The Periodic Table
By Harry Mercer
The Table
The periodic table shows all of the elements on a table with their symbols and names. Altogether there are 118 elements and the table shows them in a special order; the non metals on the far right and the metals on the left. More in depth, colour coded groups are: Reactive metals, Metals, Non metals and Noble gasses.
Now you may be wondering what an element is. Put simply, it's a group of atoms. And a compound is two or more atoms of different elements chemically bonded together. For example, a bar of gold is a group of gold (Au) elements. But a gas like carbon dioxide (Co) is a mix of oxygen (O) and carbon (O), making it a compound.
There are also differences in the properties between elements and compounds. Sulphur, for instance, is a yellow powder as an element. But mixed with iron, small silver spheres, at a high heat makes it into iron sulphate, long silver strips that were much heavier than what it originated from.
By harry mercer