Introduction to the
Periodic Table
Atomic Number ● Symbol ● Atomic Weight
Element ● Compound
I am Dmitri Mendeleev!
I made the PERIODIC TABLE !
What is the PERIODIC TABLE?
o Shows all known
elements in the universe.
o Organizes the elements
by chemical properties.
How do you read the
PERIODIC TABLE?
What is the ATOMIC NUMBER?
o The number of
protons found in the
nucleus of an atom
Or
o The number of
electrons surrounding
the nucleus of an
atom.
What is the SYMBOL?
o An abbreviation of
the element name.
What is the ATOMIC WEIGHT?
o The number of protons
and neutrons in the
nucleus of an atom.
How do I find the number of protons,
electrons, and neutrons in an element
using the periodic table?
o # of PROTONS = ATOMIC NUMBER
o # of ELECTRONS = ATOMIC NUMBER
o # of NEUTRONS = ATOMIC _ ATOMIC
WEIGHT NUMBER
Now you are almost as smart as
I am!
But not as handsome!
Man, I look GOOD!
What is an ELEMENT?
o A substance
composed of a
single kind of atom.
o Cannot be broken
down into another
substance by
chemical or physical
means.
What is a COMPOUND?
o A substance in
which two or
more different
elements are
CHEMICALLY
bonded together.
Reading the Periodic Table
Why is the Periodic Table
important to me?
• The periodic table is
the most useful tool
to a chemist.
• You get to use it on
every test.
• It organizes lots of
information about all
the known elements.
Pre-Periodic Table Chemistry
…
• …was a mess!!!
• No organization of
elements.
• Imagine going to a
grocery store with no
organization!!
• Difficult to find
information.
• Chemistry didn’t make
sense.
Dmitri Mendeleev: Father of the
Table
HOW HIS SOME
WORKED… PROBLEMS…
• Put elements in rows • He left blank spaces
by increasing atomic for what he said were
undiscovered
weight. elements. (Turned
• Put elements in out he was right!)
columns by the way • He broke the pattern
they reacted. of increasing atomic
weight to keep similar
reacting elements
together.
The Current Periodic Table
• Mendeleev wasn’t too far off.
• (Henry Mosley) Now the elements are put
in rows by increasing ATOMIC
NUMBER!!
• The horizontal rows are called periods and
are labeled from 1 to 7.
• The vertical columns are called groups are
labeled from 1 to 18.
A way of organizing & classifying
elements
• Arranged in rows and columns
Groups…Here’s Where the
Periodic Table Gets Useful!!
• Elements in the Why??
same group • They have the same
number of valence
have similar
electrons.
chemical and • They will form the same
physical kinds of ions.
properties!!
• (Mendeleev did that on
purpose.)
Families on the Periodic
Table
• Columns (groups)are
also called families.
• Families may be one
column, or several
columns put together.
• Families have names
rather than numbers.
(Just like your family
has a common last
name.)
Columns
• The vertical (up and
down) columns of the
periodic table (there are
18) are called groups or
families.
• Elements in the same
group or family have
similar characteristics or
properties.
Rows
• The horizontal rows of the periodic table are
called periods.
• Elements in a period are not alike in
properties.
• The first element in a period is usually an
active solid, and the last element in a period
is always an inactive gas.
Rows
• Atomic number increases from left to right
across a period.
• Atomic mass (number of protons &
neutrons) increases from left to right
across a period.
Rows
• Metals are on the left
• Non-metals are on the right
Reading the Table
Hydrogen
• Hydrogen belongs to a
family of its own.
• Hydrogen is a diatomic,
reactive gas.
• Hydrogen was involved
in the explosion of the
Hindenberg.
• Hydrogen is promising
as an alternative fuel
source for automobiles
ALKALI METALS
•very reactive metals that do not occur freely in
nature
•softer than most other metals
•Explode in water
•Combine with Halogens to form salts
•Valence electrons –1
ALKALINE EARTH
METALS
•metals
•very reactive
•not found free in nature
•important mineral nutrients (such as Mg and
Ca)
•Valance electrons - 2
TRANSITION
METALS
•ductile and malleable, and
conduct electricity and heat
•iron, cobalt, and nickel,
(Iron Triad) are the only
elements known to produce
a magnetic field.
Transition Metals
• Elements in groups
3-12
• Less reactive harder
metals
• Includes metals
used in jewelry and
construction.
• Metals used “as
metal.”
RARE EARTH
ELEMENTS
•many are man-made
•Lanthanides – soft metals that are very rare. Found in combination with Oxygen
in the Earth’s Crust
•Actinides – Radioactive, only 3 found naturals – others are man-made
(Californium used to kill cancer cells)
OTHER
METALS
•are ductile and malleable
•are solid, have a relatively
high density, and are opaque
METALLOIDS
•have properties of both metals and non-
metals
•some of the metalloids, such as silicon and
germanium, are semi-conductors(carry an
electrical charge). This property makes
metalloids useful in computers and
calculators
NON-METALS
•not able to conduct electricity or heat very well
•very brittle, and cannot be rolled into wires or pounded into
sheets
•exist in two of the three states of matter at room temperature:
gases (such as oxygen) and solids (such as carbon).
•have no metallic luster, and do not reflect light.
HALOGENS
•"halogen" means "salt-former" and compounds
containing halogens are called "salts"
•exist in all three states of matter:
•Solid- Iodine, Astatine
•Liquid- Bromine
•Gas- Fluorine, Chlorine
•Valence Electrons - 7
Halogens
• Elements in group 17
• Very reactive, volatile,
diatomic, nonmetals
• Always found
combined with other
element in nature .
• Used as disinfectants
and to strengthen
teeth.
The Noble Gases
NOBLE GASES
•do not form compounds easily
VERY unreactive
Full valence (electron) shell
Used in lighted “neon” signs
Used in blimps.
Valence Electrons - 8
