Question
Why did Mendeleev place iodine after tellurium in his periodic table? So that the elements are ordered by relative atomic mass To place iodine in a group with elements of similar properties Because iodine was later discovered to have a larger mass than tellurium To leave a gap for undiscovered elements
Answer
3.9
(389 Votes)
Uriah
Professional · Tutor for 6 years
Answer
B
Explanation
1. Dmitri Mendeleev designed the periodic table addressed on the properties of elements and their atomic masses. 2. Mendeleev placed iodine after tellurium in his periodic table despite the confusion presented by their atomic weights, indicating a departure from strictly ordering by atomic mass.3. The reason behind prioritizing placement of iodine after tellurium is because he saw the similarities in the chemical properties of iodine and other elements present in that group, rather than their atomic mass. Mendeleev understood that arranging the elements to reflect similarities in chemical behavior was more importantly functional compared to sticking rigidly to atomic weight sequence. 4. Option A suggests that Mendeleev ordered the elements by atomic mass, however this contradicts the case of iodine and tellurium. 5. Mendeleev notably used the periodic table as a predictive tool, occasionally leaving gaps for elements not yet discovered, however this was not the reasoning behind iodine's placement after tellurium, thus eliminating option D. 6. Option C is sewing confusion than clarity, as the original problem in arranging iodine and tellurium lied in the fact that tellurium has a higher atomic mass yet is arranged before iodine.7. As mentioned, the key to iodine's position comes down to recognizing group similarities shared by certain elements, and thus Option B corrects explains Mendeleev's reasoning.Based on the above elaboration, the reason Mendeleev decided to place iodine after tellurium is conceptually described in Option B.