Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table of

the Elements

2

These skills are usually tested on the SAT Subject Test in Chemistry. You
should be able to...

Describe the history of the development of atomic theory.

Explain the structure of atoms, their main energy levels,

sublevels, orbital configuration, and the rules that govern how they

are filled.

Place atoms in groups and periods based on their atomic

structure.

Write formulas and names of compounds.

Explain how chemical and physical properties are related to

positions in the Periodic Table, including atomic size, ionic size,

electronegativity, acid-forming properties, and base-forming

properties.

Explain the nature of radioactivity, the types and characteristics

of each, and the inherent dangers.

Identify the changes that occur in a decay series.

Do the mathematical calculations to determine the age of a

substance using its half-life.

This chapter will review and strengthen these skills. Be sure to do the
Practice Exercises at the end of the chapter.

The idea of small, invisible particles being the building blocks of matter can be

traced back more than 2,000 years to the Greek philosophers Democritus and
Leucippus. These particles, considered to be so small and indestructible that they
could not be divided into smaller particles, were called atoms, the Greek word
for indivisible. The English word atom comes from this Greek word. This early
concept of atoms was not based upon experimental evidence but was simply a
result of thinking and reasoning on the part of the philosophers. It was not until the
eighteenth century that experimental evidence in favor of the atomic hypothesis