The Periodic Table

Dmitri Mendeleev (1834 - 1907)

 Elements are arranged:

Vertically into Groups

Horizontally Into Periods

Why?
 If you looked at one
atom of every element
in a group you would
see…
Each atom has the same number of
electrons in its outermost shell.

• An example…
The group 2 atoms all have 2 electrons
in their outer shells

Be (Beryllium)
Atom

Mg (Magnesium) Atom
• The number of outer or “valence” electrons
in an atom affects the way an atom bonds.

• The way an atom bonds determines many

properties of the element.

• This is why elements within a group

usually have similar properties.
If you looked at an atom from each
element in a period

you would see…

Each atom has the same number of
electron shells.

An example…
The period 4 atoms each have 4 electron
containing shells

4th Shell

K (Potassium) Kr (Krypton)
Atom
Atom
Fe (Iron) Atom
 Each group has distinct properties
• The periodic Table is divided into several
groups based on the properties of different
atoms.
Alkali Metals

Soft, silvery coloured

metals
Very reactive!!!
Group 1A: Alkali Metals

Reaction of
potassium + H2O

Cutting sodium metal

Alkali Metals reacting with water:

• Li (Lithium) – least reactive

• Na (Sodium)
• K (Potassium)
• Rb (Rubidium)
• Cs (Cesium) – more reactive
What would you expect
from Francium?!?!
Group 2A: Alkaline Earth Metals

Magnesium

Magnesium
oxide
 Alkaline Earth Metals

Silvery-White Metals
Fairly reactive
Many are found in rocks in
the earth’s crust
Transition Metals

Most are good Malleable (easily

conductors of bent/hammered into
electricity wires or sheets)
How many things can you think
of that have Transition Metals in
them?
 Metalloids lie on
either side of the
“staircase”

They share properties with

both metals and non-metals
Si (Silicon) and Ge
(Germanium) are very
important “semi-conductors”
What are semiconductors used in?
 Nonmetals

Brittle
Do not conduct
electricity
 Halogens

Most are
poisonous
Fairly reactive –
react with alkali
metals (eg) Na+
and Cl-
Chlorine Gas was used as a
chemical weapon during World
War I.

It was used by the Germans in

World War II.
 Chlorine Gas
• The Germans were the first to use Chlorine gas
at Ypres in 1915
• Chlorine gas is a lung irritant
• The symptoms of gas poisoning are bright red
lips, and a blue face
• People affected die a slow death by suffocation
• Decades later men who thought they had
survived the war died from lung diseases such
as Emphysema
CHLORINE
 Noble Gases

Unreactive
Gases at room
temperature
Jellyfish lamps made with noble
gases artist- Eric Ehlenberger
 Colors Noble Gases
produce in lamp tubes:
• Ne (Neon): orange-red
• Hg (Mercury): light blue

• Ar (Argon): pale lavender

• He (Helium): pale peach

• Kr (Krypton): pale silver

• Xe (Xenon): pale, deep blue
Lanthanide Series
Actinide Series
• (A) Periods of the periodic table, and (B) groups
of the periodic table.
• Chemical “Groups”
– IA are called alkali metals because they react with
water to form an alkaline solution (basic)
• They are very reactive
– Group IIA are called the alkaline earth metals
because they are reactive, but not as reactive as
Group IA.
• They are also soft metals
– Group VIIA are the halogens
• These need only one electron to fill their outer shell
• They are very reactive
– Group VIIIA are the noble gases as they have
completely filled outer shells
• They are almost non-reactive.
• Four chemical families of the
periodic table: the alkali
metals (IA), the alkaline earth
metals (IIA), halogens (VII),
and the noble gases (VIIIA).
Metal: Elements that are usually solids at room
temperature.
Most elements are metals.

Non-Metal: Elements in the upper right corner of the

periodic Table. Their chemical and physical properties
are different from metals.

Metalloid: Elements that lie on a diagonal line between

the metals and non-metals. Their chemical and
physical properties are intermediate between the two.
 The Atom
An atom consists of a
• nucleus
– (of protons and neutrons)
• electrons in space about the nucleus.

Electron cloud

Nucleus
ATOM
COMPOSITION
The atom is mostly
empty space
•protons and neutrons in
the nucleus.
•the number of electrons is equal to the number
of protons.
•electrons in space around the nucleus.
•extremely small. One teaspoon of water has 3
times as many atoms as the Atlantic Ocean has
teaspoons of water.
 Compounds
– composed of 2 or
more elements in a
fixed ratio
– properties differ
from those of
individual elements
– EX: table salt (NaCl)
A MOLECULE is 2 more atoms
bonded together – they may be the same
element (ie diatomic molecule) or they may
be different elements (ie caffeine)
Composition of molecules is given
by a MOLECULAR FORMULA
H2O C8H10N4O2 - caffeine
ELEMENTS THAT EXIST AS Remember:
DIATOMIC MOLECULES
The “GENS”
These elements
exist as PAIRS
when ALONE.
Hydrogen (H2)
Nitrogen (N2)
Oxygen (O2)
Halogens
(F2, Cl2, Br2, I2)
(P4 and S8)
 Isotopes
• Atoms of the same element (same Z) but
different mass number (A).
• Boron-10 (10B) has 5 p and 5 n
• Boron-11 (11B) has 5 p and 6 n

B
11

B
10
Isotopes &
Their Uses
Bone scans with
radioactive
technetium-99.
CARBON-14 – RADIOACTIVE
ISOTOPE
• Occurs in trace
amounts in the
atmosphere
• Absorbed into living
organisms
• The half-life of carbon-
14 is approx 5700
years (when half the
C-14 is converted to
N-14)
 Atomic Symbols
 Show the name of the element, a hyphen, and
the mass number in hyphen notation

sodium-23
 Show the mass number and atomic number in
nuclear symbol form
mass number
23
Na
atomic number 11
 Isotopes?
Which of the following represent
isotopes of the same element?
Which element is it?

234 234 235 238

X X X X
92 93 92 92

1 2 3 4
 IONS
• IONS are atoms or groups of atoms with a positive or
negative charge.
• Donating an electron from an atom gives a CATION with a
positive charge
• Accepting an electron to an atom gives an ANION with a
negative charge
• To tell the difference between an atom and an ion, look to
see if there is a charge in the superscript! Examples: Na+
Ca+2 I- O-2 Na Ca I O
 Forming Cations & Anions
A CATION forms An ANION forms
when an atom when an atom
loses one or more gains one or more
electrons. electrons

Mg --> Mg + 2 e-
2+ F + e- --> F-
 PREDICTING ION CHARGES

In general

• metals (Mg) lose electrons ---> cations (Mg2+)

• nonmetals (F) gain electrons ---> anions (F-)
– When an atom or molecule gain or loses an
electron it becomes an ion.

• A cation has lost an electron and therefore has a

positive charge
• An anion has gained an electron and therefore
has a negative charge.
Charges on Common Ions
-3 -2 -1
+1
+2

By losing or gaining e-, atom has same

number of e-’s as nearest Group 8A atom.
 Learning Check – Counting

State the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons

in each of these ions.
39
K+ O -2
16
Ca +2
41
19 8 20

#p+ ______ ______ _______

#no ______ ______ _______
#e- ______ ______ _______
– Elements with 1, 2, or 3 electrons in their outer shell
tend to lose electrons to fill their outer shell and
become cations.
• These are the metals which always tend to lose
electrons.
– Elements with 5 to 7 electrons in their outer shell
tend to gain electrons to fill their outer shell and
become anions.
• These are the nonmetals which always tend to gain
electrons.
– Semiconductors (metalloids) occur at the dividing
line between metals and nonmetals.
 EXAMPLE
What would the charge be on a sodium ion?

Since sodium in in Group IA it is a metal and so would

LOSE an electron
ou can tell how many would be lost by the group number
roup 1A elements lose 1 electron

So the charge would be +1

emember an electron is negatively charged. When you los
hem atom becomes positively charged…

hen you gain them it becomes negatively charged

 EXAMPLE
How would you right the symbol for the sodium CATION?

Na
+1

How many outer electrons does sodium have before it

loses one?

It has 1…remember the group number!