Navigating the Periodic Table

Learning Objectives

the periodic table as an organisational tool to identify patterns and trends in, and relationships between, the structures (including electronic configurations and atomic radii) and properties (including electronegativity, first ionisation energy, metallic/non-metallic character and reactivity) of elements.

Summary Notes

The Periodic Table is the Chemistry version of the Oxford Dictionary. It tells you so many things about the elements.
The modern periodic table has chemical elements arranged in order of increasing atomic number.

The chemical properties of an element depend on the number of their outer shell electrons.

Periods are the horizontal rows that indicate the number of shells an atom has.

Groups are the columns and indicate the valence (outer) electrons.

s-block = metals

d-block = transition metals

f-block = lanthanides and actinides

p-block = metalloids and non-metals.

You can learn more about the areas of the periodic table through the videos below.