This lesson is a quick check-up for everything we've covered this month in Atom, Periodic Table of Elements. Instead of new content, you'll test yourself on electron configurations, periodic table structure, and periodicity trends. Try each question properly before peeking at the answers!
What You Should Be Able to Do
Before starting, make sure you're comfortable with:
- Structure of the periodic table: periods, groups, and blocks (s, p, d, f)
- Linking an element's position to its electron configuration (Talbot, p.241)
- Knowing how many elements fit in each period, based on which orbitals are filling (Talbot, p.239)
- Describing periodicity: trends across periods and down groups, including increasing metallic character down group 1 and decreasing non-metallic character down group 17 (Talbot, p.233)
- The idea that metallic/non-metallic character is a continuum, from basic oxides → amphoteric oxides → acidic oxides (Talbot, p.233)
Quick Reminder: How Position Predicts Configuration
- The period number tells you the highest energy level (shell) currently being filled.
- The block (s, p, d, f) tells you which type of sub-shell is being filled last.
- The group number (for main groups) relates to the number of valence electrons.
Worked example (recap): Calcium is in period 4, group 2, in the s-block. Its configuration ends in 4s². Using argon as the nearest preceding noble gas: condensed: [Ar] 4s² full: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² (Talbot, p.241)
Now it's your turn with the practice questions below.
Practice Questions
1. How many elements are there in period 4 of the periodic table, and which orbitals are being filled across this period?
2. Write the condensed and full electron configuration for chlorine (Cl), using position on the periodic table as your guide.
3. Expl