Periodic Table

The periodic law.

The most important classification in chemistry is the arrangement of the elements in the Periodic Table.
in 1869, Mendeléev, a Russian scientist, was the frst to construct a Periodic Table. He arranged the
elements in order of increasing relative atomic mass.

He pointed out that elements with similar properties kept recurring at regular intervals or periods.

Mendeléev's Periodic Table had many gaps. He predicted that there were undiscovered elements which
could fill these gaps. He even predicted the possible properties of these elements.

Later, elements such as scandium, gallium, germanium, etc, were discovered, which not only fitted
exactly into Mendeléev's Table, but also had the properties he predicted. This clearly showed the great
usefulness of the Periodic Table as it helps us to correlate the properties of the elements and thus
remember their chemistry.

With the discovery of the electronic structure of the atoms, it became clear that elements do vary
regularly, not with their relative atomic mass, but with their atomic number. The basic assumption
behind the modern Periodic Table, known as the Periodic Law, is as follows:

The modern Periodic Law states that the properties of the elements are a periodic function

If their atomic numbers.

Teacher explains blocks of elements.

Groups and periods

The modern form of the Periodic Table is divided into eight vertical columns known as groups and seven
horizontal rows known as periods.

Groups The vertical columns of elements, or groups, are numbered from 0 to 7. Elements in the same
group have the same number of electrons in the outermost shell of their atoms, i.e. they have the same
number of valence electrons.

Hydrogen does not fit into any group. But for convenience, it is placed in Group 1 because of the single
electron. In Group 0. helium has two electrons, singe the other elements have eight valence electrons,

"Besides the eight main groups, there are also the transition groups of elements. These lie between
Groups 2 and 3 in the Periodic Table.

Periods

The horizontal rows of elements. or periods,

are numbered from 1 to 7. Elements in the same period have the same number of electron shells,
ie.elements of Period 2 have two electron shells (K, L), those of Period 3 have three (K, L, M), and so on.

The number of valence electrons of the elements in the same period increases progressively by one
across the period from left to right.
Among the elements in Periods 6 and 7 are the elements of the lanthanide and actinide series
respectively. They are also known as the inner transition elements.

Metals, metalloids and non-metals

The Periodic Table shows a diagonal division of the elements into metals and non-metals, as indicated by
the black boundary line in fig. 8.2. The metals are found on the left side of this line and the nonmetals on
the right. The metalloids occur along the boundary line.

Teacher explains spdf.

Groups 1 and 2 make up the s-block. The elements in this block are the reactive alkali and alkali-earth
metals. Groups 3 to 7 and 0 form the p-block. Electrons are added progressively to the p orbitals as we
move across the table from Groups 3 to 7 and 0. The elements in the p-block change from moderately
active metals in Group 3 to the very active non-metals in Group 7, and finally the unreactive noble gases
in Group O which appropriately mark the end of each period.

Thus, we see that the positions of the s-block and p-block elements in the Periodic Table are related to
the s and p electrons occupying the outermost energy levels of the atoms.

The transition elements occur between Groups 2 and 3 in the Periodic Table. They form the d-block
because they contain d electrons in addition to the s and p electrons. As we progress across the
transition series from left to right, the electrons that are added fill up the incomplete inner d orbitals of
the atoms of the elements. The electronic configuration of the outermost energy level remains fixed at
one or two s electrons. Here, we see that the positions of the transition elements in the Periodic Table
are related to the presence of the d electrons, occupying the inner orbitals of the atoms. The partially
filled d orbitals confer special properties on the transition elements.

The transition elements which are all metals, are similar among themselves and different from the s-
block metals.

The lanthanides and the actinides also occur between Groups 2 and 3 in Periods 6 and 7 respectively.
They form the f-block because they contain f electrons in addition to the s, p and d electrons. The f
electrons are added to the inner orbitals of the atoms. The lanthanides and the actinides exhibit very
similar properties which are due to the presence of the f electrons.