Are there patterns in the properties of elements?
1 Answer
May 2, 2018
Yes, there are.
Explanation:
This is the basis of the periodic table: properties of elements are periodic properties of their atomic number.
Elements in the same group have the same number of electrons in their valence and so have the same valency. Number of shells increases as we go down the group.
Atomic size decreases across periods and increases down a group.
There are many patterns in the periodic table like this! Do note that there are numerous exceptions to these patterns.
Despite these exceptions, the arrangement of the periodic table allows us to generalize the properties of elements. For example, if you told me an element is in Group 1, I would know that it has one electron in its valence shell(despite not knowing the element itself).
