One of the subjects that can perplex high school chemistry students is periodic trends. This is the part of the course where you learn how to read the Periodic Table of the Elements. You know, the map that tells us about all the kinds of atoms in the universe.

Now, you might say “I don’t like to read maps and, besides, who needs to do it when we’ve got smartphones?” But I’m here to tell you that learning this skill will save you lots of memorization. It can also help you impress your friends when you accurately explain what will happen when you bond an alkali metal with a halogen. Hey, look, you are even ready to throw some awesome science words in there!

But I digress.

The Periodic Table of the Elements really is a map. We read it both across and down. When we do, we find that there are some really clear patterns. Knowing those patterns helps us predict how elements will behave!

There are eight trends among the elements that chemists (and chemistry students) track:

• Atomic radius
• Electron affinity and non-metal reactivity
• Electronegativity
• First ionization energy
• Force of attraction
• Ionic radius
• Metallic character and metallic reactivity
• Shielding effect