Periodic Table

The periodic table also is known as the periodic table of elements is one of the most important concepts of chemistry, both in principle and in practice. It is the arrangement of elements in such a way that it has a pattern in atomic number, electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties.

Periodic table displays the fact that the chemical elements have periodic trends and lie together in families, are not a cluster of random elements. Learning how the periodic table is built-up is very essential to know how the world around us is just a combination of these elements in different proportions.

If you want to learn all about chemistry and chemical reactions then it is very likely you have to refer the periodic table, so here we will learn what is history of periodic table, existence of today's modern periodic table, different classification of elements, logical consequence of electronic configuration of atoms, periodic trends, 4-blocks, examining physical and chemical properties of the elements etc.

Why do We Need Classification Elements ?

If you know little about chemistry then by now you know that the world of chemistry is infinite. In 1800 only 31 elements were known, in 1865 scientists were able to identify 63 elements, right now we have 118 elements and in future, we will be able to know the existence of other elements too.

Elements with a higher atomic number were not found natural but were synthesized in laboratories like Og, Lv, Ts, Mc, etc. We have all types of elements with similar properties, different properties, with intermediate properties and different variations of chemical reactions. So to make things easy we created the periodic table, now called a modern periodic table to understand how the chemistry of this universe works and how elements(atoms) show a sequence with increasing atomic number.

History of Periodic Table

Through the number of experiments and observations, scientists were able to group elements by developing periodic law and periodic table in a systematic approach.

Johann Dobereiner, the German chemist in the early 1800s was the first person to saw the trend and pattern in properties of elements. In 1829 he noted the similarity among the physical and chemical properties of elements, he grouped the elements in three called a triad.

In this triads he observed that mean of atomic weights first and last elements were equal to the atomic weight of the middle element. He also observed that the properties of the middle element were similar to the properties of the first and last element.

Dobereiner’s periodic law also referred to as the law of triad was only applicable to few elements, when new elements have discovered the law of triad failed to justify the periodicity of elements.

Another attempt of building the periodic table made by A.E.B. de Chancourtois a French geologist in 1862. He arranged element in increasing order of the atomic weights and created a cylindrical table in which elements with similar properties were close to each other, but he failed because it was not an efficient solution.

After that in 1865 the English chemist, John Alexander Newlands profounded the Law of Octave. He made a periodic table by placing elements in increasing order of their atomic weights and noted that every eighth element in the table has similar chemical and physical properties to the first element.