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A representation of the periodic system based on atomic-number triads

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Abstract

In the last decade, the notion of triad was reintroduced by Eric Scerri, who suggested it as a possible categorical criterion to represent chemical periodicity. In particular, he reformulated the notion of triad in terms of atomic number instead of atomic weights; in this way, the value of the intermediate term of the triad became the exact average of the values of the two extremes. Following the inspiration of Scerri’s work, the main purpose of this article is to obtain a representation where all the relations among the chemical elements that form the groups of the periodic system can be reconstructed on the basis of triads, without using electronic configurations.

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Notes

  1. A possible translation would be: “Reality likes symmetries and slight anachronisms”.

  2. From the short story “El sur”, Obras Completas (Borges 2005).

  3. At present, the IUPAC recommends to name the groups from 1 to 18 instead of series A and B. Nevertheless, in the present work we will use the previous convention because we want to emphasize the relations between the groups A and B.

  4. Series A and B have among other similarities the maximum valence (except groups VIII).

  5. In the case of noble gases, electronegativity is determined only for Xe and Rn.

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Acknowledgements

I want to acknowledge Prof. Olimpia Lombardi for her persistent support, and especially Prof. Eric Scerri for his acute comments that largely improved the present paper. Nevertheless, any error contained in this article is my exclusive responsibility. I would like to thank the collaboration of Fiorela Alassia and Andrea Blengini in the preparation of this work and Agostina Alassia in the preparation of the figures. This works was possible thanks to the support of the Grant PICT-2014-2812 by the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica of Argentina, and of the Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco.

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  1. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina

    Alfio Zambon

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Zambon, A. A representation of the periodic system based on atomic-number triads. Found Chem 20, 51–74 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10698-017-9297-0

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