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What information can we get from the Periodic Table?
Mendeleev's Genius: The Periodic Table
In 1869, just five years after John Newlands put forward his law of octaves, a Russian chemist called Dmitri Mendeleev published a periodic table. Mendeleev also arranged the elements known at the time in order of relative atomic mass, but he did some other things that made his table much more successful.
Activity - Getting to know the Periodic Table
In pairs you will need a copy of the element cards, the Periodic Table and the activity sheet "Playing patience with Mendeleev".
Follow the instructions on the activity sheet "Playing patience with Mendeleev" using the element cards. You need to keep a record of your responses to each of the questions. remember that you should record quality answers.
Once you have completed this and submitted your responses then you should individually follow these instructions to highlight information from the periodic table.
Activity - Sorting the elements
1 Colour in your copy of the Periodic Table to show the metals in one colour. Show this colour in a key.
2 Choose a different colour. Colour in the squares that contain non-metals. Add the colour to your key.
3 There are only two elements in the Periodic Table that are liquids. One is a metal, and one is a non-metal. Pick another colour, and outline the squares with these two elements in. Add this outline colour to your key.
4 Find the elements that are gases. How many gases are there in the table? Pick another colour and outline all the squares of elements that are gases. Add this colour to your key.
5 a What state are all the remaining elements in?
b How many are there?
6 Here are some common substances, including many that you might find at a recycling centre.
Draw a table in your book and fit each substance into the correct box in the table.
copper oxygen steel plastic glass aluminium bronze paper water brass
Can you...
> recall the names of some common elements and their symbols
> use the periodic table to locate the positions of metals and non-metals
correctly use the words mixture, element, symbol
> explain what an atom is
Next lesson: What are elements?
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