chemistry

Pekka Pyykkö

Pekka Pyykkö 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 Pekka Pyykkö rather than just read about it. In short: Veli Pekka Pyykkö (born 12 October 1941) is a Finnish academic. He was professor of Chemistry at the University of Helsinki.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Veli Pekka Pyykkö (born 12 October 1941) is a Finnish academic. He was professor of Chemistry at the University of Helsinki. From 2009–2012, he was the chairman of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science. He is known for his extension to the periodic table of elements, known as the Pyykkö model. Pyykkö has also studied the relativistic effects present in heavy atoms and their effects in NMR.

Pyykkö model

After the 118 elements now known, Pekka Pyykkö predicts that the orbital shells will fill up in this order:

8s, 5g, the first two spaces of 8p, 6f, 7d, 9s, the first two spaces of 9p, the rest of 8p. He also suggests that period 8 be split into three parts:

8a, containing 8s, 8b, containing the first two elements of 8p, 8c, containing 7d and the rest of 8p.

The compact version:

Pekka Pyykkö correctly predicted the existence of chemical bonds between gold and the noble gas xenon, which is usually inert; this bond is known to occur in the cationic complex tetraxenonogold(II) (AuXe2+4). He also correctly predicted the existence of gold–carbon triple bonds.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pekka Pyykkö

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pekka Pyykkö 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 Pekka Pyykkö 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 Pekka Pyykkö 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 Pekka Pyykkö

In research: Pekka Pyykkö 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 Pekka Pyykkö 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: Pekka Pyykkö is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1941 births, Academic staff of the University of Helsinki, Chemist stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pekka Pyykkö 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 Pekka Pyykkö in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pekka Pyykkö 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 Pekka Pyykkö out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pekka Pyykkö in simple terms?

Veli Pekka Pyykkö (born 12 October 1941) is a Finnish academic. He was professor of Chemistry at the University of Helsinki.

Why does Pekka Pyykkö 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 Pekka Pyykkö?

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 Pekka Pyykkö.