Chemistry Department Welcomes Interactive Periodic Table

Pop quiz: What naturally occurring elements are most closely related to each of the following everyday objects: a pair of sunglasses, a battery, and a CD?

CK Chemistry students have been engaging in this learning approach since earlier this month when Cranbrook Schools became the home of an Interactive Periodic Table of Elements.

Of only six in the world, the Cranbrook installation is the only Interactive Periodic Table that is housed in a high school. Others are in such places as The Julian Science Center at DePauw University and as of fall 2009, The Dow Chemical Company.

Each installation is unique. Cranbrook’s includes a compartment dedicated to each of the 92 naturally occurring elements. Each cell holds a sample of the element as well as various objects that are related to that element. Additionally, there is an interactive computer monitor. Selecting any of the element symbols calls up detailed text and video and photographic information about the selected substance on a computer built into the cabinet. In many cases this information includes video footage showing spectacular experiments and industrial uses of the element in question.

“Student interest in this installation is demonstrated daily as many students regularly engage themselves with the board,” says Science Department Chair Greg Miller. “The generous lessons available for classes all foreshadow the impact that I believe this gift will have not only on today’s but also tomorrow’s students and teachers.”

The Table was made possible by a generous donation given to Cranbrook Schools last year to be used specifically for the US Chemistry Department.

For more information about The Element Collection, please visit their website by clicking here.


Answers to the quiz: praseodymium (sunglasses), lithium (battery), and tellurium (CD).