are the elements on the periodic table in any specific order?

Question

Yes or no? Are the elements grouped the way the are for a reason? Does the date an element was discovered effect where the element is placed on the table?

Thank you!

Answer 1

The elements are placed numerically according to the number of protons in the nucleus. Hydrogen has 1, Helium has 2, Lithium has 3, etc.
As far as the shape of the table, looking down th columns, these elements share similar properties because they have the same number of outershell electrons.
E.g. Fluorine has 7, As does Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine, etc. Elements in this column are called the Halogens.
The date discovered has no influence in the element's placement in the periodic table.

For more information, visit this website:
http://www.webelements.com/

Answer 2

Yes. Usually they are ordered by atomic weight. And when the element was discovered has nothing to do with it's place on the table. But. the newest ones do go last, becuase they are the heaviest and most unstable ones.

Answer 3

going from left to right across the table, and down each group, the elements are placed in increasing atomic mass... look up dimitri mendeleef on the net and it'll explain everything... he predicted the properties of elements that had yet to be discovered

Answer 4

Watch Breaking Bad.

Answer 5

Yes.
Very ordered.
By number of protons, by similar reactivity, by eletronegativity, by hundreds of different similarities between groups and families.

Check it:

Answer 6

Here's a good writeup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table

Answer 7

yeah by the number of atom it contains