The periodic table and the octet rule

• The periodic table:  Find out what the table is and what all those rows and columns and stuff mean.
• A couple of periodic table PowerPoints:
  • Periodic table (HON):  A PowerPoint about the periodic table for my honors class
  • Periodic table (TOP):  A PowerPoint about the periodic table for my Topics in Chemistry class.
• The groups of the periodic table: Another tutorial originally meant to be a chapter in a textbook.  It’s more in depth than the tutorial above, so if you want specific information about specific groups, look here.
• The octet rule and periodic trends:  You’ll learn how the octet rule works and how you can use to it figure out how pretty much every element will behave.
• The periodic table and periodic trends:  This is actually a chapter from a textbook I never got around to publishing.  It covers the same material as the other two tutorials, but is more entertaining (in my humble opinion).
• Periodic trends:  A PowerPoint for those of you who love slide shows about electronegativity, atomic radius, and ionization energy!
• Electron configurations:  It seems like these should go here, so that’s where I put ’em.  Learn how to write the long and short versions here.
• Orbital filling diagrams:  Think of it as the long version of electron configurations.

Printable periodic tables:  11 periodic tables covering every trend you can think of.

• Periodic table:  This is a standard black and white periodic table.
• Periodic table – Blank: Shows the outline of the periodic table and where the elements should go.
• Periodic table – Groups:  A periodic table color-coded by group.
• Periodic table – States:  A periodic table color-coded by state of matter.
• Periodic table – Metals, Nonmetals, Metalloids: Color-coded by metallicity.
• Periodic table – Electronegativity: Shows the Pauling electronegativity values for each element.
• Periodic table – Electronegativity by color: Color-coded by Pauling electronegativity value.
• Periodic table – Atomic radius: Shows the atomic radii of each element in picometers.
• Periodic table – Atomic radius Colored: Color-codes the elements by atomic radius.
• Periodic table – First ionization energies: Indicates the first ionization energies of the elements (in kJ/mol).
• Periodic table – First ionization energies colored: Color-coded table by first ionization energy.

Supplemental videos:  These videos are all over at the amazing Crash Course YouTube channel.  I didn’t make these, though I wish I did.

• Crash Course Chemistry:  The periodic table. This focuses a lot more on the development of the periodic table than anything I talk about.
• Mendeleev’s periodic table: You may have heard of it!
• Rare earth elements:  Let’s get to know the lanthanides.
• Helium: More about our favorite birthday party element.
• Gold:  The big bling:  It looks good, but what is it?
• Strontium:  It knows where you’ve been:  This video nicely explains how elements with similar properties can do similar chemistry.
• Lead:  The original artificial sweetener:  A good video about our most useful toxic metal.
• New elements and exploding whales:  A discussion of some of the newest additions to the periodic table.  And on an unrelated note, exploding whales.
• Glenn Seaborg:  Shaking up the periodic table:  This man actually created elements!
• Can you burn metals?  Have you ever wondered about this?  You should!
• Exotic chemistry:  The world’s oldest water and rarest element:  Do you know about astatine?  Do you like old water?  Check it out!
• Marie Curie: Great Minds:  An early pioneer in chemistry, plus two Nobel prizes.

(Updated 10/13/22)