Concept 3: The Periodic Table

Front

What is the Periodic Table?

Back

A tabular arrangement of chemical elements, organized by increasing atomic number, electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties.

Front

What is an atomic number?

Back

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, which determines the element's identity.

Front

What is atomic mass?

Back

The weighted average mass of an element's isotopes, measured in atomic mass units (amu).

Front

What is the difference between metals, non-metals, and metalloids?

Back

Metals are typically shiny, conductive, and malleable; non-metals are dull, insulative, and brittle; metalloids have properties of both metals and non-metals.

Front

What is a chemical symbol?

Back

A one or two-letter abbreviation used to represent an element on the periodic table.

Front

What is the significance of group numbers in the periodic table?

Back

Group numbers indicate the number of valence electrons in the elements, which determines their chemical reactivity.

Front

What are periods in the periodic table?

Back

Horizontal rows in the periodic table that indicate the number of electron shells in the elements.

Front

What is a valence electron?

Back

An electron in the outermost shell of an atom that can participate in chemical bonding.

Front

What is the role of the periodic table in chemistry?

Back

It helps predict the properties of elements and their compounds, as well as their reactivity.

Front

What is an isotope?

Back

Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.