The Periodic Table: Chemistry 4

Dimitri Mendeleev

Russian who graphically showed the periodic law; he arranged the elements into columns corresponding to their various chemical and physical properties, explaining the relationship between chemical groups and predicting the existence of elements not yet discovered. He published his work before German Lothar Meyer and is given credit for the first version of the periodic table.

Alkali Metals

Group 1, 1 electron in outer level, very reactive, soft, silver, shiny, low density.

Alkaline Earth Metals

2 valence electrons +2 ions. Metals that occur naturally only in compounds.

Transition Metals

Groups 3-12, 1-2 electrons in the outer energy level, less reactive than alkali-earth metals, shiny, good conductor of thermal energy and electrical current, high density.

Halogens

Contains nonmetals, 7 valence electrons in it's outermost energy level. This group of elements combine easily with metals to form compounds known as salts and they are the most reactive of the nonmetal elements.

Lanthanides

4f series, from lanthanum to lutetium, have irregularities in the 4f and 5d sublevels. Lose 3 electrons to form 3+ ions. Available in nature, very similar, little commercial use.

Actinides

5f series, radioactive. Uranium and thorium occur in nature, the rest are synthetic.

Noble Gases

Elements in group 8A of the periodic table. Have no charge and are gases under normal conditions.

Alkali Metals

Examples are Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, Cesium, Francium.

Alkaline Earth Metals

Examples are Beryllium, Magnesium, Calcium, Strontium, Barium, Radium.

Alkaline Earth Metals

Except for beryllium, they react with water to produce alkaline solutions. Most of their oxides form alkaline solutions.

Transition Metals

They are known for their ability to form various oxidation states and colorful compounds. They often exhibit paramagnetism due to the presence of unpaired electrons in their d orbitals.

Transition Metals

Examples are Iron, Nickel, Copper, Gold.

Halogens

Examples are Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine.

Lanthanides

Examples are Neodymium, Cerium, Ytterbium.

Actinides

Examples are Uranium, Plutonium, Thorium, Neptunium, Curium.

Noble Gases

Examples are Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, Radon.

Periods

Horizontal rows in the periodic table that indicate the highest energy level of an element's electrons.

Groups

Vertical columns in the periodic table that share similar chemical properties and the same number of valence electrons.