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Periodic Table
The Periodic Table is a way of listing the elements. Elements are listed by the structure of their atoms. How many neutrons they have as well as how many electrons they have in their outer shell. From left to right and top to bottom, the elements are listed in the order of their atomic number, which is the number of neutrons in each atom.
Periodic Table of Elements
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Why is it called the Periodic Table?
It's called periodic because elements are lined up in cycles or periods. As elements are ordered and lined up in rows based on the number of neutrons and electrons, then, surprisingly enough, the elements in the columns have similar properties.
Each horizontal row in the table is a period. There are seven total periods. The first one is short and only has two elements, hydrogen and helium. The sixth period has 32 elements. In each period the left most element has 1 electron in its outer shell and the right most element has a full shell.
Groups
Groups are the columns of the periodic table. There are 18 columns or groups and different groups have different properties.
Take the noble or inert gases. These elements all line up in the last column of the periodic table. They all have a full outer shell of electrons, making them very stable (they tend not to react with other elements). The alkali metals all align on the left-most column. They are all very similar in that they have only 1 electron in their outer shell and are very reactive.
This lining-up and grouping of similar elements helps chemists when working with elements. They can understand and predict how an element might react or behave in a certain situation.
Element Abbreviations
Each element has its own name and abbreviation in the periodic table. Some of the abbreviations are easy to remember, like H for Hydrogen. Some are a bit harder like FE for iron or Au for Gold. For gold the "Au" comes from the Latin word for gold "aurum".
Who invented it?
The original periodic table was first proposed by Russian chemist Dmitri Medeleev in 1968.
Fun facts about the Periodic Table
- Carbon is unique in that it is known to form up to 10 million different compounds. Carbon is important to the existence of life.
- Francium is the rarest element on earth. There are probably no more than a few ounces of it on earth at any given time.
- The only letter not in the periodic table is the letter J.
- The country Argentina is named after the element silver (symbol Ag) which is argentum in Latin.
- Although there is helium on Earth, it was first discovered by observing the sun.
More Matter and Chemistry subjects:
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Joke of the Day |
Q: Knock, knock----Who's There?----Ashe----Ashe who?
A: Bless you!
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Today In History |
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Who was born on this day:
1952 Mr. T (Actor)
1981 Josh Hamilton (Baseball player)
What happened today in history:
1881 The American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton.
1927 Charles Lindbergh completes the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
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