The Periodic Table (Edexcel GCSE Chemistry)

Exam Questions

3 hours30 questions
1a5 marks

This question is about chemical elements.

Use the Periodic Table to help you answer this question.

i)
Identify the element with atomic number 5
 
(1)
 
ii)
Give the symbol of a metallic element in Period 3
 
(1)
 
iii)
Identify the element whose atoms contain 14 protons.
 
(1)
 
iv)
Identify the element whose atoms have the electronic configuration 2.5
 
(1)
 
v)
Give the name of the compound formed between oxygen and the element with atomic number 13
 
(1)
1b2 marks

The position of an element in the Periodic Table can be used to predict its properties. 

i)
Which group contains elements that are all unreactive?
(1)
  A Group 2
  B Group 5
  C Group 6
  D Group 0
 
 
ii)
Which of these is the least reactive element in Group 1?
(1)
  A caesium
  B lithium
  C potassium
  D sodium
 
1c2 marks

Oxygen is an element found in the Periodic Table. 

Use numbers from the box to complete the sentences about oxygen.

8 2.8.6 2.6 24 16 2.4.2


Oxygen has a total of ____________________ electrons. 

Its electron configuration is  ____________________. 

1d1 mark

Explain why oxygen is in Group 6 of the Periodic Table.

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2a1 mark

This question is about the Periodic Table. 

What is the modern Periodic Table arranged in order of?

  A Atomic mass
  B Mass number
  C Atomic number 
  D Group number 
2b1 mark

What did Mendeleev arrange the elements in his Periodic Table in order of?

  A Atomic mass
  B Mass number
  C Atomic number 
  D Group number 
2c1 mark

Once he had arranged the elements in his Periodic Table, Mendeleev swapped some elements round.

Explain why he did this. 

2d1 mark

Explain why Mendeleev left gaps in his Periodic Table.

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3a2 marks

Figure 1 shows the electronic configuration of an element.

 edx-1-2e-paper-1-q3a-electronic-configuration

Figure 1

Give the:

i)
atomic number of the element.

[1]

ii)
number of protons in its nucleus.

[1]

3b2 marks

State the period in the Periodic Table that this element is in.

Give a reason for your answer.

3c2 marks

State the group in the Periodic Table that this element is in.

Give a reason for your answer.

3d1 mark

State the electronic configuration of the element directly below it in the Periodic Table.

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4a2 marks

Figure 1 shows part of Period 2 in the Periodic Table.

Use it to answer the following questions.

C

Carbon

N

Nitrogen

O

Oxygen

F

Fluorine

Ne

Neon

Figure 1

Name the element in Figure 1 with the highest number of protons.

Give a reason for your answer.

4b1 mark

The elements all have the same number of electron shells.

State what this number is.

4c1 mark

The atomic number of nitrogen is 7.

 Write the electronic configuration of nitrogen.

4d2 marks

Describe how the number of electrons on the outer shell of each element changes as you go across the period.

Give a reason why.

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5a3 marks

Figure 1 shows the Periodic Table.

Some elements are represented by a letter. The letters are not the symbols of the elements.

 edx-1-2e-paper-1-q5a-periodic-table-with-letters

Figure 1

Give a letter that represents:

i)
a metal element.

[1]

ii)
the element that has the lowest atomic number.

[1]

iii)
the element that has the highest number of electrons in its atoms.

[1]

5b1 mark

Write the electronic configuration of element C?

  A 2.1
  B 2.8.1
  C 2.8.8.1
  D

2.8.8.8.1

5c2 marks

Give the letters of two elements that have similar properties to each other.

Give a reason for your answer.

5d2 marks

Only one of these elements is a gas at room temperature.

Predict which this is.

Give a reason for your answer.

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11 mark

The diagram shows the electron structures of some elements. 

different-atoms

Which two elements have similar chemical properties? 

  A A and B
  B A and C
  C B and C 
  D B and D 

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2a3 marks

In Figure 8, the letters A, E, G, J, X and Z show the positions of six elements in the periodic table.

These letters are not the symbols of the atoms of these elements.  

fig-8-q8-1cho-1f-paper-1-june-2019

Figure 8

Using the letters A, E, G, J, X and Z

i)
give the letters of the two elements that are non-metals
(1)
ii)
give the letters of two elements in period 2 
(1)
iii)
give the letter of an element that normally forms an ion with a charge of +1.
(1)
2b3 marks

Element E has an atomic number of 5.
In a sample of E there are two isotopes. One isotope has a mass number of 10 and the other isotope has a mass number of 11.

i)
Explain, in terms of subatomic particles, what is meant by the term isotopes

(2)

ii)
All atoms of element E in this sample contain
(1)
  A 5 protons 
  B 5 neutrons 
  C 6 protons 
  D 6 neutrons 

2c1 mark

Element X has an atomic number of 18.

State the electronic configuration of an atom of element X

 
2d
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3 marks

In an experiment, 3.5 g of element A reacted with 4.0 g of element G to form a compound.

Calculate the empirical formula of this compound.
(relative atomic masses: A = 7, G = 16)

You must show your working. 

empirical formula of this compound=...........................
2e2 marks

An oxygen atom has six electrons in its outer shell.

A hydrogen atom has one electron in its outer shell.

Complete the dot and cross diagram of a molecule of water, H2O.

Show outer shell electrons only.

 
fig-q8e-1cho-1f-paper-1-june-2019

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31 mark

An element has the configuration 2.8.3. 

Which group and period is this element in?

 
      Group Period
  A 2 8
  B 3 3
  C 2 3
  D 3 2

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41 mark

Mendeleev arranged the elements in order of atomic mass. 

He then reversed the order of some pairs of elements. 

Why did he do this?

  A To put them in order of atomic number
  B To group elements according to their properties
  C To leave gaps for undiscovered elements 
  D To ensure elements were in the same period 

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5a1 mark

Figure 1 below shows the periodic table Mendeleev produced in 1869.

His periodic table was more widely accepted than previous versions

Figure 1 

1-2-the-periodic-table-5a

The atomic weight of iodine (I) is 127 and that of tellurium (Te) is 128.

Why did Mendeleev reverse the order of these two elements?

5b1 mark

Why did Mendeleev leave gaps for undiscovered elements?

5c1 mark

Name the particle that allowed the elements to be arranged in order of their atomic number in the modern Periodic Table.

5d4 marks

Mendeleev's periodic table shows lithium, sodium and potassium all in the same column. 

These elements are in the same column, Group 1, of the modern periodic table. 

Explain the reactivity of these elements going down Group 1. 

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1a1 mark

Three elements - X, Y and Z, have different physical properties.

At room temperature:

Element X is a shiny grey solid.

Element Y is a colourless gas.

Element Z is a dull yellow solid.

Predict which two elements are in the same group in the Periodic Table.

Give a reason for your answer.

1b1 mark

Two of the elements are in the same period.

Explain why you cannot predict which these are, based on this information in part (a).

1c1 mark

State what information you would need in order to say which of the elements are in the same period.

1d1 mark

Neon and argon are both in Group 0 of the Periodic Table.

Predict one property that they both share.

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2a1 mark

Figure 1 shows the melting points of the Group 1 elements.

edx-1-2h-paper-1-q2a-melting-point-group-1-chart

Figure 1

Describe the trend in melting point as you go down Group 1 in the Periodic Table.

2b1 mark

Estimate the melting point of potassium (K).

2c1 mark

The atoms in a metal are held together by metallic bonds.

Describe how the strength of the metallic bonds in the elements changes as you go down Group 1.

2d3 marks

Use your knowledge of how metallic bonds form to suggest a reason for the trend in the melting points of the Group 1 elements.

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3a3 marks

The compound sodium chloride, NaCl, is made when two elements in Period 3 of the Periodic Table react.

For each of the elements in sodium chloride:

i)
State whether it is a metal or a non-metal.

[1]

ii)
Explain the difference in their position in the Periodic Table in terms of their electronic configuration.

[2]

3b2 marks

Complete the table using the Periodic Table.

Element

Sodium

Chlorine

Atomic number

11

 

Electronic configuration

 

2.8.7

3c2 marks

Sodium chloride is made up of ions.

Explain how these ions form.

3d2 marks

Give the electronic configuration of:

i)
A sodium ion.

[1]

ii)
A chloride ion.

[1]

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4a5 marks

Mendeleev devised a Periodic Table in 1869.

It is shown in Figure 1.

edx-1-2h-paper-1-q4a-mendeleev-periodic-tableFigure 1

Mendeleev ordered the elements in terms of their atomic mass.

i)
How are the elements in the modern Periodic Table ordered?

[1]

ii)
Not including this difference, compare Mendeleev’s Periodic Table to the modern version.

[4]

4b2 marks

Mendeleev reversed the order of some of the elements.

For example, he put tellurium, which has an atomic mass of 128 before iodine, which has an atomic mass of 127.

i)
Explain why he did this.

[1]

ii)
Mendeleev did not know about isotopes.
Explain why this meant that his order was not always correct.

[1]

4c1 mark

Mendeleev left some gaps, shown by the shaded areas.

Explain why he did this.

4d2 marks

At the time, many other scientists did not accept Mendeleev’s Periodic Table.

Suggest two reasons why.

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5a1 mark

Figure 1 shows one group from Mendeleev’s Periodic Table from 1869.

 

Group III

boron

aluminium

eka-aluminium

indium

thallium

 
Figure 1

 

Eka-aluminium is the name that Mendeleev gave to an undiscovered element. This element is now known as gallium.

Gallium has the atomic number 31.

State two things that this number tells you about gallium atoms.

5b2 marks

Mendeleev was able to make some predictions for the properties of gallium.

These are shown in Figure 2.

 

Appearance

Metal or non-metal

Relative atomic mass

Aluminium

Silvery white

metal

27

Predicted properties of gallium

Silvery white

metal

 

Indium

Silvery white

metal

115

 

Figure 2

Explain why he was able to make these predictions.

5c1 mark

Estimate the relative atomic mass of gallium.

5d1 mark

Gallium was discovered in 1875.

Suggest why the discovery of gallium convinced other scientists that Mendeleev’s Periodic Table was correct.

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