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GCSE Chemistry · key term
A tabular arrangement of the chemical elements that shows repeating patterns in their properties.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification 4.1.1.1, 4.1.2.2 · Paper 1
The organised table in which the chemical elements are displayed.
Revise: Atoms, Elements and the Periodic TableChemists organise them in the periodic table, where each element has its own position, name and chemical symbol.
A systematic arrangement of elements that places elements with recurring, similar properties into groups.
You will be given a periodic table in the exam. Use the atomic numbers to locate elements rather than relying only on the table’s shape.
For a question asking how the periodic table developed, give the stages in chronological order: ordering by atomic weight, problems with early tables, Mendeleev’s gaps and changes, successful predictions, then the explanation provided by isotopes and atomic number.
Do not say that Mendeleev arranged the elements by atomic number. Atomic number was not yet understood; that is the basis of the modern periodic table.
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Specification 1.13, 1.14, 1.17, 6.1 · Paper 1, Paper 2
Revise: Mendeleev's ArrangementModern periodic tables use atomic number, the number of protons in an atom. Chemists in Mendeleev's time did not yet understand protons or atomic number, so they used the best available measurements of relative atomic mass, then commonly called atomic weight.
An organised arrangement of elements that shows repeating patterns in their properties.
A chart in which the chemical elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number so that patterns in their properties can be seen.
A chart of the elements arranged in order of increasing atomic number, with vertical groups and horizontal periods.
Specification C2.2b · Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher)
An organised arrangement of the elements in which elements with recurring chemical properties occur in the same columns.
Revise: Structure and Periodic PositionThe Periodic Table is not just a list of elements. Its layout brings together elements with related atomic structures and recurring chemical properties. In general, metals occupy the left-hand side and centre of the table, while non-metals occur towards the right-hand side.