YOUR BEST FRIEND IN CHEMISTRY
Struggling with CHEMISTRY in IRVINE?
Take it from a CHEMISTRY tutor; the periodic table of the elements can be your best friend. Have you ever stared at that gigantic table and gotten incredibly overwhelmed? There are so many letters, numbers, and colors. What does it all mean, you wonder, and how could such a mess possibly make your life easier?
Despite looking potentially confusing at first glance, the periodic table of the elements can indeed become your strongest ally in CHEMISTRY class. If you can understand its organization, you can easily balance chemical reactions and convert from moles to atoms and back again.
CHEMISTRY GEOGRAPHY
Progressing across the rows or groups from left to right, the CHEMISTRY periodic table shifts from metals to gases. Picture the change as if you were traversing the United States from left to right, with the west coast’s flare for fires and earthquakes evolving into the east coast’s affinity for tornadoes and hurricanes.
Additionally, each element of the CHEMISTRY periodic table shares traits in common with all the other elements in its same column, or “family.” Namely, each family of the periodic table possesses the same number of outer, or valence electrons. Think of it like any human family’s members sharing the same hair color, eye color, or other physical traits.
CHEMISTRY FAMILY
On the CHEMISTRY periodic table, the farthest right column contains the noble gases, a special family of elements whose valence electrons are “full,” at eight. Because this outer ring of electrons is filled, these particular gases possess the lowest reactivity of all the elements. For each of these elements, it’s as if all the seats at the dinner table are occupied with no room for other elements to join the meal.
With each successive element passed from left to right, the atomic number rises, or the number of electrons per element. The larger number in each block simply represents the atomic mass, or the total weight of the neutrons and protons in the nucleus. Consider these numbers like the address placards found on any home across America.
It’s truthfully miraculous that so many elements could be arranged in such a precise, methodical manner. Take advantage of this great aid! Don’t succumb to lonely woes in CHEMISTRY. Find a friend! A best friend.