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A chemical element, often simply called an element, is a type of atom which has a specific number of protons in its atomic nucleus (i.e., a specific atomic number, or Z). [ 1 ] The definitive visualisation of all 118 elements is the periodic table of the elements , whose history along the principles of the periodic law was one of the founding ...
This is a list of chemical elements and their atomic properties, ordered by atomic number (Z). Since valence electrons are not clearly defined for the d-block and f-block elements, there not being a clear point at which further ionisation becomes unprofitable, a purely formal definition as number of electrons in the outermost shell has been used.
Elements in the same group tend to show similar chemical characteristics. Vertical, horizontal and diagonal trends characterize the periodic table. Metallic character increases going down a group and from right to left across a period. Nonmetallic character increases going from the bottom left of the periodic table to the top right.
Transition elements * Elements in groups 3 to 11 or 3 to 12 (the latter making up the d-block) Pnictogens: The elements of group 15: N, P, As, Sb, Bi † Chalcogens: The elements of group 16: O, S, Se, Te, Po † Halogens: The elements of group 17: F, Cl, Br, I, At † Noble gases: The elements of group 18: He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn †
Thus, all carbon isotopes have nearly identical chemical properties because they all have six electrons, even though they may have 6 to 8 neutrons. That is why atomic number, rather than mass number or atomic weight, is considered the identifying characteristic of an element. The symbol for atomic number is Z.
The characteristic properties of elemental metals and nonmetals are quite distinct, as shown in the table below. Metalloids, straddling the metal-nonmetal border , are mostly distinct from either, but in a few properties resemble one or the other, as shown in the shading of the metalloid column below and summarized in the small table at the top ...
According to this scale, fluorine is the most electronegative element, while cesium is the least electronegative element. [ 17 ] Trend-wise, as one moves from left to right across a period in the modern periodic table , the electronegativity increases as the nuclear charge increases and the atomic size decreases.
Solid, liquid, gas, and plasma share many attributes with the corresponding classical elements of earth, water, air, and fire, but these states describe the similar behavior of different types of atoms at similar energy levels, not the characteristic behavior of certain atoms or substances.