The History of the Elements and Periodic Table

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Greek thinkers and early people noted around 400BC, that things are different from each other, and can be broken down into smaller groups. They used the words “element” and “atom” to describe different and the smallest parts of matter. For over 2000 years, the four “elements” of Earth, fire, water, and air were used to explain many stories of the world. Something had to of been done to organize our thoughts and observations of our elements. A method was needed by 1860 to organize the sixty elements known by scientists. Many scientists helped contribute to the discoveries made for the Periodic Table, but Dmitri Mendeléev eventually constructed the first table. All of the elements that are a part of the Periodic Table are all based on the properties of matter. We are able to describe, classify, and quickly identify the elements by their properties. The table is also organized by their certain properties that repeat periodically when arranged by their atomic number. The table is arranged into groups and periods to display their common properties.

The modern day Periodic Table was put together with the discoveries of many different scientists. A German Chemist, Johann Döbereiner discovered that Barium, Calcium, and Strontium had very similar properties. He but these elements in a group called a triad and organized them according to their masses. Döbereiner discovered that the atomic weight of the middle element in each triad is about equal to the average of the atomic weights of the first and third elements. Lithium, Sodium, and Potassium followed this rule for example. He saw this pattern in several groups of three as well. This was the beginning of trends in the arrangements of elements. Döbereiner also found that the density of t...

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... with the transuranium elements 94 to 102. Seaborg reconfigured the periodic table by replacing the lanthanide series to the bottom of the table. He was later awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry and element 106 was named after him as Seaborgium in his honor.

The work of many scientists helped us to create our modern day Periodic Table. There have been many changes and modifications from the original Periodic Table created by Mendeléev. However, thanks to Mendeléev he started off with a simple table that has evolved into a complex Periodic Table that scientists use all over the world. We can now access each and every element without trouble because all of the elements are arranged according to their properties. With the new technology and advantages we have in modern times, it is interesting to see if the traditional Periodic Table will change in the future.

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