Learning Objectives Explain how elements are organized into the periodic table. Describe how some characteristics of elements relate to their positions on the periodic table. In the 19th century, many previously unknown elements were discovered, and scientists noted that certain sets of elements had similar chemical properties. For example, chlorine, bromine, and iodine react with other elements (such as sodium) to make similar compounds. Likewise, lithium, sodium, and potassium react with other elements (such as oxygen) to make similar compounds. Why is this so? In 1864, Julius Lothar Meyer, a German chemist, organized the elements by atomic mass and grouped them according to their chemical properties. Later that decade, Dmitri Mendeleev, a Russian chemist, organized all the known elements according to similar properties. He left gaps in his table for what he thought were undiscovered elements, and he made some bold predictions regarding the properties of those undiscovered elements. When elements were later discovered whose properties closely matched Mendeleev’s predictions, his version of the table gained favor in the scientific community. Because certain properties of the elements repeat on a regular basis throughout the table (that is, they are periodic), it became known as the periodic table. Mendeleev had to list some elements out of the order of their atomic masses to group them with other elements that had similar properties. The periodic table is one of the cornerstones of chemistry because it organizes all the known elements on the basis of their chemical properties. A modern version is shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\). Most periodic tables provide additional data (such as atomic mass) in a box that contains each element’s symbol. The elements are listed in order of atomic number. Elements that have similar chemical properties are grouped in columns called groups (or families). As well as being numbered, some of these groups have names—for example, alkali metals (the first column of elements), alkaline earth metals (the second column of elements), halogens (the next-to-last column of elements), and noble gases (the last column of elements). Each row of elements on the periodic table is called a period . Periods have different lengths; the first period has only 2 elements (hydrogen and helium), while the second and third periods have 8 elements each. The fourth and fifth periods have 18 elements each, and later periods are so long that a segment from each is removed and placed beneath the main body of the table. Metals, Nonmetals, and Metalloids Certain elemental properties become apparent in a survey of the periodic table as a whole. Every element can be classified as either a metal, a nonmetal, or a semimetal, as shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\). A metal is a substance that is shiny, typically (but not always) silvery in color, and an excellent conductor of electricity and heat. Metals are also malleable (they can be beaten into thin sheets) and ductile (they can be drawn into thin wires). A nonmetal is typically dull and a poor conductor of electricity and heat. Solid nonmetals are also very brittle. As shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\), metals occupy the left three-fourths of the periodic table, while nonmetals (except for hydrogen) are clustered in the upper right-hand corner of the periodic table. The elements with properties intermediate between those of metals and nonmetals are called semimetals (or metalloids ). Elements adjacent to the bold zigzag line in the right-hand portion of the periodic table have semimetal properties. Example \(\PageIndex{1}\) Based on its position in the periodic table, classify each element below as metal, a nonmetal, or a metalloid. Se Mg Ge Solution The atomic number of selenium is 34, which places it in period 4 and group 16. In Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\), selenium lies above and to the right of the diagonal line marking the boundary between metals and nonmetals, so it should be a nonmetal. Note, however, that because selenium is close to the metal-nonmetal dividing line, it would not be surprising if selenium were similar to a semimetal in some of its properties. Magnesium lies to the left of the diagonal line marking the boundary between metals and nonmetals, so it should be a metal. Germanium lies within the diagonal line marking the boundary between metals and nonmetals, so it should be a metalloid. Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\) Based on its location in the periodic table, do you expect indium (In) to be a nonmetal, a metal, or a semimetal? Answer metal Representative, Transition, and Inner-transition Another way to categorize the elements of the periodic table is shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\). The first two columns on the left (groups 1 and 2) and the last six columns on the right (groups 13-19) are called the main group or representative elements. The ten-column block between these columns (groups 3-12) contains the transition metals . The two rows beneath the main body of the periodic table contain the inner transition metals . The elements in these two rows are also referred to as, respectively, the lanthanide metals and the actinide metals. To Your Health: Transition Metals in the Body Most of the elemental composition of the human body consists of main group elements. The most abundant non-main group element is iron, at 0.006 percentage by mass. Because iron has relatively massive atoms, it would appear even lower on a list organized in terms of percent by atoms rather than percent by mass. Iron is a transition metal and the chemistry of iron makes it a key component in the proper functioning of red blood cells. Red blood cells are cells that transport oxygen from the lungs to cells of the body and then transport carbon dioxide from the cells to the lungs. Without red blood cells, animal respiration as we know it would not exist. The critical part of the red blood cell is a protein called hemoglobin . Hemoglobin combines with oxygen and carbon dioxide, transporting these gases from one location to another in the body. Hemoglobin is a relatively large molecule, with a mass of about 65,000 u. The crucial atom in the hemoglobin protein is iron. Each hemoglobin molecule has four iron atoms, which act as binding sites for oxygen. It is the presence of this particular transition metal in your red blood cells that allows you to use the oxygen you inhale. Other transition metals have important functions in the body, despite being present in low amounts. Zinc is needed for the body’s immune system to function properly, as well as for protein synthesis and tissue and cell growth. Copper is also needed for several proteins to function properly in the body. Manganese is needed for the body to metabolize oxygen properly. Cobalt is a necessary component of vitamin B-12, a vital nutrient. These last three metals are present in the body in very small quantities. However, even these small quantities are required for the body to function properly. Contributions & Attributions This page was constructed from content via the following contributor(s) and edited (topically or extensively) by the LibreTexts development team to meet platform style, presentation, and quality: