Periodic Table | Introduction
Introduction
Considered one of the most important chemistry reference tools, the periodic tableA chart organizing elements by atomic number and chemical properties into groups and periods. is a familiar sight around the world. The periodic table is an arrangement of the elementsA pure substance composed of just one type of atom that cannot be broken down into anything simpler by ordinary chemical means. by their properties. An element is a substance in pure form, meaning that it cannot be broken down into any other substance. The smallest particle of an element is an atomThe smallest unit of an element, made up of protons and neutrons in its center, surrounded by moving electrons..
With one glance, the periodic table can provide a great deal of information on both individual elements and groups of them. A person familiar with the table can extract an element's relative mass, basic properties, and how it compares with its neighbors without knowing any facts about the element itself.