Periodic Table

There are many subjects which require a large amount of memorisation but chemistry is not one of them. There are definitions which have to be learnt but most of chemistry is about applying knowledge (which many students find hard at first). There are however, lots of tricks and information at your disposal even in the exam and the first of these is the periodic table.

The periodic table is one of the most powerful tools in chemistry- you will find chemists getting nervous if too far away from one which is why they come stuck on everything from mouse mats to mugs to credit card sized ones to carry in your wallet.

Even at A-level if you understand a periodic table a lot of the chemistry becomes easy. There is no need to memorise how electrons fill orbitals, as long as you know where the s,p and d blocks are located on the periodic table, it does all the work for you. Formulas also become easy when using the table to work out outer electrons and matching numbers to create full outer shells. The repeating patterns will indicate both reactivity and how vigorous a reaction will be. By indicating the type of bonding between atoms properties can be predicted and uses of materials explained. Chemistry is ultimately a fun subject- where else can you work with things that by mixing them in different ways can give rise to pharmaceuticals, dyes, explosives, pesticides and perfumes. The periodic table gives us an insight into how to do this- all we need to do is understand it.