in turn can stain your tongue red.
NABBED THE ANSWER? SCORE 80 POINTS. STILL GUESSING? 60 TO THE NEXT CLUE.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
CLUE 3
SAY "CHEESE!"
It helps capture your grin on film. Black-and-white camera film is coated with a light-sensitive compound (two or more elements that are chemically combined) of the mystery element and silver (Ag). Both elements are members of the same period (row) on the periodic table. When you snap a photo, light enters the camera lens. The...
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