The Periodic Table Of Elements

Abstract

The Periodic Table of Elements is commonly used today when studying elements. This table’s history begins in ancient times when Greek scientists first started discovering different elements. Over the years, many different forms of the periodic table have been made which set the basis for the modern table we use today. This table includes over 100 elements and are arranged by groups and periods. Groups being vertical columns and periods being horizontal columns. With all of the research conducted over the years and the organization of this table, it is easy to use when needed.

The Periodic Table of Elements

History of the Periodic Table Many elements have been around since ancient times such as

Brand was obsessed with finding the Philosopher’s Stone; this stone reputedly could change metals into gold. With his discovery, this made Brand the first known discoverer of an element. In 1669, he isolated human urine and distilled it which resulted in a white and waxy material. Brand named this material phosphorus (light bearer) because it glowed in the dark. This discovery was kept a secret until 1680 when an English chemist Robert Boyle discovered phosphorus independently. Boyle’s definition of this element was simply “a substance that cannot be broken down into a simpler substance by a chemical reaction”. This definition of the element lasted for three centuries until the discovery of subatomic

This law states that, “when elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number, there is a periodic repetition of their chemical and physical properties” (textbook). From that, the modern periodic table was born; “each new horizontal row of the table corresponds to the beginning of a new period because a new principal energy level is being filled with electrons” (textbook). Families All elements fit into little families or groups of other elements with similar properties. The whole periodic table is an arrangement of the elements. They are arranged by their atomic numbers so that the elements with relatable properties present in the same vertical column or group. The horizontal row of the periodic table is called a period. In the whole table, there are seven rows or periods and they begin at the far left. A new period begins when electrons begin filling a new principal energy level. With the groups and periods, it makes the table fit well together.