Chemistry Clarity · chemistryclarity.com

The Periodic Table: Flashcards

Revise periods and groups, the main families, metals, non-metals and metalloids, blocks and predicting ions.

10 cardsBeginner

10 cards

  1. Question
    In what order are elements arranged in the modern periodic table?
    Answer

    Increasing atomic number (number of protons).

  2. Question
    What is a period, and what is a group?
    Answer

    Period: a horizontal row (1–7). Group: a vertical column (1–18).

  3. Question
    Why do elements in the same group have similar properties?
    Answer

    They have the same number of valence (outer) electrons.

  4. Question
    Name the families in groups 1, 2, 17 and 18.
    Answer

    Alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, halogens, noble gases.

  5. Question
    Where are the metalloids, and name three.
    Answer

    Along the staircase line from boron to astatine: e.g. B, Si, Ge (also As, Sb, Te).

  6. Question
    Which ions do groups 1, 2 and 13 form? And groups 15, 16 and 17?
    Answer

    1+, 2+, 3+; and 3−, 2−, 1−.

  7. Question
    How many valence electrons does an element in group 16 have?
    Answer

    6 (group number minus 10).

  8. Question
    Name the four blocks and their widths.
    Answer

    s (2), p (6), d (10), f (14): the electron capacities of the subshells.

  9. Question
    Which element did Mendeleev call eka-silicon?
    Answer

    Germanium, discovered in 1886 with the properties he had predicted.

  10. Question
    Why does argon come before potassium, although it is heavier?
    Answer

    The table is ordered by atomic number: Ar has 18 protons, K has 19.