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Periodic Table Definition

Chemistry Glossary Definition of Periodic Table

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., About.com

The periodic table is a way of organizing the chemical elements.

The periodic table is a way of organizing the chemical elements.

Cepheus, Wikipedia Commons
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Definition: The periodic table is a tabular arrangement of the chemical elements by increasing atomic number which displays the elements so that one may see trends in their properties. The Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleev is most often credited with inventing the periodic table (1869) from which the modern table is derived. Although Mendeleev's table ordered the elements according to increasing atomic weight rather than atomic number, his table illustrated recurring trends or periodicity in the element properties.

Also Known As: Periodic Chart, Periodic Table of the Elements, Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements

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