THE PERIODIC TABLE

WHAT IS THE PERIODIC TABLE?

• The periodic table is a classification of all elements.
• Elements in the periodic table show periodicity ( the reoccurrence of similar physical and
chemical properties at regular intervals)
• The periodic table is composed of vertical columns called groups and horizontal rows called
periods.
• The elements are organised on the basis of:
• Increasing atomic number
• Electronic configuration of their atoms
• Their chemical properties
• Metals are found on the left side of the table, and non-metals on the right side.
GROUPS
• Groups are vertical columns of elements.
• There are 18 groups, 8 of which are numbered using Roman numerals from I to VII
and the last group is Group 0.
• All elements in the same group have the same number of valence electrons.
• For elements in Groups I to VII, the number of valence electrons is the same as the
group number.
• All elements in Group 0 have a full outer shell
• Moving down a group, each element has one more electron shell than the element
directly above it.
GROUPS
• All elements in the same group have similar chemical properties.
• Moving down a group, the metallic nature increases and the non-metallic nature
decreases.
• Between Groups II and III there are 10 groups of elements called the Transition
Metals/Elements.
Periods
• Periods are horizontal rows of elements.
• There are seven periods, numbered using Arabic numerals from 1 to 7.
• All the elements in the same period have the same number of occupied electron shells,
therefore they have their valence electrons in the same shell.
• The number of occupied electron shells is the same as the period number.
• Moving along any period from left to right, each element has one more valence
electron than the element directly before it.
• Moving along any period from left to right, the metallic nature of the element
decreases and the non-metallic nature increases.
HOW DO ATOMS BECOME STABLE?
• Atoms are stable when their outermost electron shell is full.
• Atoms that do not have full outermost shells react to become stable.
• They do this by either gaining, losing or even sharing valence electrons.
• Generally metals lose their valence electrons to become stable and this form cations.
Metals usually have 1-3 valence electrons.
• On the other hand, non-metals generally gain valence electrons to become stable and
this form anions. Non-metals usually have 5-8 valence electrons.
• Noble gases have a full outer shell, therefore they are already stable.
SPECIAL GROUPS
ALKALI METALS
GROUP 1

• These metals have one valence electron.

• To become stable, these metals lose their valence electron to form cations of charge 1+
• These metals are silvery, soft and not very dense. They also have low melting points.
• They are very reactive because they only have to lose one electron.
• In the first 20 elements: lithium, sodium and potassium are alkali metals.
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
GROUP 2

• These metals have two valence electron.

• To become stable, these metals lose both of their valence electron to form cations of charge 2+
• These metals are shiny, silvery-white and of low densities and low melting and boiling points.
• However their densities and melting and boiling points are higher than Alkali metals. They are
also harder and stronger.
• They are not as reactive as Group 1 metals.
• In the first 20 elements: beryllium, magnesium and calcium are alkaline earth metals.
HALOGENS
Group 7

• These metals have seven valence electron.

• To become stable, these metals gain one electron to their outer shell to form anions of
charge 1-
• They exist as diatomic molecules (two atoms joined together by a single covalent
bond).
• They are the most reactive non-metals. They easily react with alkali earth metals.
• In the first 20 elements: fluorine and chlorine are halogens.
NOBLE GASES
GROUP 0

• These elements have a full outermost shell and are therefore stable.
• Because they are stable they do not need to react and are therefore unreactive.
• They have low melting points. They are colourless, odourless and tasteless.
• As they are unreactive, they are used in many different fields.
• In the first 20 elements: helium, neon and argon are noble gases.
TRENDS IN THE PERIODIC
TABLE
MOVING DOWN A GROUP

• When moving down a group on the period table:

• The atomic radius increases (i.e. the atom gets bigger). This is because each element
in a group has one more electron shell than the one directly above it.
• Metallic nature increases and non-metallic nature decreases.
MOVING ACROSS A PERIOD

• When moving from left to right in a period on the period table:

• The atomic radius decreases (i.e. the atom gets smaller). This is because each
element has a stronger positive nucleus pulling in the valence electrons than the one
right behind it.
• Metallic nature decreases and non-metallic nature increases.