Absolutely Small - Michael D. Fayer [67]
The Periodic Table (Figure 11.4) is coded for metals (white), semimetals (semiconductors, dark gray), and nonmetals (light gray). The semimetals are a band between the metals (most of the elements) and the nonmetals, which are in the upper right portion of the table. At the bottom of the table are two strips of elements called the Lanthanide series and the Actinide series. The Lanthanide series, usually referred to as the Lanthanides, begins with the element La, lanthanum, and the Actinides begins with the element Ac, actinium. These two strips go in the gap indicated in the table. These two series of atoms, which involve the f orbitals, are placed below the rest so that the table will not be too wide.
FIGURE 11.4. The Periodic Table of Elements.
Before reviewing the properties of the elements, we will quickly go through the first two rows of the Periodic Table to get a feel for the layout and to understand what a “closed shell” electron configuration is. Then we will come back and use the table to understand properties of the elements.
The Periodic Table Layout
Referring to the energy level diagram (Figure 11.1) and the three rules for placing electrons in the energy levels, hydrogen (symbol H, atomic number 1) has one electron in the 1s orbital from the rule, lowest energy first without violating the Pauli Principle. H is in the upper left corner of the Periodic Table. It is the first element in row 1. The next element is helium (He, 2). It has two electrons in the 1s orbital with opposite spins (arrow up and arrow down, as shown in Figure 11.2). This configuration obeys the Pauli Principle and the lowest energy first rule, which overrides Hund’s Rule because it would take too much energy to put the second helium electron in the 2s energy level (see Figure 11.1). He is in the upper right corner of the Periodic Table; it completes the first row. The first row has the two elements, H and He, with electrons in the n = 1 level. The rows are also referred to as shells. Helium completes the first shell. We say that He has a closed shell configuration because it is the largest element with n = 1.
TABLE 11.1. List of the Elements—Alphabetical by Element
The next element is lithium (Li, 3). It has three electrons. The first two electrons go into the 1s energy level obeying the lowest energy first rule. The third electron cannot go into the 1s orbital because that would violate the Pauli Principle. So the third electron goes in the 2s orbital. Li is below H in the Periodic Table. H is the first element with an electron in the n = 1 shell. Li is the first element in the second row, the n = 2 shell. The next element is beryllium (Be, 4). The fourth electron also goes into the 2s orbital. This is the lowest energy state, and it does not violate the Pauli Principle. The next element is boron (B, 5) with five electrons. The fifth electron cannot go in the 2s orbital because that would violate the Pauli Principle, which states that no more than two electrons can go into a single orbital and those two must have opposite spins (spin quantum number, s = +1/2 and s = -1/2). So, the fifth electron goes into a 2p orbital. It doesn’t matter which 2p orbital. Following Figure 11.3,