Newland's Law of Octaves | School Of Elements | Part 3

Summary

In the 1860s, British chemist John Newlands arranged the known 56 elements by increasing atomic mass and observed that every eighth element, or 'octave,' shared similar properties with the first. This pattern led to Newlands' Law of Octaves. However, the law was limited, only applicable up to calcium, and did not account for elements beyond the then-known 56. Newlands also placed two elements with differing properties in the same position, and his table omitted noble gases, which were undiscovered at the time.

Takeaways

• 🔬 Newlands arranged the known 56 elements by atomic mass and observed a pattern.
• 🎵 The arrangement was named 'octaves' because every eighth element had similar properties to the first, akin to musical octaves.
• 📊 Newland's Law suggests a periodicity in the properties of elements based on their atomic masses.
• 🚫 The law was limited, only applicable up to calcium among the 56 known elements at the time.
• 🔍 After calcium, the pattern of similar properties every eighth element broke down.
• 🌐 Newlands assumed there were only 56 elements, but more were discovered later.
• 🤔 To accommodate the known elements, Newlands duplicated positions for elements with different properties.
• 💡 The periodic table of Newlands did not include noble gases, as they were yet to be discovered.
• 📚 Newland's work laid some of the foundational thinking that would later evolve into the modern periodic table.
• 🔮 Despite its limitations, Newlands' Octaves provided a glimpse into the periodic nature of elements.

Q & A

What did Newlands arrange in increasing order in his classification?

Newlands arranged the 56 known elements in increasing order of their atomic masses.

What is Newlands' law of octaves?

Newlands' law of octaves states that when elements are arranged in increasing order of their atomic masses, the properties of every eighth element are similar to the first, resembling musical octaves.

Why is Newlands' classification referred to as 'octaves'?

The term 'octaves' comes from Newlands' observation that every eighth element has properties similar to the first, just like the musical octave where notes repeat every eighth interval.

Up to which element was Newlands' law of octaves applicable?

Newlands' law of octaves was applicable only up to calcium out of the 56 elements known at that time.

What limitation did Newlands' law of octaves face after calcium?

After calcium, every eighth element did not possess properties similar to the first, which limited the applicability of Newlands' law.

What incorrect assumption did Newlands make regarding the elements?

Newlands assumed that only 56 elements existed, but more elements were discovered later, invalidating his assumption.

How did Newlands adjust his periodic table to fit the known elements?

To fit the existing elements, Newlands placed two elements in the same position, even though they had different properties.

Why didn't Newlands' periodic table include noble or inert gases?

Newlands' periodic table did not include noble or inert gases because they had not been discovered at the time.

What were the key limitations of Newlands' periodic table?

The key limitations included its applicability only up to calcium, the assumption of only 56 elements, placing dissimilar elements in the same position, and the exclusion of noble gases.

What similarities did Newlands draw between his classification and musical scales?

Newlands compared his classification to musical octaves, where every eighth element had properties similar to the first, just as musical notes repeat after every eighth note.