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Periodic table
Because there are patterns in the way the elements are arranged on the
Periodic table, there are also patterns and trends in the chemical behaviour of
the elements and their physical properties
There are trends in properties down Groups and across each Period
All the Group I elements, for example, react very quickly with water
In this way the Periodic Table can be used to predict how a particular element
will behave
The Periodic Table can also be used to predict boiling point, melting point,
density and many more properties by comparing to nearby elements.
IMPORTANT ‘ GROUPS ‘
The reactivity of the Group 1 metals increases as you go down the group
Each outer shell contains only one electron so when they react, they lose the
outer electron which empties the outermost shell
The next shell down automatically becomes the outermost shell and is already
full, hence the atom obtains an electronic configuration which has a full outer
shell of electrons and is stable
As you go down Group 1, the number of inner complete shells of electrons
increases by 1 per row (period number increases down the Periodic Table)
This means that the outer electron is further away from the nucleus so there
are weaker electrostatic forces of attraction
This requires less energy to overcome the electrostatic forces of attraction
between the negatively charged electron and the positively charged nucleus
This allows the electron to be lost more easily, making the Group I metal atoms
more reactive as you go down the group
The halogens
These are the Group VII non-metals that are poisonous and include fluorine,
chlorine, bromine, iodine and astatine
Halogens are diatomic, meaning they form molecules of two atoms
All halogens have seven electrons in their outer shell
They form halide ions by gaining one more electron to complete their outer shells
Fluorine is not allowed in schools, so observations and experiments tend to only
involve chlorine, bromine and iodine
At room temperature (20 °C), the physical state of the halogens changes as you
go down the group
Chlorine are a pale yellow-green gas, bromine is a red-brown liquid and iodine
is a grey-black solid
This demonstrates that the density of the halogens increase as you go down
the group:
The physical state of the halogens at room temperature
Diagram showing the electronic configuration of the first three elements in Group
VII
Noble gases are inert (unreactive) as they have a full outer shell of electrons so
do not easily loss or gain electrons
Uses of the Noble Gases
Helium is used for filling balloons and weather balloons as it is less
dense than air and does not burn
Neon, argon and xenon are used in advertising signs
Argon is used to provide an inert atmosphere for welding
Argon is also used to fill electric light bulbs as it is inert
Neon and argon are used as inert atmospheres for sensitive
experiments where nitrogen is not appropriate