Comments on: Periodic Tables and Strange Attractors

By: Philip Stewart

Philip Stewart — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:59:56 +0000

Giguere’s beautiful architectural model is one of the few that Mazurs illustrates accurately (and it is missing from van Spronsen). I don’t see why He over Be is “the Janet problem”. If the s block is to be kept separate from the p block it is Janet’s solution, and it was adopted by Simmons, Giguere, Mazurs van Spronsen, Bent, Katz (and Scerri, till he changed his mind and decided to forget about orbitals and cut the ribbon between the oxygen group and the halogens). The s-block/p-block boundary is the only one where there are no embarrassing ambiguities like La, Ac, Th, Zn, Cd, Hg. There is no way He can be called a p-block element. Its noble-gas-like behaviour results from the fact that there are only 2 electrons in the K shell. All the other shells can form an octet with 2 s and 6 p electrons.

Clark in Life magazine, copied by Longman, pioneered the use of colour to show secondary relationships between transition elements and representative elements (Mendeleev’s A and B columns within his groups). I took this over in my Chemical Galaxy II, extending it to the lanthan/actinides to pick up the II valency in Eu and Yb, III in La and Gd, and IV in Ce and Tb, with the rest echoing Mendeleev’s group VIII in having less valence electrons than might be expected.

By: Bob Jackson

Bob Jackson — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:31:08 +0000

There is a much simpler way to make a 3-D model. Mazurs illustrates it: Giguere’s helix (1966). It’s a stylized form of the Schaltenbrand helix. It combines the best features of the spiral and series tables. You split each block in two, and glue them back to back – s and d on one axis, f and p on the other – cut a notch in the last two periods between s and d block, and clip this over the other axis between f and p block. It’s compact, easy to make, and cheap to print (it fits on one A4 sheet). It can carry a wealth of detail – it looks great with the blocks in different colours, and with photographs of the elements. The electron configurations are easy to work out. It’s true to the electrons’ filling order, showing both Hund’s rule and the Pauli exclusion principle. Its only drawback is the Janet problem of helium being separated from the noble gases.

Spronsen shows one spiral which children love – Romanov’s 1934 lemniscate, which is fairly easy to update and colour in Photoshop. It unites the main block elements above the transition elements, and suggests rising energy levels by threading f block through the middle. It’s the best for showing how the initial cut, before the halogens, or after the noble gases or alkaline earths, produces the radically different Scerri, Werner, and Janet tables. Its main drawback is it places lanthanum below scandium, but that just shows how each table has its own agenda, which is a valuable lesson in itself..

By: Julio Gutierrez Samanez

Julio Gutierrez Samanez — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 12:07:04 +0000

Dear Mr. David Black
Very interesting your work of rescuing the contributions about of the PT., especially of Mazurs, and the genial work of C. Janet. It really is invaluable that all this can be seen around the world, previously impossible, the magic of the Internet brings us closer to understanding the science with such precision and astounding beauty.
For my part I made a development of the Chancourtois telluric screw, and I have a mathematical studies on mathematical functions or matrices that make up the P.T.
I am currently finalizing a new version of my studies, in which I have found a mathematical relationship that I believe it define a new quantic number, and is the concept of Binode (a pair of atomic levels or a pair of periodic in the Left Step Janet P T, in the Dr. Scerri’s book, page 283 ) so I’ve designed a new table called “Binodic Table”, and that corresponds to a simple mathematical expression: a parabolic curved
Addresses or links are as follows. The paper it is in Spanish language.

http://www.monografias.com/trabajos-pdf/tabla-periodica-nuevo-modelo/tabla-periodica-nuevo-modelo.shtml

DNA of the Materia or the telluric screw of Gutierrez Samanez

My best wishes to you.

Julio Gutiérrez Samanez
From Cuzco, Peru

By: Roy Alexander

Roy Alexander — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:29:04 +0000

The videos are great!
Just right for the YouTube format. Love the graphics and the emphasis on de Chancourtois.
Sorry that the AAE, successor to the Telluric Screw couldn’t get in there.
Good Luck with them, and keep up the good work.
Roy

By: davidvblack

davidvblack — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:48:07 +0000

Roy:
My e-mail address is: elementsunearthed@gmail.com

Thanks!
David Black

By: Roy Alexander

Roy Alexander — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:08:44 +0000

It seems that working with 3D blocks to picture a tabular item is the hard way, and I can see that determining what hinges this way or that for a looping and folded sheet could be problematical, even with the vertical plane always the same.
Roy

By: Roy Alexander

Roy Alexander — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:05:43 +0000

I can send one if you provide an address (preferably by email).

Roy@allperiodictables.com

By: davidvblack

davidvblack — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:20:53 +0000

Roy:
The difficulty I’ve had wasn’t with making a physical paper model, but with creating a virtual 3D model with animation (similar to what you see in the videos with the tiles shifting to become a left-step table, for example). I can’t get the solid blocks to wrap around naturally enough.
Thanks for the higher resolution photo of Glen Seaborg. I will be creating more videos on the periodic table (properties of the elements, etc.). I don’t think you’ve sent me a paper model.
David Black

By: Roy Alexander

Roy Alexander — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:39:25 +0000

David:
I’m surprised at the difficulty. Nothing could be simpler.
I just put online an article with illustrations of how 5th graders can make a 3D periodic table out of a standard flat table. (see http://www.allperiodictables.com/LeftStepAAEOnline/ )
I started with a left-step table (also online), but starting with the standard long form table works just as well, as all the gaps are closed ultimately in any case. Once the first step, make a circle, is done, they are alike. (Using the standard short form means inserting the Rare Earths first.)

I left off the H and He because of the contentiousness on the Sciencebase Blog, but that is a simple wrap as well, H starts overLi, and extends around to join with He, which is over Ne. (see http://allperiodictables.com/kin )

I did send you a DeskTopper, didn’t I?

I have put a Seaborg hires photo at http://allperiodictables.com/3d/ap.wwp.Seaborg.jpg for you. The photo with his “favorite periodic table” (according to the photographer, Susan Ragan) was used in the Guinness Book and world wide for most of his obituaries. The Rare Earths, which he had displaced from the main body of the table is the loop in his right hand on his model which I had made for him – well in advance of the official naming of 108 – near his left hand. (Please attribute AP World Wide Photo.)

By: davidvblack

davidvblack — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:18:48 +0000

Roy:
I got looking at how I would try to create a 3D model out of the tile objects I’d used for the other animations, and I couldn’t see how to do your Alexander Arrangement justice – it wouldn’t have had the right curvature and look, especially in the first few elements. I did find a photo online of Glen Seaborg holding one of your completed Arrangements, but it was too low resolution to use in the final video. Did you present him with that?
David Black