explain how chemists can state with certainty that no one will discover an element between sulfur and chlorine?
Chemistry · High School · Thu Feb 04 2021
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- Chemists can state with certainty that no one will discover an element between sulfur and chlorine because of the well-established understanding of the atomic structure and the periodic table of elements. Sulfur has an atomic number of 16, and chlorine has an atomic number of 17.
- The atomic number denotes the number of protons in an atom's nucleus, and it is unique to each element and defines the element's identity. Since the atomic numbers of elements are integers and increase in a sequential manner, there are no gaps between successive elements that would allow for an additional element to be inserted.
- Moreover, the periodic table is organized in such a way that elements with similar properties fall into the same groups or columns. Sulfur and chlorine are part of the same group, known as the chalcogens or Group 16 (or VI). Because the chemical properties of elements are determined by their electron configurations, and those arrangements are predicted based on the atomic number, the fact that sulfur and chlorine are consecutive elements means that the properties of any hypothetical element with an atomic number between them would not fit with the observed periodic trends. Therefore, chemists are confident that no new element exists between sulfur and chlorine.