2. Genesis of periodic classification

GENESIS OF PERIODIC CLASSIFICATION DOBEREINER’S TRIADS

In 1829, Dobereiner arranged certain elements with similar properties in groups of three in such a way that the atomic mass of the middle element was nearly the same as the average atomic masses of the first and the third elements. A few triads proposed by him are listed.

Limitations of Dobereiner’s Trids
The triads given by Dobereiner were helpful in grouping some elements with similar characteristics together, but he could not arrange all the elements known at that time into triads.

• Newlands’ Law of Octaves
John Newlands proposed the law of octaves by stating that when elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic masses, every eighth element has properties similar to the first. Newlands called it law of octaves because similar relationship exists in the musical notes also.
This can be illustrated as

Limitations of Newlands’ Law of Octaves
(i) This classification was successful only up to the element calcium. After that, every eighth element did not possess the same properties as the element lying above it in the same group.
(ii) When noble gas elements were discovered at a later stage, their inclusion in the table disturbed the entire arrangement.

• Mendeleev’s Periodic Table
Mendeleev’s Periodic Law: The physical and chemical properties of the elements are a periodic
function of their atomic masses.
Mendeleev arranged the elements known at that time in order of increasing atomic masses
and this arrangement was called periodic table.
Elements with similar characteristics were present in vertical rows called groups. The horizontal
rows were known as periods.

Description of Mendeleev’s Periodic Table
(i) In the periodic table, the elements are arranged in vertical rows called groups and horizontal rows known as periods.
(ii) There are nine groups indicated by Roman Numerals as I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII and zero. Group VIII consists of nine elements which are arranged in three triads. The zero group contains elements belonging to inert gases or noble gases and elements present have zero valency.
(iii) There are seven periods (numbered from 1 to 7) or, horizontal rows in the Mendeleev’s periodic table.

Importance of Mendeleev’s Periodic Table
(i) This made the study of the elements quite systematic in the sense that if the properties of one element in a particular group are known, those of others can be pridicted.
(ii) This helped to a great extent in the discovery of these elements at a later stage.
(iii) Mendeleev corrected the atomic masses of certain elements with the help of their expected positions and properties.

Defects in Mendeleev’s Periodic Table
(i) Hydrogen has been placed in group IA along with alkali metals. But it also resembles halogens of group VII A in many properties. Thus, its position is the Mendeleev’s periodic table is controversial.
(ii) Although the elements in the Mendeleev’s periodic table have been arranged in order of their atomic masses, but in some cases the element with higher atomic mass precedes the element with lower atomic mass.
(iii) We know that the isotopes of an element have different atomic masses but same atomic number. Since, periodic table has been framed on the basis of increasing atomic masses of the elements, different positions must have been allotted to all the isotopes of a particular element.
(iv) According to Mendeleev, the elements placed in the same group must resemble in their properties. But there is no similarity among the elements in the two sub-groups of a particular group.

(v) In some cases, elements with similar properties have been placed in different groups.
(vi) Lanthanoids and actinoids were placed in two separate rows at the bottom of the periodic table without assigning a proper reason.
(vii) No proper explanation has been offered for the fact that why the elements placed in group show resemblance in their properties.