Science: Setting The Periodic Table

bond • periodic • trend • unpack • infer • imply • configuration • positive • negative • neutral
SciGen Unit 8.6
SETTING THE
science PERIODIC TABLE
SCIENCE ACTIVITIES
Session 1 2–7
Reader’s Theater
Different Types of Elements
Session 2 8–11
Speaking Scientifically
Session 3 12–15
Inside, and Between, Atoms
Session 4 16–22
Setting the Periodic Table
Session 5 23–25
Writing
SUPPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES FOR OTHER

CONTENT AREAS
ELA 26–27
What’s in a name?
Math 28
Counting Atoms with the “Chemist’s Dozen”
Social Studies 29–30

Alchemy and the Secret of Gold
FOCUS WORDS
Examining the Focus Words Closely 31–32
© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 1

Session 1 bond • periodic • trend • unpack • infer • imply • configuration • positive • negative • neutral
Reader’s Theater
A Deeper Look at the Periodic Table
Setting: Zena, Cooper, Hamza, and Olivia are sitting on the lawn together during their lunch break comparing phone
apps.
Olivia: Here’s another free app I found. I’m hoping it’ll Olivia: Actually, I think everything can be a solid, liquid,
help in Ms. Quintanilla’s science class. or gas, if the temperature is right. We’re just not used to
thinking about temperatures hot enough to turn gold into
Cooper: Cool! The periodic table of the elements! a gas, or temperatures cold enough to turn oxygen into a
liquid. Those must be really extreme temperatures!
Hamza: “Cool”? Isn’t it just that big chart on Ms.
Quintanilla’s wall? Boring! I doubt periodic table apps are Cooper: Let’s see, ice melts into liquid water at 32
going to be the next cool trend. degrees Fahrenheit, and then boils at, um…
Cooper: No need to be so negative, Hamza. Science is Hamza: At 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

seriously cool if you pay attention long enough to figure
out what it’s about. Olivia: Wow! Hamza? I think that’s right!
Zena: What does the app do besides a good impression Hamza: Why is everybody so surprised when I know
of alphabet soup, Olivia? something? My birthday is February 12, which is 2/12, so I
always remember the boiling point of water.
Olivia: Each square represents one element. If you touch
a square, more information pops up about that element, Cooper: Okay, so water melts at 32 degrees Fahrenheit
like the temperatures at which it melts and boils. and boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. And water is made
of the elements oxygen and hydrogen, so let’s see what
Zena: Wait, ice melts and water boils, but not everything their melting and boiling points are. Olivia, what does
does, does it? I mean, I guess gold melts if you heat it your app say?
enough, but it can’t boil, can it? When water boils it turns
into steam, which is a gas, but I never hear of gold gas.
And how could oxygen boil—it’s already a gas.

Reader’s Theater
Olivia: Wow! It says oxygen melts at -361.12 degrees Hamza: But why does the periodic table have that weird
Fahrenheit, so below that temperature oxygen would be shape? I think of tables like that as being made of rows
solid. And it boils into a gas at -297.328 degrees and columns in a simple rectangle. This one has random
Fahrenheit. No wonder we only know oxygen as a gas. pieces sticking out in funny places. It looks messed up to
And for hydrogen the temperatures are even colder: The me.
melting point is -434.452 degrees Fahrenheit, and the
boiling point is -423.166 degrees Fahrenheit. Olivia: Well, check this out. The app shows another
picture of the table that divides the elements into four
Hamza: It’s kind of surprising that a compound like water categories: metals, nonmetals, metalloids, and noble
can have properties that are so different from the gases. The shape of the table can’t be random, can it, if it
elements that go into it. That’s actually kind of… has these patterns in it?
Cooper: Cool? Hamza: Metalloid? That doesn’t even sound like a real
word. It sounds like a creature from another planet.
Hamza: Yeah, okay. A little bit cool. Cool enough to
freeze water, but not cool enough to freeze oxygen or Zena: Um, wait a minute, Olivia. Something’s wrong with
hydrogen. the app. The labels for the four types of elements are
blank!
Olivia: Hey, it says here that gold boils into a gas at
5,048.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Talk about hot! Olivia: Oh, you’re right. There must be some kind of bug
in the software.
Zena: So the table is basically a list of the elements, and
you can get more info on each one? I guess that could Hamza: Maybe the people who made the app just
be useful for class. realized no one’s ever going to care which elements are
metalloons or royal gases or whatever they’re called, so
they gave up and went home the day they were
supposed to put in the labels.

Reader’s Theater
Olivia: No, no, it’s just some kind of computer glitch. Olivia: Hold on! How atoms are put together? Put
Here are descriptions of the four different types of together out of what? I thought atoms were the smallest
elements: parts of things. How can they be built out of anything
else? Wouldn’t that imply that they’re made of smaller
parts?
NOBLE GASES METALS Zena: Yeah, how can there be a smaller part of the
• They are all gases • Most of them are
smallest particle of something? Democritus said atoms
at room solid at room are uncuttable.
temperature. temperature
(although mercury is Olivia: Who’s Democritus?
• They hardly ever
a liquid).
get involved in
Hamza: Isn’t he that French-Canadian kid in Adam’s
chemical reactions. • In their pure form,
they are shiny
English class?
• They are hardly
(although they can
ever found in
be in compounds Zena: No, he’s Greek, and he’s dead.
compounds with
that are not shiny).
other elements. Hamza: Oh man, that’s terrible! He seemed like a really
• They tend to be
nice guy!
flexible, not brittle or
NONMETALS crumbly.
Zena: Wait, who?
• Many of them are • They conduct
gases at room electricity well. Cooper: What?
temperature
(although some are Olivia: There’s Ms. Quintanilla. Excuse me, Ms. Q! Are
solid and one, there smaller parts inside of atoms?
METALLOIDS
bromine, is liquid).
• They share some of
• Those that are solid Ms. Quintanilla: Great question as usual, Olivia! We’re
the properties of
tend not to be shiny.
metals and some of
going to talk about that in class later this week.
• Those that are solid nonmetals.
are mostly brittle or Hamza: How can we talk about atoms and tables at a
• For example, they time like this? Ms. Q, did you know that Democritus is
crumbly, not
are somewhere dead?
flexible.
between metals and
• They do not nonmetals in their
ability to conduct
Ms. Quintanilla: Um… Yes, yes I did… He’s been dead for
conduct electricity
well. electricity. about 24 centuries. I didn’t realize you felt such a
personal bond with the father of atomic theory, Hamza.
I’ll see you all in class in a few minutes.
Cooper: Maybe if we compared that information to the Hamza: Wait, who?

properties of some specific elements, we could figure
out which labels belong where on the periodic table. Cooper: Wait, what?
Hamza: What?! Oh, sure, Cooper, and maybe we could Zena: Democritus was an ancient Greek philosopher
get Ms. Quintanilla to give us extra homework every who believed in atoms back before everyone else did.
weekend, because otherwise we might accidentally have
a little fun sometime. No, if the people who made the Hamza: Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah, that Democritus… No, I
app don’t care enough to put in the labels, I sure don’t. knew he was, uh, dead. Tough break, but at least he was
And I still say the periodic table is shaped weird. right about those atoms.
Cooper: I think Olivia’s right; the periodic table’s shape is

totally intentional. I think the table is supposed to tell you
something about how atoms of the different elements
are put together.

Working with a partner or in small groups, help Olivia and Cooper figure out which areas of the periodic table contain
the four different types of elements: noble gases, metals, nonmetals, and metalloids.
The four general types of elements (same as on previous page)
NOBLE GASES METALS NONMETALS METALLOIDS

• They are all gases • Most of them are • Many of them are • They share some of
at room solid at room gases at room the properties of
temperature. temperature temperature metals and some of
(although mercury is (although some are nonmetals.
• They hardly ever
a liquid). solid and one,
get involved in • For example, they
bromine, is liquid).
chemical reactions. • In their pure form, are somewhere
they are shiny • Those that are solid between metals and
• They are hardly
(although they can tend not to be shiny. nonmetals in their
ever found in
be in compounds ability to conduct
compounds with • Those that are solid
that are not shiny). electricity.
other elements. are mostly brittle or
• They tend to be crumbly, not
flexible, not brittle or flexible.
crumbly.
• They do not
• They conduct conduct electricity
electricity well. well.
Start by comparing the descriptions of those four general types of elements to the following information about several
specific elements and the ways people use them. (Hint: Pay special attention to the words in italics below!)
Specific elements in action

A typical electrical cord is made of copper (Cu) wrapped in plastic. Copper is flexible
enough to be pulled into a thin wire without breaking, and it conducts electricity well.
The plastic that covers the copper wire is usually a compound of carbon (C), hydrogen (H),
and sometimes chorine (Cl). The plastic does not conduct electricity well, so it insulates the
wire, preventing people from getting shocked. (Although hydrogen and chlorine are found
in solid compounds like plastic, in their pure form they are gases at room temperature.)
What general category (noble gas, metal, nonmetal, or metalloid) do you think each of these
specific elements belongs to?
Copper (Cu) is probably a __________________

Carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and chlorine (Cl) are probably all __________________
Explain your choices:
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Hydrogen (H) gas and helium (He) gas are both less dense than air.
When people first started making blimps, they used hydrogen to make
them float in the air.
But hydrogen is also extremely flammable; it reacts violently with
oxygen, forming water vapor and releasing lots of heat. (It’s strange to
think of something burning and producing water, but that’s what
hydrogen does!) In 1937, a hydrogen-filled blimp called the Hindenburg
caught fire, killing 35 of the people on board.
Most blimps now use helium. It’s safer than hydrogen because it hardly
ever reacts with other elements, so it doesn’t burn or explode.
Helium (He) is probably a __________________

Explain your choices:
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Computer chips perform calculations by controlling the flow of millions of electrical

impulses in complex patterns. Silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge) are especially useful
elements for building chips because they are neither great conductors nor great insulators
of electricity. They are somewhere in between and can be used as “semiconductors,”
sometimes allowing and sometimes preventing the flow of electrons. Germanium is
relatively expensive, but silicon is abundant. (Along with oxygen, it makes up most of the
world’s sand.) So silicon is the most common semiconductor in computer chips.
Silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge) are probably both __________________

Explain your choice:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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Finding everybody’s place at the table

Now look at the periodic table on the next page. Find and circle copper (Cu), carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl),
helium (He), silicon (Si), and germanium (Ge). Compare their locations on the table to your informed guesses about their
classifications, and put labels in the four rectangles with arrows pointing to different areas of the periodic table.

Find and circle copper (Cu), carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), helium (He), silicon (Si), and germanium (Ge). Then use the descriptions
of those elements and the descriptions of the four general types of elements to put the correct labels (noble gases, metals, nonmetals, and
metalloids) in the correct boxes.
© 2015 SERP
Session 1
SciGen Unit 8.6

7
bond • periodic • trend • unpack • infer • imply • configuration • positive • negative • neutral
The Elements of Organization
Eeny, meeny, miny,
In the middle of the nineteenth century, a Russian scientist and teacher
moe, where should zinc
named Dmitri Mendeleev struggled to bring order to the list of 70 or so
chemical elements that had been discovered up to that point. and carbon go?
Mendeleev thought about everything people had learned about the
elements. To help unpack and analyze all that information, he wrote the
names of the elements on cards. He thought about how the cards could be
organized in a way that might show some pattern in their properties.
Legend has it that in a dream, Mendeleev saw the elements fall into a
configuration of rows and columns that made sense of the kinds of
evidence he had been wrestling with for years. And thus the periodic table
of the elements was born: a powerful tool to help people remember and
understand information about the elements. It has been revised a good
deal since, and many more elements have been discovered and fit into the
table, but Mendeleev had the basic idea.
Three kinds of data led Mendeleev to the periodic table.
First, scientists knew the “relative atomic mass” of the known elements,
which allowed them to put the elements in a sequence from least massive
atoms to most massive atoms. A hydrogen atom is less massive than a
helium atom, and a helium atom is less massive than a lithium atom, and a
lithium atom is less massive than a beryllium atom, and… You get the idea.
The relative atomic masses of the elements give you a natural sequence in
which to put the elements, from lightest to heaviest:
H He Li Be B C N O F Ne Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar…
less massive atoms more massive atoms
Second, Mendeleev considered the “reactivity” of the elements. Some elements, like hydrogen, oxygen, fluorine, and
sodium, tend to react quickly with others to form compounds. Other elements, like silver and gold, are fairly unreactive
(which is why lumps of pure silver and gold can be found in nature). And as you go through the sequence of the
elements, periodically you come to the noble gases, like helium, neon, and argon, which are extremely unreactive.
Mendeleev noticed that when you line the elements up according the the mass of their atoms, their reactivity rises and
falls. He looked for rhythms—periodic patterns—in the variation of the elements’ reactivity.
Up and down,
up and down… Is there
a pattern here?
Brighter colors show higher reactivity and darker colors show lower reactivity.

When the line of elements is broken apart and arranged in the form of the periodic table, the reactivity of the elements
shows clear trends. The elements tend to be more reactive toward the lower left and the upper right parts of the table,
except that hydrogen is extremely reactive and the whole column of noble gases is extremely unreactive.
Aha!
Third, Mendeleev looked for patterns in the chemical formulas for different
compounds that elements form. For example, hydrogen (H), lithium (Li),
sodium (Na), and potassium (K) atoms all react in a 1:1 ratio with chlorine (Cl)
atoms. But beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), and calcium (Ca) atoms all react
in a 1:2 ratio with chlorine (Cl) atoms. These ratios show up in the formulas
for the compounds. This kind of data guided Mendeleev as he organized
the elements into columns based on chemical similarities.
HCl LiCl NaCl KCl
BeCl2 MgCl2 CaCl2

No single kind of evidence Mendeleev looked at could have led by itself to the periodic table. But by combining the
different kinds of evidence, and having the imagination and intellectual courage to leave gaps in his table for “missing”
elements, Mendeleev was able to open a window to the nature of matter.
Filling in the blanks

In order to put the elements in vertical groups that had
similar chemical properties, Mendeleev had to leave some See?
gaps in the table. Instead of assuming that there was I told you
something wrong with his table, he decided the gaps
so.
implied that there must be undiscovered elements that
would fit nicely into those spots.
For example, there was a missing element in the column
with carbon (C) at the top. Mendeleev inferred that there 32
must be an element whose properties would be the
average of the properties of silicon (Si) and tin (Sn). Now
?
that scientists knew what to look for, they were able to
discover the missing element. It was given the name
germanium (Ge). Its atomic weight and density were very
close to the values Mendeleev had predicted, and like
other elements in its vertical group, a germanium atom will
react with four chlorine atoms (forming GeCl4), or with two
oxygen atoms (forming GeO2).
The ability to predict previously unknown elements like
germanium demonstrates that the periodic table is a tool
for understanding the elements, not just for storing
information about them.
Periodic pentagons
Details of the properties of different chemicals can get pretty complicated, but the basic idea of periodicity that
underlies the periodic table is simpler than it may seem at first. Let’s forget atoms and elements for a moment and just
play with some periodic patterns. Consider a series of pentagons, the first several of which are shown here:
See any patterns? On the following page, these pentagons are organized into a table. But some are missing (just as
germanium was missing from Mendeleev’s original table).
Working with a partner or in small groups, use the visual information in the table to “predict” what the missing
pentagonal figures should look like when they’re “found.” Draw the missing figures in the blank places on the table.

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5
Period 1
Period 2
Period 3
Period 4
Explain the patterns you found that helped you draw the missing figures. For example, what do all the figures have in
common? What do the figures in each horizontal period have in common? What do the figures in each vertical group
have in common?
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Extra challenge: Assuming the pattern continues, draw pentagon #24.


Inside the Atom
As promised, Ms. Quintanilla told her class about the smaller parts that make up atoms. “Atoms,” she said, “are made of
smaller pieces called ‘subatomic’ particles: electrons, protons, and neutrons.
“The number of protons an atom has determines what element it is. Hydrogen atoms have one proton, helium atoms
have two protons, lithium atoms have three protons, and so on. The number of protons an element’s atoms have is kind
of like an ID number; scientists call it the element’s ‘atomic number.’
“The existence of subatomic particles means that an atom can, in fact, be broken down into smaller parts. So atoms
aren’t exactly the uncuttable particles that Democritus first imagined… back before he passed away, I mean.” Ms.
Quintanilla paused and looked at Hamza. “Are you all right? Do you need to see a grief counselor?”
“Um, no thanks,” said Hamza. “I think there was a misunderstanding… But I am wondering: Why did you teach us that
atoms are the smallest pieces of things if they are made up of subatomic particles?”
“Good question,” said Ms. Quintanilla. “The definition of atoms that we learned before is still true. Atoms are the smallest
particles of elements. The key phrase there is ‘of elements.’ We should not infer from that definition that atoms can’t
ever be divided into smaller pieces at all.
“Consider the example of gold. If you divide a piece of gold into smaller and smaller parts until you come to a single
gold atom, you cannot divide it into smaller pieces of gold. But you could theoretically take apart its subatomic particles
and divide it into smaller pieces of something that is no longer gold. A gold atom has 79 protons, and if you could
somehow split them apart, then you would no longer have gold. You would have split the gold atom into smaller atoms
with fewer protons and different properties. This kind of change doesn’t happen in normal chemical reactions; it can only
happen in a different process called a nuclear reaction. Nuclear reactions take place in nuclear bombs and nuclear
power plants, in stars, and in certain other situations in nature. We’re not going to get into nuclear reactions in this class
right now.”
TURN AND TALK

An atom is the smallest possible piece of… what? A compound? An element? Matter? Discuss.


Inside the Atom
Now it’s time to look at how subatomic particles are arranged inside of atoms.
When John Dalton started modern atomic theory in

1803, he imagined atoms as simple, solid spheres.
Since the beginning of the nineteenth century, new
evidence has periodically led scientists to revise
the atomic model. The general trend has been
toward a model with more details—more parts with
more complex relationships. We’ll keep it fairly
simple here.
We now know that every atom has a

“nucleus” at its center, surrounded
by fast-moving electrons.
The electrons that form the outer part of the atom have a negative electrical charge. The electrons move in spherical
regions called “electron shells” at certain distances from the center of the atom—sort of like the layers of an onion. The
nucleus in the center is made of protons and neutrons. Protons have a positive charge and neutrons have no charge;
they’re electrically “neutral,” as their name implies. Normally, each positively charged proton attracts one negatively
charged electron to the atom’s shells, giving the atom an overall neutral charge.
Note: All of the subatomic particles are

actually much smaller, and the space
between shells is much greater, than
shown relative to the diameter of the
atom in this diagram.


Between Atoms
Atoms bond to each other by sharing electrons. The positively charged nuclei of two bonded atoms are both attracted
to the negatively charged electrons they share.
In the cartoon below, the crab and seagull are bonded to each other by their shared attraction to a fish. The hungry
animals represent positively charged nuclei of atoms, attracted to the negatively charged, very fishy electron. Neither
nucleus wants to let go, so they’re stuck together. Electrons are like the glue that join atoms together.
For chemists interested in how atoms bond together to form compounds, the most important electrons are the ones in
the outermost electron shell (the surface layer of the onion, so to speak). When atoms bump into each other, it’s those
outer-shell electrons that determine whether and how the atoms stick together. For example, two hydrogen atoms and
an oxygen atom can share their outer electrons to form a water molecule:
My
electrons! No, mine!!!
H O
H + H + O →
H
Mine!


Between Atoms
Below are diagrams of atoms of five different elements. These diagrams show how many electron shells each kind of
atom has, and how many electrons are in each shell.
Si O H He C
To get a little practice observing the “electron configuration” of atoms, fill in the information for each of these
elements. (This practice will help you later to understand what “periodic” means in the periodic table!) The first one is
done for you.
Element Number of electron Total number of Number of electrons in

shells electrons outer shell
Silicon (Si) 3 14 4
Oxygen (O)
Hydrogen (H)
Helium (He)
Carbon (C)
Electrons are like the glue that holds different atoms together in compounds. Electrons are like a stinky fish that holds a  
claw-waving crab and a greedy gull together in a game of tug-of-war. Electrons are like… what? Given what you’ve
learned so far about how bonds form between atoms, how would you explain the process to someone who knows less
about it than you do? You can use metaphors or you can be more literal—whatever makes it easier to explain!
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What’s with that funny-shaped table?

Let’s review some of what you’ve learned so far this week. You’ve seen that the chemical properties of the elements
gave Dmitri Mendeleev some pretty good reasons for organizing the elements into a periodic table. Organized that way,
the elements reveal all sorts of patterns. Metals gather on the left and nonmetals on the right, with a diagonal frontier of
metalloids between them, and a lonely column of noble gases standing at the far right of the table.
noble gases
nonmetals
m
et
al
lo
id
s
metals
With the exception of those non-reactive noble gases and of super-reactive hydrogen, the reactivity of the elements
increases toward the lower left and upper right corners of the table, while the broad saddle between them is less
reactive.
tive
more
reactive
non-reac
more less reac
reactive tive
Elements that tend to join similar compounds in similar proportions stack up in neat columns, so much so that
Mendeleev was able to predict the existence of germanium below silicon and above tin. The order of the table
corresponds to a lot of facts about the physical world.
You’ve also seen some of what’s going on inside of atoms. The defining difference between the elements is their
number of protons. (The number of neutrons varies within most elements.) Each proton attracts one electron, and atoms
bond with each other by sharing those electrons.
Okay, enough review. Here’s today’s big question: Is there a pattern deep inside the elements, at the subatomic level,
that matches the patterns of elemental behavior Mendeleev was looking at? Are there rhythms in the atomic structures
of the elements that correspond to the rhythms in their observable chemical and physical properties?
An alphabetical table of (some of) the elements

The chart on the next page lists 18 elements in alphabetical order. Instead of a Periodic Table of the Elements, it is an
Alphabetical Table of the Elements (or at least of 18 of them). This alphabetical table tells you whether each element is a
metal, metalloid, nonmetal, or noble gas. It gives you some information about the structure of an atom of each element:
how many protons it has, how many electron shells it has, the total number of electrons it has, and how many electrons it
has in its outer shell. (Remember, the electrons surround the nucleus in shells, kind of like the layers of an onion.)
Notice that atoms of all the elements normally have the same total number of electrons as protons, giving them a
neutral charge. (Atoms can temporarily gain or lose electrons, becoming negatively or positively charged, but the
number or protons for a given element doesn’t change.) Other than this correspondence between the number of
protons and the total number of electrons, however, the numbers in this alphabetical table don’t show much pattern.

Alphabetical Table of 18 Elements
Yuck, what a Electron example: Each carbon (C) atom has

confusing jumble of
✓ 2 electron shells
numbers! I hope this
C ✓ 6 electrons total, and
starts making more sense
✓ 4 electrons in the outer shell of the
on the next page. atom.
ELEMENT NUMBER OF TOTAL NUMBER OF

NUMBER OF
(listed in KIND OF PROTONS PER NUMBER OF ELECTRONS IN
ELECTRON
alphabetical ELEMENT ATOM ELECTRONS OUTER SHELL
SHELLS
order) (“atomic number”) PER ATOM OF EACH ATOM
Symbol goes in 2nd Goes in 1st row of Goes in 3rd row of Goes in 4th row of
row of table on table on next page table on next page table on next page
next page
aluminum (Al) metal 13 3 13 3
argon (Ar) noble gas 18 3 18 8
beryllium (Be) metal 4 2 4 2
boron (B) metalloid 5 2 5 3
carbon (C) nonmetal 6 2 6 4
chlorine (Cl) nonmetal 17 3 17 7
fluorine (F) nonmetal 9 2 9 7
helium (He) noble gas 2 1 2 2
hydrogen (H) nonmetal 1 1 1 1
lithium (Li) metal 3 2 3 1
magnesium (Mg) metal 12 3 12 2
neon (Ne) noble gas 10 2 10 8
nitrogen (N) nonmetal 7 2 7 5
oxygen (O) nonmetal 8 2 8 6
phosphorus (P) nonmetal 15 3 15 5
silicon (S) nonmetal 14 3 14 4
sodium (Na) metal 11 3 11 1
sulfur (S) nonmetal 16 3 16 6

Follow the protons

The table below shows the same 18 elements as the previous table. This time, they’re organized horizontally by the
number of protons in the atoms of each element. The number of protons the atoms of an element has is called that
element’s atomic number, so this is an Atomic-Number Table of the Elements (or at least of 18 of them).
Mm-hmm…mm-hmm…This is
starting to look more orderly. Do you
see any patterns here?
Atomic-Number Table of 18 Elements
Number of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
protons
(“atomic
number”)
Element H He Li Be B C N O F Ne Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar
symbol
Number of 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
electron
shells
Number of 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
electrons
in outer
shell
TURN, TALK, AND WRITE

What patterns do you see in this atomic-number table that weren’t so obvious in the alphabetical table? Hints: (1) What
pattern can you see in the third row, which shows the “Number of electron shells”? (2) What pattern can you see in the
fourth row, which shows the “Number of electrons in outer shell”? And (3) do you see any relationship between those
two patterns? 
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Here is the atomic-number table of the elements again, with some patterns in the subatomic structure of the elements
highlighted:
Number of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
protons
(“atomic
number”)
Element H He Li Be B C N O F Ne Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar
symbol
Number of 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
electron
shells
Number of 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
electrons
in outer
shell
1st period 2nd period 3rd period
As you progress through the elements by atomic number (that is, by the number of protons in the atoms of each
element), several trends appear. The number of electron shells increases once in a while (first one, then two, then
three…). The number of electrons in the atoms’ outer shells increases by one with each element, but periodically resets to
one and starts the count over. What’s more, this periodic resetting to one always happens when a new electron shell is
added. There’s a lot more pattern here than there was when we just listed the elements alphabetically.
How can we make the patterns clearer?
Remember how we reorganized these geometric figures into a table a couple days ago to make the patterns stand out
more?
We can do something similar to this with

our atomic-number table of the elements,
so that it is organized into periods.

Let’s chop the table from the previous page into its three separate periods and stack
Number of 1 2
them on top of each other. Arranged this way, each time you move down a row, you’re
protons
adding an electron shell. And we can line up the elements vertically so that the numbers
(“atomic
of electrons in their outer shell are the same within columns: For example, hydrogen (H),
number”)
lithium (Li), and sodium (Na) each have one electron in their outer shell; carbon (C) and
Element H He silicon (Si) each have four electrons in their outer shell; and so on.
symbol Do you see what’s happening here? Is this arrangement starting to look a bit familiar?
Number of 1 1 The periodic table of the elements is almost set!

electron Let’s just move helium (He) over to the right, above its fellow noble gases neon (Ne) and
shells argon (Ar). It’s true that helium has two outer-shell electrons, like beryllium (Be) and
magnesium (Mg). But it’s also true that helium has the maximum number of outer-shell
Number of 1 2 electrons for its row (the first period, which includes only hydrogen and helium). Judging
electrons by the chemical non-reactiveness of the noble gases, it seems that having a full outer
in outer electron shell makes atoms stable and non-reactive. Helium fits this pattern, so we’ll set a
shell place for helium at the top right corner of the table.
Number of 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
protons
(“atomic
number”)
Element Li Be B C N O F Ne
symbol
Number of 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
electron Hey…
shells
This looks like the same
Number of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 organization I came up with
electrons before anyone even knew
in outer
shell
about protons and
electrons!
Number of 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
protons
(“atomic
number”)
Element Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar
symbol
Number of 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
electron
shells
Number of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
electrons
in outer
shell
Dmitri Mendeleev

Our alphabetical table of 18 elements has become the first three rows of the periodic table!
H He
Hydrogen Helium
Li Be B C N O F Ne
Lithium Beryllium Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon
Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar
Sodium Magnesium Aluminum Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon
Key to understanding the subatomic structure of elements

by their position in the periodic table:
1
2 Rows:
3 number
4 of
5 electron
6 shells
7
1 2 Columns: number of electrons in outer shell 3 4 5 6 7 8 (except helium, which has 2)
Here you have 18 squares for 18 elements. Their positions in the table tell you how many protons and electrons each
element has, how many electron shells each element has, and how many electrons it has in its outermost shell (which
tells a chemist a lot about what other elements it can react with to form compounds). If you learn where on the table the
metals, metalloids, nonmetals, and noble gases are, the position of each element also tells you which of those
categories each element falls into. All of that information in 18 squares! Compare that to the alphabetical table of the
elements on page 17, which takes 18 rows and 6 columns—a total of 108 cells—to tell you the same information.
Where a new electron shell is added (at hydrogen, lithium, and sodium), the table begins a new row. After the first row,
this happens at intervals of eight elements. Starting with the fourth row (just past argon), a new shell is added every 18
elements; starting with the sixth row, a new shell is added every 32 elements. These occasional jumps in the length of a
period account for the funny shape of the periodic table—the stair-steps down and then back up again going from
hydrogen across to helium. Often the wide block of elements two square high is separated and put below the rest of
the table, but that’s done just to make the table fit more easily on a page or poster.
The pattern of eight outer-shell electrons in the last column holds true all the way down the table, not just in the first
rows. All of the other elements have fewer than eight electrons in their outer shell.
So the periodic table shows periodic changes and repetitions in the structure of different kinds of atoms, as well as
periodic changes and repetitions in the behavior of the elements. These two kinds of patterns are two faces of the
same reality: Atomic structure makes matter behave the way it does.
The table uses visual arrangement to communicate all sorts of information without having to write it all down. What
seems at first like a random weird shape is actually a code that anyone can learn. A week from now, you probably won’t
remember how many protons are in an aluminum atom, or what element is above magnesium. But you’ll know that the
periodic table is a window you can learn to look through in order to learn more about the inner nature of matter, and
how that inner nature affects the real-world changes that go on around you and inside of you.

Periods of Time
Calendars are typically arranged by month. On a table for a month, each column represents a different day of the week,
and each row represents a different weekly period.
There are also daily calendars
(sometimes with a quote of the day or
something like that). Each day you tear
off yesterday’s page and get a new one.
A daily calendar just lists the 365 days of
the year in linear order, without arranging
them into a table.
Which of these two kinds of calendar do
you think is generally more useful, and
why?
Monthly calendar Daily calendar
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How is a monthly calendar like the periodic table of the elements?
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Writing
The Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleev put together his first version of the periodic table in 1869. He included all the
elements scientists already knew about. He saw that the rows and columns of a table could highlight periodic patterns
in the properties of the elements. But in order to make the known elements fit the patterns, Mendeleev had to leave
some blank spaces in the table. He claimed those blanks represented real elements that just hadn’t been discovered
yet. He predicted that scientists would find them someday and he even made detailed predictions about what the
missing elements would be like.
One of the gaps in Mendeleev’s table was element 31, underneath aluminum and above indium. When he left that spot
blank, Mendeleev gave the missing element a name, eka-aluminum (from the Sanskrit word “eka” meaning “beyond”).
He predicted its atomic weight, density, and melting point, based on its place in his table. Some people were skeptical;
they doubted that you could safely infer the existence of unobserved elements from the periodic trends in Mendeleev’s
table.
Was Mendeleev overestimating the predictive power of his table? Or were the skeptics failing to grasp the implications
of the periodicity of the known elements?
The first positive confirmation of Mendeleev’s predictions came in 1875 in France, when the missing element 31 was
found. A skilled chemist named Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran (pronounced “PAUL-eh-MEEL luh-KOK duh BWOZ-
bo-drah”) took up the challenge of filling that blank space on the periodic table. He thought element 31 might form
chemical compounds similar to those formed by element 30, zinc (Zn). Lecoq de Boisbaudran got several hundred
pounds of zinc ore (rock with zinc in it) and went to work on it in his lab. Eventually, he was able to extract one gram of
what he was looking for: element 31, Mendeleev’s eka-aluminum. Lecoq de Boisbaudran named the new element
gallium, in honor of his country—Gallia was the ancient Latin name for France.

Writing
Through articles published in scientific periodicals, Lecoq de Boisbaudran and Mendeleev argued over who should get
the credit for discovering gallium. Lecoq de Boisbaudran’s measurements of the atomic weight and density of gallium
didn’t match Mendeleev’s predictions. Mendeleev was so sure his periodic table showed the truth about the elements,
even the undiscovered blanks, that he claimed that Lecoq de Boisbaudran’s measurements must be wrong. Mendeleev
believed in his theory and calculations more than he believed in the measurements of a fellow scientist who had a
chunk of actual gallium in hand!
It looked like Mendeleev was just on an ego trip, but here’s the kicker: He was right! When Lecoq de Boisbaudran
managed to isolate a larger sample of gallium and check his measurements, he found that his original measurements
were less accurate than Mendeleev’s predictions.

Writing
So who do you think should get the credit for discovering gallium, Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran or Dmitri
Mendeleev? Lecoq de Boisbaudran proved gallium’s existence by finding its atoms and putting together the first lump of
the element that could be seen, touched, measured, and studied. But before that, Mendeleev announced that the
element existed, and he described its properties in detail based on the implications of the periodic table. Which is the
more impressive intellectual achievement, and what is the real meaning of discovery? Imagine you are on a committee
in the late 1870s that is giving awards to scientists who discover new elements. To help your fellow committee members
understand the controversy about who should get credit for discovering gallium, summarize the arguments in favor of
each of the two scientists.
The case for considering Dmitri Mendeleev the   The case for considering Paul-Emile Lecoq de
discoverer of gallium: Boisbaudran the discoverer of gallium:
______________________________ ______________________________
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ELA bond • periodic • trend • unpack • infer • imply • configuration • positive • negative • neutral
What’s in a name?
What do planets, mythical gods and goddesses, minerals, famous scientists, and continents have in common? They’ve
all had chemical elements named after them! The periodic table of elements might just seem like a list of boring names
at first glance, but dig a little deeper into the origin of the names and you’ll discover a rich world of meaning.
Here are a couple of examples:

Tantalum (Ta) is a very dense metal that’s known for its unusual
ability not to react to acids. It was discovered in Sweden in 1802
by Anders Ekeberg. And the name? It comes from Tantalus, a
Greek mythological figure. According to the story, Tantalus cuts
up his son, Pelops, boils him, and serves him to the gods at a
banquet! (Can you say, disgusting?) The gods aren’t at all happy
about this and punish Tantalus by forcing him to stand in a pool of
water for all eternity, with branches filled with beautiful, ripe fruit
above his head. If he bends down, the water level drops so that
he can’t get anything to drink. And if he tries to pick a piece of
fruit, a breeze blows the branches up out of his reach. This myth
is where our word “tantalize” comes from: It means to tempt and
tease someone with something desirable that they can’t have.
Can you figure out why Ekeberg thought Tantalus was a good
person to name his element after? Points for you if you made a
connection between tantalum’s inertness in relation to acids and
Tantalus’ inability to take in the food and drink that’s all around
him. To quote Ekeberg, “This metal I call tantalum … partly in
allusion to its incapacity, when immersed in acid, to absorb any
and be saturated.”
Berkelium (Bk) is a radioactive metal that was discovered in 1949 by three

scientists, Glenn T. Seaborg, Albert Ghiorso, and Stanley G. Thompson at
the University of California, Berkeley. Why didn’t these men name the
element after themselves and be remembered through all time?
Glennalbertstanlium, maybe? Or Seaborgghiorsothompsonium? The answer
is that the scientists decided to continue the tradition of naming a new
element the same way the element above it in the periodic table is named.
For example, the element americium was named after a continent, just like
the element above it, europium. Curium was the name chosen to honor
chemists Marie and Pierre Curie, just as gadolinium, the element above it in
the periodic table, was named to honor the explorer Johan Gadolin.
Terbium is the element above berkelium in the periodic table. Crazy as it
sounds, terbium is named after a village in Sweden, called Yttrby. (Wait,
does Sweden have a shortage of vowels?) Hence, berkelium, named after
the city of Berkeley!
The Campanile at the University of California at Berkeley.

© 2006 Tristan Harward
(Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license)

ELA bond • periodic • trend • unpack • infer • imply • configuration • positive • negative • neutral
What’s in a name?
Element Match
Draw a line to connect the name of the element on the left with the origin of the name on the right.
Carbon A French chemist named Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran discovered this element. He
named it after his homeland; Gallia is the Latin word for ancient France. Some claim that he
also jokingly named the element after himself since Lecoq means “the rooster” in French and
in Latin translates as gallus.
Einsteinium
This element gets its name from the German word kobold, which means “goblin” or “evil
spirit.” Miners chose this name for this metal because it was hazardous and also degraded
other mined elements, such as nickel. Some scholars have an alternate theory: They say that
Gallium miners believed that this element had been placed in the mine by kobolds, who had stolen
the silver.
This element is named in honor of Albert Einstein, the famous theoretical physicist.
Californium
This element is named for the state in the western U.S. where both San Francisco and Los
Angeles are located.
Cobalt The name of this element comes from the Latin word carbo, meaning coal and charcoal. The
French name for this element is charbone. The German, Dutch, and Danish names literally
mean “coal-substance” and are, respectively, Kohlenstoff, koolstof, and kulstof.
Renaming an element
Imagine you (yes, you!) were chosen by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) to rename one
of the elements. Which element would you pick, and what new name would you give it? What would your new name
express about the properties, uses, or history of the element?
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Math bond • periodic • trend • unpack • infer • imply • configuration • positive • negative • neutral
Counting Atoms with the “Chemist’s Dozen”
The English word “dozen” comes from the French douzaine, meaning a group of 12 things. (The French word for the
number twelve is douze.) So we use the word dozen interchangeably with the number 12.
There’s another number that has its own special name. It’s a gigantic number that scientists use to count atoms when
measuring the reactants and products in chemical reactions.
Scientists know that 12 grams of carbon contain about 602,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (six hundred and two
sextillion) carbon atoms. Scientists agreed to call this huge number a mole. The word mole is pronounced just like the
burrowing animal, but this kind of mole is related to the word molecule. (The mole also has a nickname: the chemist’s
dozen.)
In standard form, this is written as 602,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
Another way to write such a large number is in scientific notation. In scientific notation, a number is written as the
product of two factors. The first factor is greater than or equal to 1 and less than 10. The second factor is a power of 10.
So a mole in scientific notation is written 6.02 x 1023.
Of course, you can’t see atoms, and even if you could, you still couldn’t sit around counting up to six hundred and two
sextillion! So scientists use a trick: They convert back and forth between moles and masses. For example, the mass of 1
mole of hydrogen atoms equals 1.00794 grams, which is usually rounded to 1 gram. We could say that 6.02 x 1023 atoms
of hydrogen have a mass of 1 gram. But it’s easier to say 1 mole of hydrogen has a mass of 1 gram.
A mole of oxygen atoms has a mass of 15.9994 grams. That’s very close to 16 grams.
To find the mass of a mole of molecules, just add the masses of the moles of the atoms that are in the molecule. For
example, the molecular formula for water is H2O. That means every water molecule has 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen
atom. That also means that 1 mole of water has 2 moles of hydrogen atoms and 1 mole of oxygen atoms. The mass of 1
mole of hydrogen is 1 gram, and the mass of 1 mole of oxygen is 16 grams.
So a mole of water has a mass of 18 grams: 1 gram + 1 gram + 16 grams = 18 grams.
Below is a list of the mass of one mole of atoms of three elements.
Element Symbol Mass of 1 mole (All masses are

rounded to the nearest gram.)
Hydrogen H 1 gram
Oxygen O 16 grams
Carbon C 12 grams H2O CO CO2 CH4
Use the list above to calculate the mass of 1 mole of each of the common molecules in the table below. The first one is
done for you:
Molecule Chemical formula Space for calculations Mass of 1 mole
Water H 2O 1 + 1 + 16 = 18 18 grams
Carbon Monoxide CO _______ grams
Carbon Dioxide CO2 _______ grams
Methane CH4 _______ grams
Extra challenge: How many moles of oxygen atoms are there in 36 grams of water (H2O)?

Social Studies bond • periodic • trend • unpack • infer • imply • configuration • positive • negative • neutral
Before the development of modern chemistry, people called alchemists tried to unpack the secrets of matter. One of the
central goals of alchemy was transmutation, a change that would bring out the highest potential of a substance or
person. For some alchemists, transmutation meant a personal, spiritual transformation. For others, it meant finding a so-
called elixir of life, a potion that would restore youth or even make people immortal. And for many alchemists,
transmutation meant turning common metals into gold in order to get rich.
We now know that gold (Au) is one of the hundred or so elements in the periodic table. Common metals like tin (Sn) and
lead (Pb) are elements in their own right and cannot be turned into gold through chemical reactions. So the efforts of the
alchemists to transmute common metals into gold were doomed to failure.
Many alchemists genuinely believed they would be able to make gold if only they could find the right ingredients and
procedures. Sometimes they thought they actually had turned other substances into gold, although what they had really
done was produce some other shiny yellow material. The potential reward of golden riches was enough to keep their
hopes up despite these mistakes.
While some alchemists sincerely believed they would be able to turn common metals into gold, others were just crooks
who took advantage of other people’s superstition and ignorance in order to trick them out of their money. How did
these frauds work? Well, there were lots of tricks. For example, an alchemist could make a big show of cooking up a
potion and stirring the whole steaming, bubbling mess with a stirring stick. But the alchemist would have secretly
hollowed out the stirring stick ahead of time, putting a few grains of gold inside and then plugging the open end of the
stick with wax. The wax would melt while the alchemist stirred, letting the gold settle into the container, and then the
alchemist could pretend that the bits of gold at the bottom of the container had been produced by the mixed
ingredients.

Social Studies bond • periodic • trend • unpack • infer • imply • configuration • positive • negative • neutral
However, not everyone felt positive about the possibility of alchemists cranking out tons of gold. Imagine you were a
king or queen and already owned a lot of gold. The value of your gold made you wealthy and powerful. And what
made your gold valuable? Well, mostly the fact that it was rare! If someone figured out a cheap way to produce a lot
more gold, and the technique became common knowledge, the purchasing power of your treasury would drop.
There were many reasons for alchemists to keep their activities secret. For the dishonest ones who wanted to cheat
people out of their money, the big secret was that there was no secret; they didn’t have a clue how to make gold!
Those who honestly thought they might be about to figure out the secret of transmutation wanted to keep their
techniques to themselves. They wanted to be the only ones who knew how to make gold. There were no laws back
then to protect a person’s right to profit from a scientific invention or other “intellectual property.”
But secrecy led to bad science. Everyone was in the dark—it was as hard to point out each other’s honest mistakes as it
was to expose each other’s deliberate lies. One of the many factors in the gradual trend toward better science was a
reduction in secrecy and an emphasis on sharing information.
Scientists now publish their experimental results in journals for other scientists to read. Before articles are published,
they’re checked by other scientists in a process called “peer review.” After they’re published, other scientists can
repeat the experiments to see whether or not they get the same results. And the ownership of some kinds of discovery
and invention are largely protected by copyright and patent laws (the same way that other “intellectual property,” like
computer software and works of art, are protected). Those legal protections mean that the best way for a scientist to
benefit from having discovered or invented something is to publish it as quickly as possible, instead of keeping it a
secret as long as possible!
TURN AND TALK

Imagine that peer review, widespread publication of experiments, and protection of intellectual property had
existed hundreds of years earlier. How do you think those conditions might have affected the alchemists’ search
for gold?

Focus Words bond • periodic • trend • unpack • infer • imply • configuration • positive • negative • neutral
Examining the Focus Words Closely

SciGen Unit 8.6
Scientific or
Everyday Use Definition Try using the word...
bond a connection that holds Two hydrogen atoms can form a bond and become an H2
noun particles together molecule. Why can’t two helium atoms join together to
form a molecule?
bond  a connection that holds things Describe an experience that gave you a strong bond with
noun or people together a friend.
bond to join together (used for two or Why might certain atoms bond together more strongly
verb more particles) than others?
bond  to form a strong attachment Do you think people bond more quickly through
verb hardships or fun experiences? Why?
periodic repeating in a regular pattern Why do we use the name “periodic table of elements”?
adjective
periodic  happening once in a while (not Do you find it helpful to take periodic breaks when
adjective necessarily in a regular pattern) studying? Why or why not?
trend a tendency for some Name one trend that can be seen in the periodic table.
noun measurable quantity to
increase or decrease
trend  a practice or point of view that Do you try to keep up with the latest trends in social
noun becomes popular for a while media? Why or why not?
unpack to analyze something by Unpack the reasoning behind Mendeleev’s claim that
verb examining its parts undiscovered elements would have predictable
properties.
unpack  to remove things, as from a Do you unpack your belongings when you take trips, or
verb suitcase or box live out of your suitcase while you’re away from home?
Why?
infer to draw conclusions from What can you infer about a material that is classified as a
verb evidence metal?
infer  to draw conclusions from If some items were out of place in your room, what would
verb evidence you infer had happened? What could you look for to
make a more confident inference?
imply to suggest something without What did Mendeleev think the blank spots in his periodic
verb stating or showing it explicitly table implied?
imply  to suggest something without What could someone say to subtly imply they didn’t like
verb stating or showing it explicitly someone else?

Focus Words bond • periodic • trend • unpack • infer • imply • configuration • positive • negative • neutral
Examining the Focus Words Closely

SciGen Unit 8.6
Scientific or
Everyday Use Definition Try using the word...
configuration (in chemistry) an electron What can a chemist predict by considering the
noun configuration is the distribution configuration of electrons around an atom?
of electrons around an atomic
nucleus
configuration  a certain arrangement of parts Why is the configuration of dancers in a routine

noun or things important? What about the configuration of players on a
sports team?
positive having a positive electrical How does the configuration of a positive ion differ from
adjective charge that of a neutral atom?
positive  upbeat; certain; (in math) Name something you once felt positive about that turned
adjective greater than zero out to be wrong.
negative having a negative electrical How does an atom become a negative ion?
adjective charge
negative  discouraged or discouraging; When someone has a negative attitude, do you think it’s
adjective (in math) less than zero better to try to change their outlook or leave them alone?
Why?
neutral neither positive nor negative in What do you know about the configuration of a neutral
adjective electrical charge atom?
neutral  neither positive nor negative; If you were arguing with a close friend, who could act as
adjective moderate; unbiased a neutral party to help resolve the problem?

Science: Setting The Periodic Table

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bond • periodic • trend • unpack • infer • imply • configuration • positive • negative • neutral

SciGen Unit 8.6

SUPPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES FOR OTHER

Social Studies 29–30

Examining the Focus Words Closely 31–32

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 1

Cooper: No need to be so negative, Hamza. Science is Hamza: At 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 2

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 3

Cooper: Maybe if we compared that information to the Hamza: Wait, who?

Cooper: I think Olivia’s right; the periodic table’s shape is

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 4

Diﬀerent Types of Elements

The four general types of elements (same as on previous page)

NOBLE GASES METALS NONMETALS METALLOIDS

Specific elements in action

Copper (Cu) is probably a __________________

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 5

Diﬀerent Types of Elements

Helium (He) is probably a __________________

Computer chips perform calculations by controlling the flow of millions of electrical

Silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge) are probably both __________________

Finding everybody’s place at the table

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 6

SciGen Unit 8.6

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 8

HCl LiCl NaCl KCl

BeCl2 MgCl2 CaCl2

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 9

Filling in the blanks

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 10

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 11

Inside, and Between, Atoms

TURN AND TALK

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 12

Inside, and Between, Atoms

When John Dalton started modern atomic theory in

We now know that every atom has a

Note: All of the subatomic particles are

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 13

Inside, and Between, Atoms

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 14

Inside, and Between, Atoms

Element Number of electron Total number of Number of electrons in

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 15

Setting the Periodic Table

What’s with that funny-shaped table?

An alphabetical table of (some of) the elements

© 2015 SERP SciGen Unit 8.6 16

Setting the Periodic Table

Alphabetical Table of 18 Elements

Yuck, what a Electron example: Each carbon (C) atom has

ELEMENT NUMBER OF TOTAL NUMBER OF

aluminum (Al) metal 13 3 13 3

argon (Ar) noble gas 18 3 18 8

beryllium (Be) metal 4 2 4 2

boron (B) metalloid 5 2 5 3

carbon (C) nonmetal 6 2 6 4

chlorine (Cl) nonmetal 17 3 17 7

fluorine (F) nonmetal 9 2 9 7

helium (He) noble gas 2 1 2 2

hydrogen (H) nonmetal 1 1 1 1

configuration  a certain arrangement of parts Why is the configuration of dancers in a routine