Periodic Table of Elements

Elements

Science has come along way since Aristotle’s theory of Air, Water, Fire, and Earth.

Scientists have identified 90 naturally occurring elements, and created about 28 others.

Elements

The elements, alone or in combinations, make up our bodies, our world, our sun, and in fact, the entire universe.

The “Father” of the Periodic Table

Dimitri Mendeleev was the first person to publish an organization of the elements.

Mendeleev organized the known elements in order of their atomic mass.

He correctly predicted the existence of unknown elements (Si, Al, Ga)

Dimitri Mendeleev 1834-1907

Periodic Table

The modern periodic table organizes the elements according to their atomic number.

Physical and chemical properties of an element can be predicted simply by its position in the periodic table.

The atomic number is determined by the number of protons an element has

No two elements have the same atomic number

Symbols

All elements have their own unique symbol.

It can consist of a single capital letter, or a capital letter and one or two lower case letters.

C Carbon

CuCopper

Common Elements and Symbols

What are the symbols for the following elements?

1. sodium 2. silver

3. beryllium 4. iron

5. lead 6. hydrogen

7. oxygen 8. gold

9. copper 10. phosphorus

Common Elements and Symbols

What are the symbols for the following elements?

1. sodium Na 2. silver Ag

3. beryllium Be 4. iron Fe

5. lead Pb 6. hydrogen H

7. oxygen O 8. gold Au

9. copper Cu 10. phosphorus P

Common Elements and Symbols

What are the names of the elements with the following symbols?

1. K 2. N

3. Li 4. Ne

5. Ca 6. C

7. Ar 8. Sn

9. Zn 10. Cl

Common Elements and Symbols

What are the names of the elements with the following symbols?

1. K potassium 2. N nitrogen

3. Li lithium 4. Ne neon

5. Ca calcium 6. C carbon

7. Ar argon 8. Sn tin

9. Zn zinc 10. Cl chlorine

Structure of the Periodic Table

There are three types of elements on the periodic table: metals, non-metals and metalloids

Metals are found on the left side of the zig-zag line.

Non-metals are found on the right side of the zig-zag line

Metalloids are found on the zig-zag line

Draw the “Zigzag” Line on the 1st Periodic Table on your Handout

a) sodium b) nitrogen

c) bromine d) calcium

e) xenon f) zinc

Which of the following are metals?

a) sodium d) calcium f) zinc

Structure of the Periodic Table

Vertical columns are called Groups or Families

Families or groups on the Periodic Table

Elements that are in the same family or group have similar physical and chemical properties.

It was these properties that Mendeleev used to create the table.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen sits at the top of Group 1, but it is not a member of that family.

Hydrogen is in a class of its own.

It is a non-metal, not a metal.

Group 1 – Alkali Metals

The alkali family is found in the first column.

They are shiny, soft metals that are highly reactive.

Alkali Metals

Alkali metals react violently with water and air.

They are never found as free elements in nature, they are always in compounds with another element.

Group 2 – Alkaline Earth Metals

They are rarely found as single elements in nature.

Alkaline earth metals include magnesium and calcium.

Groups 3-12: Transition Metals

Transition Elements are probably the metals you are most familiar with: copper, tin, zinc, iron, nickel, gold, and silver.

They are good conductors of heat and electricity.

Group 17 – Halogen Family

Halogens are the most reactive non-metals.

They are never found free in nature.

They react easily with alkali metals.

Group 18 – Noble Gases

Noble Gases are colorless gases that are extremely un-reactive.

Because they do not form compounds with other elements, they are called inert.

All the noble gases are found in small amounts in the Earth's atmosphere.

Periods on the Periodic Table

Rows going across the periodic table are called periods.

Elements in the same period do not share physical and chemical properties.

Period 1

Period 7

Period 4