The Periodic Table
Groups, periods and the trends down Group I and Group VII, explained from electron shells, the section where "describe" and "explain" are two different marks.
What this lesson covers
The Periodic Table is a 7-part O Level Chemistry lesson. Each part makes one point and then hands over to the next, so it can be read in a sitting or picked up again at the part you stopped on. It defines the idea in plain words before using it, works through an example step by step, breaks the topic into its parts and compares them, shows where it is used outside the textbook, names the mistakes that cost marks in an exam, ends with a recap of what to remember.
How it begins
Elements are in order of proton number. A period is a row: all its elements have the same number of shells. A group is a column: all its elements have the same number of outer-shell electrons, which is why they react alike. Group number = outer electrons (Group 0 has full shells). Period number = number of shells. Metals are on the left and centre, non-metals on the right, with a staircase between.
The 7 parts
- How the table is built
- Group I: the alkali metals
- Group VII: the halogens
- Group 0 and the transition metals
- Where marks go
- What to remember
- Watch one worked through
Practise The Periodic Table
Everything on QuizByt for O Level Chemistry that goes with this lesson: read it first, then test yourself while it is fresh.
🧠 5 quizzes on The Periodic Table (2 easy, 2 medium, 1 hard)
Work up from easy to hard: the hard quiz asks the O Level exam-style questions on The Periodic Table.
🖨️ Printable worksheet
The Periodic Table on paper for O Level, with room to write the working out. Preview the first page free.
🎮 Games for O Level Chemistry
Memory and reasoning games at the right level for O Level. Passing a quiz on The Periodic Table earns the credits that open them.
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