What is the most important factor in determining an element's place in the periodic table?

Question

Henry Antrim · Accepted Answer

Atomic number and or Chemical properties the element has

There are many, but a few are as follows: => The growing number of atoms (either along or during periods); => Chemical properties (either down or within groups). The increase in atomic number—the quantity of protons an element possesses, which is also equal to the quantity of electrons—is the basis for periods, such as hydrogen and helium. However, if we look at groups (like hydrogen, lithium, sodium, etc.), it is based on reactivity, chemical properties, and the number of electrons in the outer shell that each element has (every element in a given group should have the same number). The elements that are less reactive are at the top, and the elements that are more reactive are at the bottom (for most groups, though there are some exceptions). BBC Bitesize has some excellent wesbite resources that go into further detail about this: https://tutor.hix.ai https://tutor.hix.ai

Mateo Aguilar · Answer

undefined The primary determinant of an element's position in the periodic table is its atomic number, or the number of protons it contains.