Features of the Periodic Table

The Periodic Table is a list of elements arranged in order of

their increasing proton (atomic) numbers.

Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish

Features of the Periodic Table

periods - horizontal rows of elements

groups - vertical columns of elements

Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish

Periods
The Periodic Table consists of 7 periods of elements,
numbered 1 to 7.
Period 1
Period 3

Each element in a
period has a proton
number which is
one less than the
element after it.
For example, in Period 1, hydrogen has a proton
number of 1 and helium has a proton number of 2.
Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish

Groups
The Periodic Table has 8 groups of elements, numbered from
I, II etc to 0. They run vertically from top to bottom.

Group 1

Group 0

Group 0 is sometimes
called Group VIII.
Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish

Transition Elements

The block of metals between Groups II and

III is known as the transition elements.

Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish

Periodic Trends
The Periodic Table divides the elements into
metals (shaded yellow) and non-metals (shaded blue).

Metalloids, for example silicon (Si) and germanium

(Ge), are located close to the bold line. These elements
have the properties of both a metal and non-metal.
Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish

Metallic and Non-metallic Characteristics

Due to the change from metal to non-metal across a period,
there is also a change in the properties of the elements.

From left to right across a period, there is a decrease in metallic

properties and an increase in non-metallic properties.
From left to right across a period, the
oxides tend to change from basic to acidic.

Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish

What do group and period numbers tell us

about the electronic structures or elements?

The number of valence electrons is the same as the

group number.
The elements in the same group have similar chemical
properties since the number of valence electrons is the same.

Elements in the same period have the same

number of electron shells.

Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish

What are the trends going down a

group?
The proton number becomes bigger.
The atoms become bigger.
The properties of the elements become more metallic.
This is because it is easier to lose electrons.

Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish

How are the types of ion formed by

elements related to group number?

The elements in Groups I, II and III are metals.

Their atoms lose electrons to form positive ions, e.g. Na+, Mg2+
and Al3+.
The charge of the ion is the same as the group number of the
element forming it.

Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish

How are the types of ion formed by

elements related to group number?

The elements in Groups IV and V of the Periodic Table are less

likely to form ions. They
share electrons to form covalent bonds,
have a maximum oxidation state that is the same as the group
number of the element.

Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish

How are the types of ion formed by

elements related to group number?

The elements in Groups VI and VII

are non-metals,
tend to gain electrons and form negative ions, e.g. S2 and Cl.
The elements in Group 0 of the Periodic Table
have stable electronic configurations,
do not form compounds.

Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish

The change in metallicity down the group

The changes from non-metallic to metallic character when going down
a group are less obvious for elements in Groups I, II, VII and 0.

However, for elements in the middle of the Periodic Table

(e.g. Groups IV, V and VI), the changes are significant.
For example, in Group IV, the element at the top (carbon) is a
non-metal but the elements at the bottom (tin and lead) are metals.

Copyright 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish