Profile
Settings
Refer your friends
Sign out
Introduction
The first periodic table that became widely accepted was that of the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev in the year1869, he formulated the periodic law as a dependence of chemical properties on atomic mass. Since not all elements were then known, there were gaps present in his periodic table, and Mendeleev successfully used the periodic law to know the properties of some of the missing elements. The periodic law was recognized as a fundamental discovery in the late 19th century, and it was finally explained with the discovery of the atomic number and pioneering work in quantum mechanics of the early 20th century that explained the internal structure of the atom. Chemists have always tried to arrange the elements in a way such that it reflects the similarities in their properties. The elements in the modern periodic table are listed in a sequential order of their increasing atomic number (the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom). Earlier the scientists have tried to arrange the elements, using relative atomic masses. This was mainly due to the lack of development of the concept of atoms being composed of smaller subatomic particles (i.e. the protons, neutrons, and electrons). Long before the concept of the atomic number was discovered, the basis of the modern periodic table was well established and even used to predict some of the properties of undiscovered elements.
Identification of the Periodic Table
The periodic table of the elements defines the atomic structure of all elements that are known. For instance, by looking at the periodic table, a person is able to find out how many electrons the element has and how much it weighs. Each element possesses its own separate set of such data; no two elements are actually the same. Thus, if one is uncertain what matter has, we can look at the atomic structure of the material, and compare it to the information present in the periodic table, and can easily identify the material by matching it to the element on the table having the same data.
Periodic law
Elements that are aligned in the same column they share similar properties and these are called as groups. Elements that share the same row are referred to as periods and have the same highest unexcited electron energy levels. The periodic table also helps to reveal information on the atomic number and weight of an element, as well as some of the common charges. All of the information is packed into one universal, easy-to-use reference table that graces the walls of classrooms and laboratories around the world.
Importance of periodic table to chemists
One of the major uses of the periodic table for chemists is to easily predict the chemical properties of an element according to its location on the table. Mendeleev used the trends in his table to predict the properties of five elements that had not yet been discovered at the time he constructed his table. Atom size, the ability to form a chemical bond, and the energy needed to remove an electron all decrease as one goes from left to right across a period and increase as one moves down a column.
The periodic table has gone through many changes as and when the Dmitri Mendeleev drew up its original design in the year1869, thus both the first table and the modern periodic table are important for the same reason: The periodic table arranges elements based on their similar properties so we are able to tell the characteristics of an element just by looking at their position on the table.
Before the emergence of all the naturally occurring elements, the periodic table was used to predict the chemical and physical properties of elements in the gaps on the table. But today, the table can be used to predict the properties of elements that are yet to be discovered, however all these new elements are highly radioactive and break down into more similar elements almost instantly.
Nowadays, the table is useful for modern students and scientists since it helps in predicting the types of chemical reactions that a particular element is most likely to participate in. Instead of memorizing facts and figures for each element, students and scientists need only glance at the table to learn much about the reactivity of an element, whether it is likely to conduct electricity, or whether it is hard or soft, and many other characteristics.
Elements present in the same column to one other are known as groups and they share similar properties. As for example, the elements lying in the first column (the alkali metals) represent all the metals that generally carry a 1+ charge in reactions, react rapidly with water, and combine readily with non-metals. Elements present in the same row as one other are referred to as periods and they share the same highest unexcited electron energy level. Another very useful characteristic of the periodic table is that most tables provide all the information one needs to balance a chemical reaction at a glance. The table tells each element’s atomic number and also their atomic weight. The actual charge of an element is represented by its group.
Conclusion
The periodic table is one of the most crucial achievements in the field of chemistry. It is full of patterns that help us to better understand the world around us. Without it, we would not be able to have many of the products and medicine that we have today. The information gained from the periodic table has helped us to open up numerous windows of knowledge about the entire universe that we live in.
