Periodic Trends Lab Report

A periodic trend is a specific pattern identified throughout elements in the periodic table. The trends help understand and label an elements general properties. Although, when properties only change in the same manner within a group, it is labeled as a quasi-periodic trend. Major periodic trends include electronegativity, ionization energy, electron affinity, atomic radius, melting point, boiling point, metallic character, ionic radius and reactivity. In this experiment, specific heat capacity, electronegativity, and melting point were being tested to see if there was a present periodic trend. Specific heat capacity is the Amount of energy to raise temperature of a substance. Electronegativity is the pull of an atom on shared electrons in

First, we had to order the data by groups because it was already ordered by periods. We thought if we ordered it that way as well, it would be easier for us to graph and understand it better, when looking at it according to group. Each property was then graphed by atomic number and group. So, we would put specific heat capacity, electronegativity, and melting point on the y-axis, each given their own specific graph, and we put the atomic number on the x- axis, in order to locate a trend. On the other three graphs, we put specific heat capacity, electronegativity, and melting point on the y-axis and then placed group number on the x-axis in order to see a trend (if present), by groups of elements. After graphing each property, we ended up with a total of six graphs. We had to look at the graphs, that were graphed by atomic number and analyze the data given in the graph, we looked for any trend that we could, increasing or decreasing. Next, we did the same thing for each of the group graphs, looking for any increase or decrease pattern. The data we were given from our graphs helped our analysis by telling us if a periodic trend was existent. Making graphs and depicting them closely by atomic number and group helped to identify any periodic