chemistry

Names for sets of chemical elements

Names for sets of chemical elements is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Names for sets of chemical elements rather than just read about it. In short: There are currently 118 known chemical elements with a wide range of physical and chemical properties. Amongst this diversity, scientists have found it useful to apply names for various sets of elements that have similar properties, to varying degrees.

Key takeaways

Names for sets of chemical elements belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Names for sets of chemical elements to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Names for sets of chemical elements from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

There are currently 118 known chemical elements with a wide range of physical and chemical properties. Amongst this diversity, scientists have found it useful to apply names for various sets of elements that have similar properties, to varying degrees. Many of these sets are formally recognized by the standards body IUPAC.

IUPAC The following collective names are recommended or noted by IUPAC:

* Transition elements are sometimes referred to as transition metals † Although the heavier elements of groups 15 (Mc), 16 (Lv), 17 (Ts) and 18 (Og) have been notionally assigned to the indicated groups their chemical properties have not yet been experimentally confirmed. ‡ Lanthanoids and actinoids are sometimes referred to as lanthanides and actinides respectively

Metallicity-based Another common classification is by degree of metallic or nonmetallic behaviour and characteristics. Elements in the vicinity of where the metals and nonmetals meet are sometime classified as metalloids or an equivalent term. These two to three classes are commonly marked by differing background colors in the periodic table.

Common and historical Many other names for sets of elements are in common use; others have been used throughout history. These sets usually do not aim to cover the whole periodic table (as for example period does), and often overlap or have boundaries that differ between authors. Some examples:

Metals and nonmetals Metalloids – Variously-defined group of elements with properties intermediate between metals and nonmetals. In alphabetic order:

Coinage metals – Various metals used to mint coins, primarily the group 11 elements Cu, Ag, and Au. Earth metal – Old historic term, usually referred to the metals of groups 3 and 13, although sometimes others such as beryllium and chromium are included as well. Heavy metals – Variously-defined group of metals, on the base of their density, atomic number, or toxicity. Heavy atom – term used in computational chemistry to refer to any element other than hydrogen and helium. Minor actinides – Actinides found in significant quantities in nuclear fuel, other than U and Pu: Np, Am, Cm. Native metals – Metals that occur pure in nature, including the noble metals and others such as Sn and Pb. Noble metals – Variously-defined group of metals that are generally resistant to corrosion. Usually includes Ag, Au, and the platinum-group metals. Non-ferrous metals - Metals or alloys that do not contain iron in appreciable amounts. Platinum group – Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt. Post-transition metals – The metals coming after the transition metals. Many other names have been used for this set, and its borders are not agreed on. Precious metals – Variously-defined group of non-radioactive metals of high economical value. Superactinides – Hypothetical series of elements 121 to 157, which includes a predicted "g-block" of the periodic table. Transactinide elements – Elements after the actinides (atomic number greater than 103). Transplutonium elements – Elements with atomic number greater than 94. Transuranium elements – Elements with atomic number greater than 92. Valve metal - a metal which, in an electrolytic cell, passes current in only one direction.

References

External links Media related to Sets of chemical elements at Wikimedia Commons

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Names for sets of chemical elements

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Names for sets of chemical elements claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Names for sets of chemical elements before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Names for sets of chemical elements ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Names for sets of chemical elements

In research: Names for sets of chemical elements appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Names for sets of chemical elements in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Names for sets of chemical elements is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Chemical nomenclature, Sets of chemical elements, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Names for sets of chemical elements outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Names for sets of chemical elements in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Names for sets of chemical elements means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Names for sets of chemical elements out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Names for sets of chemical elements in simple terms?

Why does Names for sets of chemical elements matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Names for sets of chemical elements?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Names for sets of chemical elements.