GCSEChemistry: Combined ScienceEdexcelExam Questions1. Atomic Structure1.2 The Periodic Table

The Periodic Table (Edexcel GCSE Chemistry: Combined Science)

Exam Questions

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1.2 The Periodic Table

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1.2 The Periodic Table

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1a3 marks

The atomic symbols of the first twenty elements in the Periodic Table are shown in Figure 3.

fig-3-q2a-1cho-2f-specimen-2018

Figure 3

i)
From the position of beryllium, Be, in the Periodic Table, beryllium is most likely to be a

(1)
  ☐ A metal
  ☐ B halogen
  ☐ C compound
  ☐ D gas at room temperature

ii)
Give the symbol of the element that is in Period 2 and in Group 3.

(1)

iii)
State the number of electron shells in an atom of potassium, K.

(1)

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1b1 mark

Figure 4 shows information about some of the elements in Group 7 of the Periodic Table.

element melting point / °C boiling point / °C
fluorine –220 –188
chlorine –101 –35
bromine 7 59
iodine 114 184

Figure 4

Astatine is below iodine in Group 7 of the periodic table.

Estimate the boiling point of astatine.

boiling point of astatine = .............................................................. °C

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1c2 marks

Chlorine reacts with potassium iodide to form iodine and potassium chloride.

Complete the word equation for the reaction between bromine and potassium astatide.

   bromine + potassium astatide →              +

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1d2 marks

Hydrogen reacts with chlorine to form hydrogen chloride.

H–H + Cl–Cl → 2H–Cl


The symbol – is used to show a covalent bond.

The electronic configuration of hydrogen is 1.

The electronic configuration of chlorine is 2.8.7.

Draw the dot-and-cross diagram for the molecule of hydrogen chloride.
Show outer electrons only.

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2a4 marks

The diagram shows the positions of some elements in the Periodic Table.

screen-shot-2022-10-17-at-19-10-35

Use symbols from this table to answer these questions.

Each symbol may be used once, more than once or not at all.

i)
Give the symbol of a metal.

(1)

ii)
Give the symbol of a noble gas.

(1)

iii)
Give the symbol of a liquid at room temperature.

(1)

iv)
Give the symbols of the two elements in Period 3

(1)

   ............................................................and ..................................................................

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2b1 mark

Deduce the electronic configuration of Na.

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2c2 marks

Here are five statements about Mendeleev's Periodic Table. 

Place ticks in boxes by the two statements that are correct.

 Mendeleev left gaps for undiscovered elements   
 Mendeleev arranged his Periodic Table in order of relative atomic mass   
 Mendeleev swapped elements around based on the number of electrons they had  
 Mendeleev arranged his Periodic Table in order of atomic number  
 Mendeleev considered isotopes when arranging his Periodic Table  

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2d1 mark

Table 1 shows part of Mendeleev's Periodic Table of 1871.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
H            
Li Be B C N O F
Na Mg Al Si P S Cl

Which Group from the modern Periodic Table is not included in this table?

  ☐ A The alkali metals
  ☐ B The noble gases 
  ☐ C The halogens
  ☐ D The alkaline earth metals

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3a2 marks

This question is about electronic configuration.

Use the Periodic Table to answer this question.

i)
Name the element whose atoms have the electronic configuration 2.8.

[1]

ii)
Give the electronic configuration of the element in Period 3 Group 7.

[1]

How did you do?

3b2 marks

Figure 1 shows the three electron shells of a magnesium atom.

edx-1-2e-paper-2-q3b-magnesium-atom-shells

Figure 1

i)
Draw the electronic structure of magnesium in Figure 1.

[1]

ii)
Give the electronic configuration of magnesium.

[1]

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3c1 mark

An element has the electronic configuration 2.8.3.

Predict the electronic configuration for the element on the right of it in the Periodic Table.

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3d4 marks

An element has the electronic configuration 2.8.8.2.

i)
State the group in the Periodic Table that this element is in.
Give a reason for your answer.

[2]

ii)
State the period in the Periodic Table the element is in.
Give a reason for your answer.

[2]

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4a2 marks

This question is about the Periodic Table.

Use words from the box to complete the sentence about how elements are arranged in the Periodic Table.

groups             number            mass               periods

Elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic ………………….., in rows called ………………..

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4b2 marks

Magnesium, iodine, barium and krypton are elements in the Periodic Table.

i)
Name the two elements that are non-metals.
ii)
Name the two elements that are in the same group in the Periodic Table.

How did you do?

4c1 mark

Which of these elements is a non-metal in Group 4 of the Periodic Table?

  ☐ A Carbon
  ☐ B Nitrogen
  ☐ C Lead
  ☐ D Tin

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4d1 mark

Use the Periodic Table to help you answer this question.

Name the element that has 3 electron shells and 4 electrons in its outer shell.

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5a1 mark

This question is all about atomic number.

What does the atomic number of an atom tell you?

  ☐ A How many particles are in its nucleus
  ☐ B How many neutrons it has
  ☐ C How many protons it has
  ☐ D How many electron shells it has

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5b3 marks

Use the Periodic Table to answer these questions.

i)
Name the element with the atomic number 35.

[1]

ii)
Name the element whose atoms have 19 protons.

[1]

iii)
Give the atomic number of the element in Period 2 Group 2.

[1]

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5c4 marks

Potassium and bromine react to form the compound potassium bromide.

Both elements are in Period 4 in the Periodic Table.

i)
Give the group number of each element:
Potassium ……………..
Bromine …………….

[2]

ii)
State if each element is a metal or non-metal:
Potassium ……………..
Bromine …………….

[2]

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5d1 mark

State what happens to atomic number as you go across a period in the Periodic Table.

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11 mark

The modern periodic table is arranged in order of: 

  ☐ A Atomic number
  ☐ B Relative atomic mass 
  ☐ C Group number
  ☐ D Period number

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21 mark

The positions of four elements are shown on the Periodic Table. 

The letters are not the atomic symbols of these elements. 

abcd-periodic-table

Which element will react with oxygen to form an acidic oxide? 

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3a1 mark

Figure 1 shows part of the Periodic Table, with elements represented by the letters L, M, Q, R and T.

The letters in the diagram represent elements but are not their chemical symbols.

1-2-the-periodic-table-3a

Figure 1

Give the letter from the diagram that represents a noble gas.

How did you do?

3b1 mark

Elements L and M are in the same group.

State why they have similar chemical reactions.

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3c2 marks

An atom of element Q has 31 protons.

Use this information to explain how you can determine the number of protons in an atom of element R.

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3d2 marks

Compare the electronic structures of atoms M and R. 

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4a1 mark

This question is about the Periodic Table. 

What did Mendeleev arrange his elements in order of?

  ☐ A Atomic number
  ☐ B Relative atomic mass 
  ☐ C Group number
  ☐ D Period number

How did you do?

4b1 mark

Once Mendeleev had arranged his Periodic Table, he swapped the positions of some elements around. 

Explain why he did this. 

How did you do?

4c2 marks

The elements in Mendeleev's Periodic Table didn't always end up in order of increasing relative atomic mass because the existence of isotopes was unknown.

Explain, in terms of subatomic particles, what is meant by an isotope. 

How did you do?

4d
Sme Calculator2 marks

Higher Only 

Some information about the mass number and percentage abundance for the isotopes of gallium is shown in Figure 1. 

mass number percentage abundance (%)
69 60
71 40

Figure 1


Calculate the relative atomic mass of gallium. 

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5a3 marks

The electronic structures of atoms from three different elements are shown.

    2.8.1                         2.8.8                        2.8.8.1
element W               element Y                  element Z

Name the elements W, Y and Z.

How did you do?

5b2 marks

Explain why element Z is more reactive than element W.

How did you do?

5c2 marks

Explain why element Y is unreactive.

How did you do?

5d1 mark

Give the formula of the ion formed by element W.

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