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What is the Periodic Table? The Symbols of the Elements
The majority of the symbols
used in the Periodic table are easy to understand, they are just
an abbreviation of the name such H for hydrogen, O for Oxygen,
Ar for Argon, Br for Bromine etc etc. The first letter of the
Periodic symbols is always a capital letter. If there is a
second or third letter in the symbol it always in lower case.
However, some of the symbols are taken for Latin, Greek or
German names so are not readily identified. There are only ten
elements that have such symbols.
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Names of Symbols |
Sb
Cu
Au
Fe
Pb
Hg
K
Ag
Sn
W |
Antimony
Copper
Gold
Iron
Lead
Mercury
Potassium
Silver
Tin
Tungsten
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Sb -
From
the Greek 'anti' and 'monos' meaning "opposed to
solitude".
Cu - From the Latin 'cyprium',
after the island of Cyprus.
Au - From the Latin 'aurum'
meaning gold.
Fe - From the Latin 'ferrum'
meaning iron.
Pb - From the Latin 'plumbum'
meaning lead.
Hg -
From the Greek 'hydrargyros'
meaning 'water' and 'silver'.
K - From the Latin 'kalium'
meaning potash.
Ag - From the Latin
'argentum' meaning silver.
Sn - From the Latin 'stannum' meaning tin
W - From the German
'Wolfram' |
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Names of Symbols |
What is
the Periodic Table? Who invented the
Periodic Table?
Dimitri Mendeleev was
the Russian chemist and author of the first periodic table. The
modern Periodic table is based on his findings and theories in
Periodic Chemistry. The Periodic Table is used
by chemists to observe the chemical and physical properties,
characteristics, patterns and relationships between over 100
elements in just one chart.
An Element is a substance composed of atoms with the same atomic
number. A chemical element contains only one type of atom.
An element can be a gas, a liquid or a solid. The
elements are placed in specific places on the Periodic
Table because of the way they look and act.
The
Periodic Law states that the
properties of elements are periodic functions of their atomic
weights.
What is the Periodic Table? - Atomic Numbers
Each Chemical element on the Periodic table is given a unique
Atomic Number.
The atomic number of an element is the same as the number of
Protons and Electrons
in that particular atom. Across the Periodic table the elements
are placed in the order of their atomic numbers starting with
the lowest number of 1 which is the atomic number for hydrogen.
The atomic number is the number of
protons in the atom. When arranged according to atomic number,
elements show repeating, or periodic trends in their chemical
and physical properties.
What is the Periodic Table? - The Rows (PERIODS) and Columns
(GROUPS)
Elements in the periodic table are arranged in rows
called PERIODS and columns called GROUPS.
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Column (called a GROUP)
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The
18 Groups in the Periodic Table are any of the vertical columns that
contain elements arranged in order of increasing atomic number
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The
Atomic number increases as you move down a column (GROUP)
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Elements with similar properties are arranged in the same column (GROUP)
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Row (called a PERIOD)
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The
Periods in the Periodic Table are any of the 7 horizontal rows that
contain elements arranged in order of increasing atomic number
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The
Atomic number increases as you move across a period (row)
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Each
period (row) starts with Alkali metal and ends with a Noble gas
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The
first element of each period (row) is most reactive (electropositive)
and last element is chemically inert
What is the Periodic Table?
- Groups in the Periodic
Table
The elements shown on the Periodic Table are Gas, Liquid or
Solid and are classified into
Periodic Table Groups. Properties within each individual
group are similar, but nevertheless vary within a group. The elements displayed are Gas,
Liquid or Solid and are classified in groups called:
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