Across
- 4. One of the few elements that readily bonds with gold. Exposure to it can cause "tellurium breath," a garlic-like odor that persists for weeks.
- 6. Often confused with graphite (plumbago) in antiquity, its name comes from the Greek word for "lead," though it contains none.
- 7. Its symbol comes from the Latin stibium, but its name likely derives from Greek words meaning "a metal not found alone." Ancient Egyptians used its sulfide as eyeliner.
- 8. Long mistaken for tin or lead, this post-transition metal is more diamagnetic than any other metal and has a half-life longer than the estimated age of the universe.
- 9. The final member of the Lanthanide series, it was the subject of a naming dispute between French, German, and American scientists in 1907.
- 11. This is the most reactive of the rare-earth metals; it’s the reason your banknotes glow under UV light to prevent counterfeiting.
- 13. The densest naturally occurring element. It smells faintly of chlorine due to the formation of its highly toxic tetroxide.
- 14. Known as the "poisoner's poison" because it is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. Its name comes from the Greek thallos, meaning a green shoot or twig.
- 15. Its name literally translates from Greek as "hard to get at," fitting for a Lanthanide discovered via fractional distillation of holmium oxide.
- 17. Part of a "twin" pair with Praseodymium; when combined with iron and boron, it creates the strongest permanent magnets commercially available.
- 18. Named after the moon, this element's conductivity increases with light intensity, making it vital for early photoelectric cells.
- 19. Predicted by Mendeleev as "eka-aluminum," it has the widest liquid range of any metal and will melt if held in a warm hand.
- 20. Named after the mythological founder of Thebes, this element is often found in "Yellow" pigments but is notorious for causing "Itai-itai" disease.
Down
- 1. Named after the Latin name for Copenhagen, it was the first element discovered using X-ray spectroscopy rather than chemical means.
- 2. The "Tiger of Chemistry." It is the most electronegative element and was so dangerous to isolate that it killed or blinded several 19th-century "Fluorine Martyrs."
- 3. Named after a Greek mythological figure punished with eternal thirst, fitting for a metal that is completely "impervious" to immersion in acid.
- 5. Named for the brilliant indigo line in its spectrum, this soft metal "screams" (a high-pitched tin-cry) when bent.
- 10. The most corrosion-resistant material known, its name comes from the Greek goddess of the rainbow due to the striking colors of its salts.
- 12. Named after an asteroid (which was named after a Greek goddess), this metal can absorb up to 900 times its own volume in hydrogen gas.
- 16. The last naturally occurring stable element to be discovered (1925), it has the third-highest melting point behind carbon and tungsten.