Periodic Table WebQuest

Instructions: In each of the websites listed, find the

information asked for.

Part I: “Major Players” Go to

http://allperiodictables.com/ClientPages/AAEpages/aaeHistory.html
For this site, write the contributions of each person toward the development of the
Periodic Table of Elements.

Scientist Contribution to the development of the periodic table

Greek thinkers They used a word which would become our "element" for different substances, and
"atom" for their smallest parts.

Developed the first extensive element list, of 33, separating metals from
Lavoisier non-metals, dividing the few elements known in the 1700’s into four classes, and
discovering Oxygen and Hydrogen.

John Dalton Created the first chart by weight. He also determined the differences
between elements alone and compounds.

Doberiner Found that some sets of three elements could be grouped - later
called ’Triads’ in 1829.

Created a fully-functioning periodic system on a cylinder, which he called the

Dechancourtois vis Tellurique, the first to portray the periodicity of properties that defines the
modern table.

Cannizaro Produced more accurate atomic weights for the elements known in the 1860s,
and announced them at the first major science convention.

Newlands Arranged the elements and gave them a number sequence in order of their atomic
weights. This showed "The eighth element, starting from a given one, is a kind of
repetition of the first", which Newlands called the Law of Octaves
Compiled a Periodic Table of 56 elements based on the periodicity of properties
Meyer such as molar volume.

Mendeleev published his periodic table & Law in 1869, but he also forecast the
Mendeleyev properties of missing elements, and chemists began to appreciate it when, soon after,
the discovery of elements predicted by gaps in his table took place.

Moseley He scientifically reordered the table according to atomic numbers (nuclear charge,
using X-Ray) rather than by weight, thereby modifying the Periodic Law.

Seaborg "Plucked out " the heaviest of the elements to put in the body of the periodic table
and named them the Actinide series.
Part II: “Get Organized Periodically” Go to
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/elem_pertable.html

1. Why are the elements placed in specific places on the Periodic Table?
Elements have their specific place on the table because of their
atomic structure.
rows
2. Periods are ________ that run from left to right.
atomic orbitals
3. Elements in the same period have the same ________________________.
one orbital electrons
4. Every element in the first period has ________ shell for its _______. Every
two orbitals electrons
element in the second period has __________ for its ___________. See the
pattern?
columns
5. Groups are _______________ that run from top to bottom.
valance
6. The elements of a group have the same number of ____________
electrons in their
outer
___________ shell.
one
7. Every element in group one has _________ electron in its outer shell. Every
element in group two has ___________
two electrons in its outer shell.
one
8. Hydrogen is special because it can act like two groups, __________ and
_________.
seven

missing
9. Hydrogen sometimes is ________________ an electron and sometimes it has an
extra
_____________ electron.
two
10. Although helium has only __________ electrons in its outer shell, it is grouped
eight
with elements that have ________________.
transition
11. The green elements on this table are called ____________ elements. They each
have two electrons in their outer shell.

Part III: “Family Fun” Go to http.//chemicalelements.com/

12. Click on Alkali Metals (left bar) and answer the following questions.
one
a. What is the group number? __________

yes
b. Are these metals reactive? __________
no
c. Do these metals occur freely in nature? __________
one
d. How many electrons are in their outer shell? ___________
 e. What are the three characteristics of ALL metals? ___________________
All the metals are malleable, ductile, and are good conductors of heat and electricity

soft
f. Are these metals soft or hard? ________________________
Cesium
g. Name the two most reactive elements in this group? _____________ and
__________
francium
They explode
h. What happens when they are exposed to water? ____________________

13. Click on Alkaline Earth Metals (left bar) and answer these questions.

two
a. What is the group number? __________
Yes
b. Are these metals reactive? __________
No
c. Do these metals occur freely in nature? ____________

d. How many electrons are in their outer shell? _________

two (Hint: It’s the same as
their oxidation number or group number.)

14. Click on Transition Metals (left bar) and answer these questions.
38
a. How many elements are in this group? ____________
3 12
b. What are the group numbers? __________ through _______
electrons they use to combine with other elements
c. What are valence electrons? ________________
shell
d. Because the valence electrons are present in more than one _____________
transition metals often exhibit several common __________________.
oxidation states
Iron
e. Name the three elements in this family that produce a magnetic field. _________,
cobalt nickel
__________, and __________.

15. Click on Other Metals (left bar) and answer these questions.

7
a. How many elements are in this group? ______________
13 15
b. What are the group numbers? _________ through __________
They are ductile and malleable.
c. How are these other metals similar to the transition metals? ______________

d. How are these metals different than the transition metals? ________________
They do not exhibit variable oxidation states, and their valence electrons are only present in their outer shell
_______________________________________________________________
 e. List three physical properties of these other metals.
They are solids, have a relatively high density, and are opaque.
_________________________
+3, ±4, and -3.
f. What are the oxidation numbers for this group? ______________________

16. Click on Metalloids to answer these questions.

a. On your periodic table, draw the black stair-step line that distinguishes metals
from nonmetals. This line is drawn from between Boron and Aluminum to the
border between Polonium and Astatine.
b. Metalloids have properties of both ________
metals and _____________.
non-metals

They can carry an electrical charge under special conditions

c. Define semiconductor ___________________________________.
silicon germanium
d. Name two metalloids that are semi-conductors. ____________and __________.
computers calculators
e. This property makes metalloids useful in ____________and ______________.

17. Click in Nonmetals to answer these questions.

14 16
a. What are the group numbers? ___________ through ____________

b. List four characteristics of ALL nonmetals. ______________________________

They can't conduct heat or electricity, are very brittle, no metallic luster, and they do not reflect light

c. What two states of matter do nonmetals exist in at room temperature?

gas and solid
_________________________
metallic luster reflect light
d. The nonmetals have no _______________and do not ____________________.
±4, -3, and -2.
e. What are the oxidation numbers of the nonmetals? _______________________

18. Click on the Halogens (left bar) to answer these questions.

17
a. What is the halogen group number? ___________________
5
b. Are halogens metals or nonmetals? ______________________
"salt-former"
c. The term “halogen” means ____________________ and compounds containing
halogens are called ____________________.
"salts"
17
d. How many electrons are in their outer shell? __________________
-1
e. What is their oxidation number? ______________________
 f. What states of matter do halogens exist in at room temperature?
All three solid, liquid, and gas
__________________________________

19. Click on Noble Gases (left bar) and answer these questions.
18
a. What is the group number? _________________

b. Why were these gases considered to be inert or stable?

________________________
They are considered this because their oxidation number of 0 prevents the noble gases from
forming compounds readily.
0
c. What is their oxidation number? ____________________

20. Click on Rare Earth Elements ( Inner Transition) (left bar) and answer these
questions.

a. On you periodic table, label the Lanthanide and Actinide series with your pencil.
30
b. How many Rare Earth elements are there? ___________________________
synthetic or man-made
c. Define trans-uranium. ___________________________________
3
d. The Rare Earth metals are found in group _______________and periods
6
______________and _______________.
7

Part IV: “Periodic Trends”

The periodic table is called such because many properties are periodic functions of their
elements. In this section you will define each of the periodic properties and describe how
the properties vary across a row and down a column of the periodic table.

Go to: http://chemistry.about.com/od/periodictableelements/a/periodictrends.htm
: Half of the distance between the centers of two atoms of that element that are just touching each other, decrease acros
 Atomic radii period and increase down a group
 Ionic radii : the measure of an atom's ion in a crystal lattice, increases down a group and decreases across a period
 Cation : an ionic species with a positive charge
 Anion : an ionic species having a negative charge
: the energy required to remove an electron from a gaseous atom or ion completely,increase across rows and
 Ionization energy decreases down columns
 Electron affinity :It is the energy change that occurs when an electron is added to a gaseous atom, increases in both periods and gr
 Electronegativity: a measure of the attraction of an atom for the electrons in a chemical bond, increases
across a period and decrease down a group
 Metallic character: the name given to the set of chemical properties associated with elements that are
metals, it decreases across a period and increases down a group.

Part V: “Representations of the Periodic Table”

As you search the sites below, be aware of the different portrayals of the periodic table.
What are the different tables illustrating? Which do you like best?
The different table are illustrating different aspects of the periodic table and its element. For example the
Geochemist periodic table shows physical properties and abundances of elements and their ions and isotopes of
importance to Earth scientists while Benfey's Spiral Periodic Table shows the location of lanthanides and actinides. I
like the geochemist best because it gives you a lot of information.
http://dwb.unl.edu/teacher/nsf/C04/C04Links/chemlab.pc.maricopa.edu/periodic/stoweta
ble.html

http://www.wou.edu/las/physci/ch412/alttable.htm

Congratulations! You have finished your first chemistry WebQuest. Turn in

your answers.