Periodic Table

Question 1

Give a brief description of Dmitri Nanovich Mendeleev’s early life

Answer 1

Living in Siberia at 13 Dmitri’s father went blind leaving Dmitri and his 10 brothers and sister destitute. His father then died so his mother reopened an abandoned glass factory to support her family send her children to school. After one year the glass factory burnt down but seeing the potential of Dmitri’s mind she sends his siblings out of the house, packs up their belongings and caries Dmitri on horseback to a university in Moscow. Dmitri’s mother pleads for them to accept Dmitri but they reject him. Not giving up she carries him 400 more miles to St Petersburg University where his father went and they accepted Dmitri! Having successfully completed her mission Dmitri’s mother promptly dies.

Question 2

How many elements and weights were known in 1860?

Answer 2

60 elements and weights were known in 1860

Question 3

What did Dmitri notice about the relationships between the elements?

Answer 3

Dmitri noticed that the most relevant relationships were not to do with their atomic weights

Question 4

What was Mendeleev’s obsession?

Answer 4

Dmitri Mendeleev was obsessed with perfecting the periodic table of elements.

Question 5

What was impressive about Mendeleev’s theory of missing elements to complete the periodic table?

Answer 5

When Medeleev noticed there were missing elements in the current table he calculated what the missing elements must be. When others claimed to discover new elements he was able to disprove many of them without ever coming into contact with the proposed elements by proving they would not fit into his proposed table

Question 6

How many periodic groups are there on the periodic table?

Answer 6

There are 18 numbered groups of elements on the periodic table. Each column is a group

Question 7

Can you name the 8 larger groupings of elements on the periodic table?

Answer 7

1. Alkali Metals (Group IA)
2. Alkaline Earth Metals (Group IIA)
3. Transition Metals
4. Halogens
5. Mix of metals, metalloids, gases and non metals (between transition metals and halogens)
6. Lanthanides
7. Actinides
8. Noble Gases

Question 8

What are the basic properties of the Alkali Metals?

Answer 8

Column 1 (except hydrogen)
Group IA
Placed on the left of the periodic table
Very Reactive, Malleable, Ductile
Good conductors of electricity
Most reactive elements of group are Cesium and Francium 
They can explode when exposed to water
One loosely bound valence electron
(Li Na K Rb Cs Fr)

Question 9

What do alkali metals want?

Answer 9

Alkali metals want nothing more than to dump off an electron and form a positive ion or cation therefore they are always jonesin to hook up with someone on the other side of the table. Due to this they are not found in nature and must be extracted.

Question 10

What are the basic properties of the Alkaline Earth Metals?

Answer 10

Column 2
Group IIA
Low electron affinities and electronegatives
Two electrons in outer shell
Smaller atom radii then alkali metals
Readily form divalent cations
(Be Mg Ca Sr Ba Ra)
Not as reactive as alkali metals

Question 11

What are the basic properties of transition metals?

Answer 11

Central on table
Fairly unreactive
Malleable
High melting and boiling points
Electrical conductors
Exhibit a wide range of oxidation states
Low ionization energies
(Sc Y La Ac Ti Zr Hf Rf V Nb Ta Db Cr Mo W Sg Mn Tc Re Bh Fe Ru Os Hs Co Rh Ir Mt Ni Pd Pt Ds Cu Zn Cd Hg Uub)

Question 12

What are the basic properties of Halogens?

Answer 12

Column 17
Group VIIA
Very high electronegatives
Seven Valence Electrons
Highly reactive with alkali and alkali earth metals
Low ionization energies
(F Cl Br I At)

Question 13

What are the basic properties of the group containing Metals, metalloids, gases and non-metals?

Answer 13

Columns 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 (plus hydrogen)
The metals in this group are solid at room temperature (except mercury)
Metalloids possess characteristics of both metals and nonmetals
Non metals are brittle solids
Non metals gain electrons easily
Not much action in this group but lots of Covalent Organic Chemistry

Question 14

What are the basic properties of Lanthanides?

Answer 14

Top row of group below table
Silvery/white metals that tarnish when exposed to air
High melting and boiling points
very reactive
strong reducing agents

Question 15

What are the basic properties of Actinides?

Answer 15

Bottom row of group below table
All radioactive
Highly Electropositive
Very dense metals with distinctive structures
Combine directly with most non metals
[ Largely undiscovered in Medeleev’s time because they are so similar that it is next to impossible to separate them from one another]

Question 16

What are the basic properties of noble gases?

Answer 16

Far right; column 18
Fairly non reactive
Complete valence shell
Very low electronegatives
Low boiling points
All are gases at room temperature

Question 17

What set Medeleev apart from the 6 others who published works on the periodic table around the same time?

Answer 17

Mendeleev was obsessive and devoted a lot of his time to his works on the periodic table. He realised in a way that no one else did that the idea of periodicity had far reaching consequences. He held a deep belief in the cosmic importance of what he was doing

Question 18

What was a belief Mendeleev held that may have held back his work?

Answer 18

Mendeleev denied the existence of atoms or anything that he couldn’t see with his own eyes