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The Place of Zinc, Cadmium, and Mercury in the Periodic Table
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Abstract
Following an earlier article on the positions of lanthanium and lutetium in the periodic table (J. Chem. Educ. 1982, 59, 634-636), the author notes that introductory textbooks, inorganic textbooks, and advanced monographs on coordination and organometallic chemistry are increasingly treating zinc, cadmium, and mercury as transition or d-block elements, rather than as main-block elements. The author reviews the historical evolution of the concepts of transition elements and d-block elements, evaluates the chemical and spectrosopic evidence for each placement, and concludes that these elements are unambiguously main-block elements and that there is a fundamental bifurcation of group 2 at magnesium into a Ca–Ra branch and a Zn–Hg branch. The author also reviews various ways of representing this bifurcation using spatial position in the periodic table and various labeling schemes.
Keywords (Audience):
High School / Introductory ChemistryKeywords (Domain):
Inorganic ChemistryKeywords (Pedagogy):
Textbooks / Reference BooksKeywords (Subject):
Periodicity / Periodic TableCiting Articles
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This article has been cited by 6 ACS Journal articles (5 most recent appear below).
Theoretical Basis and Correct Explanation of the Periodic System: Review and Update
W. H. Eugen Schwarz, Ronald L. RichJournal of Chemical Education2010 87 (4), 435-443Theoretical Basis and Correct Explanation of the Periodic System: Review and Update
W. H. Eugen Schwarz, Ronald L. RichJournal of Chemical Education2010 87 (4), 435-443Long-standing questions on the theoretical basis of the periodic system have been answered in recent years. A specific type of periodicity is imposed on all elements by the main groups just before and after the noble gasses. The upper np shells of these ...
Synthesis and Structural Elucidation of Alkyl, Amido, and Mixed Alkyl−Amido “Highly-Coordinated” Zincates
David R. Armstrong, Christine Dougan, David V. Graham, Eva Hevia and Alan R. KennedyOrganometallics2008 27 (23), 6063-6070Synthesis and Structural Elucidation of Alkyl, Amido, and Mixed Alkyl−Amido “Highly-Coordinated” Zincates
David R. Armstrong, Christine Dougan, David V. Graham, Eva Hevia and Alan R. KennedyOrganometallics2008 27 (23), 6063-6070Unprecedented tetraorgano- and triorganozincate structures containing methyl and dimethylamide ligands have been elucidated which call into question the adequacy of distinguishing the former as “highly coordinated” zincates.
The Periodic Table: Facts or Committees?
William B. JensenJournal of Chemical Education2008 85 (11), 1491The Periodic Table: Facts or Committees?
William B. JensenJournal of Chemical Education2008 85 (11), 1491I would like to offer two observations relative to the recent letter of Clark and White on the representation of the f-block elements in the periodic table that relate to some disturbing trends in the attitudes of the chemical community towards the nature ...
Lanthanum (La) and Actinium (Ac) Should Remain in the d-block
Laurence LavelleJournal of Chemical Education2008 85 (11), 1482Lanthanum (La) and Actinium (Ac) Should Remain in the d-block
Laurence LavelleJournal of Chemical Education2008 85 (11), 1482This paper discusses the reasons and implications of placing lanthanum (La) and actinium (Ac) in the f-block and lutetium (Lu) and lawrencium (Lr) in the d-block. The author's conclusion is that placing lanthanum (La) and actinium (Ac) in the f-block ...
Is Mercury Now a Transition Element?
William B. JensenJournal of Chemical Education2008 85 (9), 1182Is Mercury Now a Transition Element?
William B. JensenJournal of Chemical Education2008 85 (9), 1182The synthesis of mercury tetrafluoride was recently reported. The purpose of this commentary is not to cast doubts on the experimental evidence, but rather to call attention to two important issues that this purported synthesis will pose for teachers of ...
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- Received: August 03, 2009
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