The Periodic Table
Understanding the organization of the periodic table
Columns of the periodic table are called groups .
Elements in the same group have similar chemical properties to each other.
Groups are numbered from left to right using numbers 1-8. The number of the group is the number of electrons in the valence shell of the elements in the group.
(Note that the middle of the periodic table is not divided into groups. For the purpose of this book, we will only be focusing on the 8 main groups)
- Group 1 is red
- Group 2 is orange
- Group 3 is yellow
- Group 4 is green
- Group 5 is light blue
- Group 7 is dark blue
- Group 8 is purple
Horizontal rows of the periodic table are called periods .
Periods are numbered 1 through 7 from top to bottom. The number of the period is equal to the energy level of the valence shell of the atoms in that period.
- Period 1 is red
- Period 2 is orange
- Period 3 is yellow
- Period 4 is green
- Period 5 is light blue
- Period 6 is dark blue
- Period 7 is purple
The periodic table is divided into four blocks :
- s block (shown in blue)
- d block (shown in green)
- p block (shown in red)
- f block (shown in yellow)
Elements in the s block have their highest energy valence electrons in s orbitals .
Elements in the p block have their highest energy valence electrons in p orbitals .
Elements in the d block have their highest energy valence electrons in d orbitals .
Elements in the f block have their highest energy valence electrons in f orbitals .
Now we can use all of this knowledge to figure out some of the properties of certain elements using their location on the periodic table. Lets use sulfur (S) as an example:
Sulfur is in the sixth group, so we know that it has 6 electrons in its valence shell .
Sulfur is in the third period, so we know that its valence shell is in the third energy level .
Sulfur is in the p block , so we know that its highest energy electrons are in a p orbital.
We were able to figure all of this out by only using the location of sulfur on the periodic table!