(Inspired by the official article of Martyn Poliakoff and Ellen Poliakoff)
Abstract
The periodic table is an output of huge dedications of many scientists like Lavoisier, Dobereiner, Newland, Moseley, and so on. Around 150 years before Dimtri Ivanovich Mendeleev first built up his form of the periodic table. It was successful enough, especially in predicting the special properties of elements that were still undiscovered. Since then, many scientists proposed many variations in favor of the improvement, (1–4) even there are three-dimensional versions reminiscent of Christmas trees. But the traditional Mendeleev form has served generations to generations well with different chemical phenomena.
Explanation
The teachers are seen talking about the elements that are not closest to the children’s eye level, moreover, they are more interested in talking about those up near the top of the table. Many chemical properties like the atomic number, weight and size of atoms, etc, increase from the top to the bottom. But eyes are more comfortable seeing the plot parameters from the bottom to top.
So, the existing periodic table basically disturbs psychologically understanding one of the vital topics of chemistry, the order of the filling of electron shells. We see most everyday objects being filled from the bottom to the top wherein existing periodic table, we see these fill from the top to the bottom. You can study little about the ‘Aufbau rule’ which is usually translated as building up. [5]
The superheavy elements are seen at the bottom of the periodic table with the recent four invented elements which have completed the seventh row of the periodic table. It shows that the periodic table has been completed but the actual truth is that many professional chemists still need to check which group most of the new elements belong to.
Here comes the suggestion of rotation the periodic table by 180 about a horizontal axis as shown below:
This conversion puts the light elements at the bottom and the heavy elements at the top. It has many advantages. Notably, most of the properties now can be increased from the bottom to the top. The lighter, more fundamental elements are at the bottom, so the Aufbau principle becomes more spontaneous as the electrons fill up from the lower energy level, like the general law of nature. And people associate with a glass filled with water from the bottom to the top so it helps to match with the psycological matchings from the bottom to the top.[6] And also, though the inversion occurs, each element bear the traditional relations.
Two chemists who were shown the inverted table pointed out the problems with lanthanides and the actinides which were countered with the updated table below:
But the problem remains as the current long-form is so elongated that horizontal relationships are not easy to see. And also the ratio is awkward.
But there has a psychological interesting event. The uprighted inversion was shown to undergraduate students and the rate of the position of the eyes was tracked. Overall, it was found that participants had a modest preference for the traditional orientation. (4.2 points on a 0–100 scale, p = 0.030).
So what do you think? Is it more comfortable for you?
References:
1. Van Spronsen, J. W. Te Periodic System of Chemical Elements: A History of the First Hundred Years (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1969).
2. Mazurs, E. G. G. Types of Graphic Representation of the Periodic System of Chemical Elements (Mazurs, E. G. G., LaGrange, 1957).
3. Mazurs, E. G. G. Graphic Representations of the Periodic System during One Hundred Years (University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, 1974).
4. Francl, M. Nat. Chem. 1, 97–98 (2009).
5. Scerri, E. Te trouble with the aufau principle. educationinchemistry https://go.nature.com/2HtY7ZQ (2013).
6. Holmes, K. J. & Lourenco, S. F. Q. J. Exp. Psychol. 65, 1044–1051 (2012).
7. Te Periodic Table is Upside Down. Able2Know https://go.nature. com/2O15ucr
8. Bornstein, R. F. Psychol. Bull. 106, 265–289 (1989).
9. Makin, A. D. J., Pecchinenda, A. & Bertamini, M. Emotion 12, 1021–1030 (2012)