Periodic Table Structure

Elements are classified by their physical properties

Metals
● usually solid at room

temperature

● good conductors of heat

and electricity

● have luster (shiny)

● malleable (can be flattened

into sheets)

● ductile (can be stretched

into a wire)

● make up the majority of

the elements

Elements are classified by their physical properties

Nonmetals

● usually gases at room temperature

● poor conductors of heat and electricity (insulators)

● in their solid form are that they are dull and brittle

Elements are classified by their physical properties

Metalloids

● have physical properties

of both metals and
nonmetals

● Their properties vary

between metals and
nonmetals in different
degrees

Groups
● vertical columns (rows) on the periodic table
● Each element in the same group has similar chemical properties to

every other element in the same group due to the arrangement of
their outermost electrons.

Periods
● horizontal rows on the periodic table
● elements in each row have electrons at the same energy levels

Charge trends

Group 1 – (+1)

Group 2 – (+2)

Groups 3 – 12 Charges vary.
These metals can have
more than one charge.

Group 13 – (+3)

Group 14 – (+/-4)

Group 15 – (-3)

Group 16 – (-2)

Group 17 – (-1)

Group 18 – (0)

Alkali metals

● Group 1 (also 1A)

● most reactive metals

● not normally found

uncombined in nature

● very soft metals

● form +1 ions

Alkaline Earth Metals

● Group 2 (2A)

● 2nd most reactive metals

● silvery, shiny, and

relatively soft metals

● Make + 2 ions

Transition Metals

● Groups 3 - 12

● form multiple ions

from the same element
○ - Fe+2 Fe+3, for

example

● most are strong, hard,

and lustrous

● high melting points

● high boiling points

● good conductors of

heat and electricity

Inner transition metals

● “Lanthanoids & Actinoids”

● usually below the transitional metals but actually

fit in between Alkaline earth metals and
transition metals

● most are radioactive

Neodymium

What the Periodic Table would look like if

they squeezed the inner transition elements

where they actually would go:

Halogens

● Group 17 (7A)

● Halogen means “ salt former”; form salts with metals

● form -1 ions

● only group of element that exist in all 3 forms of matter

○ Gases: Fluorine & Chlorine
○ Liquid: Bromine
○ Solids: Iodine & Astatine

Noble Gases
● Group 18 (8A)
● Non reactive gases (inert)
● Named so because they don’t

react with common elements

● Does not form ions
● Odorless, colorless and

monatomic.