Organization And Use Of The Periodic Table Michael Bailey & Marlena Artis

Atomic Number Symbol (Uranium) Atomic Mass The atomic number is the number of protons an atom has Symbol (Uranium) The element’s symbol is simply the abbreviation for the name of the element. Sometimes the symbol is the abbreviation for the element’s Latin name. The atomic mass is the atom’s mass often measured in AMUs (Atomic mass units) which weighs approximately 1/12 the mass of a carbon-12 atom Atomic Mass

Chemical Families

Alkali Metals Alkali Metals are the elements in the leftmost vertical column (group/family) on the periodic table excluding Hydrogen These elements are highly reactive with other elements and increase in reactivity the farther you move down the column All Alkali Metals have only one valence electron in their outer shell

Alkaline Earth Metals These are the reactive elements found in group two of the periodic table These elements have two valence electrons in their outer shell All of these elements are metals Alkaline earth metals are typically not found in nature due to their high reactivity

Transition Metals These are the elements/metals found in groups 3-12 of the periodic table Most are malleable, ductile, and conduct electricity These elements contain assorted amounts of valence electrons that are NOT determined by what group they are in

Inner Transition Metals (Lanthanides and Actinides) Inner Transition Metals are the two periods of elements which visually are located at the bottom of the periodic table, but technically are located after the elements Lanthanum and Actinium The Lanthanides are the top period while the Actinides are the bottom period Almost all of the Actinides are radioactive and are man made in a laboratory Some of the Actinides with higher atomic numbers are so large that they can only exist for sometimes milliseconds before breaking down into more stable elements

Halogens Halogens are the extremely reactive non-metals located in group 7 of the periodic table These elements all have 7 valence electrons in their outer shell The Halogens react violently with other elements Most combine with the Alkali Metals to form useful and sometimes edible ionic compounds

Noble Gases The Noble Gases are the stable elements located in group 8 of the periodic table These gases all have a full outer electron shell (8 valence electrons) These elements never naturally react with other elements because they neither want to gain or lose electrons Most of these gases can have an electric current passed through them to create very bright and colorful lights (Neon, Argon, Xenon)

Metals, Non-Metals, & Metalloids

Metals All Elements to the left of group 13 are metals The Lanthanides and Actinides are also metals Most metals are malleable (able to be hammered into sheets), ductile (the ability to be drawn into a wire), and conduct electricity They are also lustrous and can conduct heat well Metals tend to lose electrons and therefore are the cations in compounds

Non-Metals Non-metals are located diagonally down and to the right starting with carbon They include the halogens and noble gases Non-Metals generally gain electrons and therefore are the anions in compounds Non-Metals are poor conductors of heat and electricity, are very brittle, and are not lustrous

Metalloids Metalloids are located along the staircase line between the metals and non-metals They possess characteristics of both metals and non-metals Most are malleable and ductile and they can conduct heat and electricity, but not to the extent that metals can