Ever felt the periodic table was a bit dull as a student? This blog might change your mind!
In school, we often memorise the periodic table without fully appreciating its vital role as a crucial guide for scientists globally. Today, let's explore some fascinating facts about the periodic table together!
On March 6, 1869, Dmitri Mendeleyev presented his periodic table at the Russian Chemical Society, arranging elements based on increasing atomic weight. This marked a significant step in the development of the modern periodic table. While he's commonly credited with creating the modern periodic table, it's interesting to note that he wasn't the first! In 1864, Lothar Meyer had already published a periodic table outlining the positions of 28 elements.
Out of the 118 elements on the periodic table, 90 are naturally occurring, while the other 28 are human-made. Interestingly, technetium was the first element created by humans, adding a touch of our ingenuity to the elemental mix.
To ascertain the weight of the 63 known elements, scientists employed a method involving passing currents through various solutions, breaking them down into individual atoms. This intriguing process utilised batteries to separate atoms, with their polarity directing atoms of one element in one direction and others in another. The collected atoms were then placed in distinct containers and weighed, unravelling the mysteries of elemental weights.
The periodic table gets a makeover courtesy of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) whenever there's new data available! As of now, the most recent version was approved in December 2018.
Dmitri Mendeleyev's love for card games influenced his creation of the periodic table. He wrote the weight of each element on individual index cards, arranging them like a game of solitaire. Elements with similar properties became a "suit," and he organised them in columns by ascending atomic weight. It's as if chemistry took a cue from the shuffle and deal of a card game!
The periodic table showcases around 90 metals, neatly divided into six distinctive categories: alkali metals, basic metals, alkaline earth metals, lanthanides, transition metals, and actinides.
This is really interesting! Uranium and Uranus sound alike because Uranium got its name shortly after the discovery of Uranus. And guess what? Elbert Einstein has an element named after him- Einsteinium! Elements often snag their names from the places they're found. Then there's mythology adding flair – like Thorium, inspired by the Norse god Thor, and Titanium, a nod to the mighty Greek Titans. It's like a cosmic storybook of names in the world of elements! Cool, right?
It's like chemistry's own love story! If you take the modern periodic table, trim away the intricate middle columns, and fold it along the middle of the Group 4 elements, the groups that "kiss" are the ones that can form stable unions. These elements have electron structures that complement each other, creating a perfect match for a fusion of the two. Chemistry at its most romantic, bringing elements together in a dance of shared electrons!
Here's to breaking the myth that science is dull—let's keep the curiosity alive and make exploring the periodic table an enjoyable journey!
