what is the table?
The Periodic Table is an arrangement of all known chemical elements organized on the basis of their Atomic Number (number of protons in the nucleus), Electron Configuration and it's Chemical Properties. There are 118 known elements on the table.
The table is arranged:
The table is arranged:
- in order of increasing atomic number
- in rows (called periods) and columns (called groups)
- with the metals to the left of the table, the non-metals to the far right and the metalloids in between.
features and characteristics
Within the Periodic Table there are nine main groups. They are:
- Alkali Metals
- Alkaline Earth Metals
- Transition Metals
- Rare Earth Metals
- Other Metals
- Metalloids
- Halogens
- Noble Gases
- Other Non-Metals
SODIum
The element Sodium is recognized as an Alkali Metal on the Periodic Table. Alongside the other Alkali Metals, Sodium is highly reactive and does not occur freely in nature.
Situated in the third Period on the table, Sodium shares the same number of atomic orbitals as other neighboring elements such as Aluminium, Silicon and Phosphorus.
Located in the first Group, Sodium has the same number of electrons in its outer shell (1) as neighboring elements Lithium, Potassium, Rubidium, Caesium and Francium.
Sodium itself is a solid. Its melting point is 97.795 degrees Celsius and its boiling point is 882.940 degrees Celsius.
Situated in the third Period on the table, Sodium shares the same number of atomic orbitals as other neighboring elements such as Aluminium, Silicon and Phosphorus.
Located in the first Group, Sodium has the same number of electrons in its outer shell (1) as neighboring elements Lithium, Potassium, Rubidium, Caesium and Francium.
Sodium itself is a solid. Its melting point is 97.795 degrees Celsius and its boiling point is 882.940 degrees Celsius.
Element comparison: Sodium & Chlorine
Sodium and Chlorine are two very different elements on despite being on the same 3rd period on the Periodic Table. Sodium is a soft metal, belonging to the Alkali Metals in group 1, therefore meaning it is highly reactive to water. Chlorine however is a reactive dense gas that does not occur freely in nature. Despite being reactive, Chlorine belongs to the Halogen group in group 17, meaning it is a non-metallic element which form strongly acidic compounds with Hydrogen. However, even though Sodium and Chlorine as polar opposites when describing their characteristics, when heated together, they form a substance called Sodium Chloride (NaCl) more commonly known as Salt. Sodium Chloride works so well because Sodium has only one out of a possible sixteen electrons in its outer shell meaning it is missing seventeen electrons to become a “happy”, noble element. Chlorine has seventeen electrons and is missing one electron to become a noble element. Put Sodium with one extra electron and Chlorine with its one missing electron, a happy compound is formed; Salt. Sodium and Chloride are polar opposites when it comes to placement on the Periodic Table and their characteristics and despite having few similarities, their differences are what makes the compound Sodium Chloride, work so well.