Tellurium

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tellurium

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Tellurium?1782
2. What is the atomic number?52
3. What is the discoverer?Martin Heinrich Klaproth
4. How is tellurium used in solar panels?Tellurium is a key ingredient in cadmium telluride thin‑film solar cells, helping the panels absorb sunlight and turn it into electricity.
5. Where does tellurium come from?Tellurium is usually recovered as a byproduct when copper is refined, coming from the anode slimes in the smelting process.

Metalloid: An element exhibiting properties of both metals and nonmetals, such as tellurium.
Chalcogen: An element in Group 16 of the periodic table, including oxygen, sulfur, selenium, and tellurium.
Thermoelectric Materials: Substances that can convert heat energy into electrical energy and vice versa.
Semiconductor: A material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator, vital for electronics.