New Graphical Representation of the Periodic Table

KentuckyFC writes "The great power of Mendeleev's periodic table was that it allowed him to predict the properties of undiscovered elements. But can this arrangement be improved? Two new envisionings of the periodic table attempt to do just that. The first uses a new graphical representation that shows the relative sizes of atoms as well as their groups and periods. The other uses the same kind of group theoretical approach that particle physicists developed to classify particles by their symmetries (abstract). That helped particle physicists predict the existence of new particles, but may have limited utility for chemists who seem to have discovered (or predicted) all of the elements they need already."

Comments

this has been going on for some time

[Trepidity]

To quote a history book (pp. 20-21):

The way in which the periodic system is displayed is a fascinating one that especially appeals to the popular imagination. Since the time of the early periodic tables of John Newlands, Julius Lothar Meyer, and Dimitri Mendeleev, there have been many attempts to obtain the "ultimate" periodic table. Indeed, it has been estinated that within 100 years of the introduction of Mendeleev's famous table of 1869, approximately 700 different versions of the periodic table were published. These include all kinds of alternatives, including three-dimensional tables, helices, concentric circles, spirals, zigzags, step tables, and mirror image tables. Even today, articles are regularly published in the Journal of Chemical Education, for example, purporting to show new and improved versions of the periodic system.

Re:Spiral Form

[tpjunkie]

The atomic radii don't progress in a nice orderly linear increase in size with increasing element number; in fact each period overlaps part of the period that comes before it...

Site Full of Periodic Tables

[Jack9]

Another periodic table, is not news.
Someone should have already linked one of the periodic table databases like:

http://www.meta-synthesis.com/webbook/35_pt/pt_database.php

Re:not new

[MaggieL]

Yeah, but remeber, it's from Microsoft Research. They're innovators, dammit!

Not only have the patented the round table, they've also patented the time machine they're going to use to back in time and sue Erdmann and Mendeleev.

And then King Arthur.

Database of periodic tables:
http://www.meta-synthesis.com/webbook/35_pt/pt_database.php?PT_id=167

Re:Call me a cynic..

[Volante3192]

The major problem I see with it is they stitched the table ends together rather than really account for size. You have to know the previous one to make any sense of the new one.

Take the first inner ring: it LOOKS like it goes B - C - N - O - F - Ne - Li - Be... and that puts 10 right next to 3.

Makes sense if you KNOW to start counting at Lithium, but if you're just looking at the table, you will naturally start at Boron. More annoyingly is that puts a very unreactive element first. The great part about the old one is it went from very reactive, to minimally reactive, to very reactive (with a brief stop to inertsville). Again, you lose that having the top line bookended by Boron and Beryllium.

Re:Huh

[TheGreatOrangePeel]

looks like something that should be on a game show. "I'll take Silicon for 14!"

There. Fixed that for you.

Re:Huh

[Canazza]

this looks like it should be on star trek - and it's much nicer looking than that silly circular one

Re:Call me a cynic..

[buchner.johannes]

In whatever way you present it, natures elements are messed up ;-)

This link lists pretty much all the tables:
http://www.meta-synthesis.com/webbook/35_pt/pt.html

Just wow. I didn't see yet how they account for the overlap between d/p/s/f.