The Periodic Table

Reading the Periodic Table

- The modern periodic table has 112 squares

- The element symbol is in the center of the square
- The atomic number is above the element symbol on the square
- The atomic mass is below the element’s symbol on the square
- The electron configuration is under the atomic mass in the
square

Elements with similar properties are aligned in vertical columns called

groups or families
Horizontal rows on the table are called periods
The periodic table has 7 periods and 18 labeled groups

Labeling and Naming Groups

The IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry)

proposed that the groups be designated by the numerals 1 through 18

The groups at the left and right sides of the periodic table show
particularly strong resemblances among their members, so they are
frequently referred to by family names.

Group 1A are called the alkali metals

Group 2A are called the alkaline earth metals

The elements in group 7A are called halogens

The elements in group 18 are called the noble gases

Metals, Nonmetals, and Semimetals

Metal

- Have a characteristic of luster or shine

- Good conductors of heat and electricity
- Typically solids at room temperature
- Most metals are malleable

Nonmetals

- Do not possess metallic luster

- Most are poor conductors
 - Many are gases at room temperature, some are solid
- Some are colored while others are not, some exist as soft solids
and others form hard solids
- Carbon (Diamond) is the hardest natural substance found on
earth

Semimetals

- Also called metalloids

- Share some properties of metals and some of nonmetals

Electron Configuration and the Periodic Table

- Valence Electrons are responsible for an atom’s chemical

behavior and are its outermost electrons
- To write abbreviated electron configurations, we write the
symbol of the nearest noble gas with the lower atomic number
and the valence electrons that the noble gas has

The – Block Elements

The s-block elements

- Composed of Hydrogen, helium , and elements of groups 1A and

2A
- The s-block contains groups that can hold a maximum of 2
electrons

The p-block elements

- The p-block is 6 elements wide because p orbital can hold up to 6

electrons
- P-block lasts from group 3A to group 8A

The d-block elements

- This block takes up the middle of the table

- The d-block can hold up to 10 electrons

The f-block elements

- The 28 elements placed below the main body of the periodic

table
- Also known as the inner transition metals

Periodic Trends
Atomic Radius

- The atomic radius is the distance from the center of an atom’s

nucleus to its outermost electron
- Atoms get larger going down a group. This is because the
principal quantum number of the outermost electrons increases.
Electrons with a larger principal quantum number are found in
orbital that extend farter away from the nucleus, which makes
the atomic radius larger.
- Atoms get smaller moving from left to right across each
period. The outer electrons of atoms (left to right) are increasing
attracted to the nucleus. A stronger attractive force shrinks the
electrons’ orbital and makes the atom smaller.

Ionization Energy

- An atom’s ionization energy is the energy needed to remove

one of its electrons
- Ionization energy is a reflection of how strongly an atom holds
onto its outermost electron
- Ionization energies decrease as you move down a group
- Ionization energies increase as you move from left to
right across a period

Successive Ionization Energies

- The energy required to remove the first electron from an isolated

atom is called the first ionization energy(or simply ionization
energy)
- In order to remove electrons beyond the first electron, it is called
second ionization energy, third ionization energy for the third
electron, and so forth
- Ionization energies show that an atom holds the electrons in its
noble gas inner core much more strongly that it holds its valence
electrons

Electron Affinity

- Electron Affinity is the energy change that occurs when it

gains an extra electron
- There isn’t a specific trend for electron affinity unless you look
that their electron configurations
- Using both electron affinity and ionization energies you can gain
an important principle about atoms, a principle that is the octet
 rule which states that atoms tend to gain , lose, or share
electrons in order to acquire a full set of valence electrons

Electronegativity

- An atom’s electronegativity reflects its ability to attract

electrons in a chemical bond.
- The least electronegative elements are fin the lower left corner of
the periodic table
- An atom’s electronegativity is related to its ionization energy and
electron affinity
- Increases as you move from left to right across a period and
decrease as you move down a group