What other chemistry courses use the periodic table?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the use of the periodic table in various chemistry courses beyond the introductory level. Participants explore which chemistry classes utilize the periodic table extensively and to what extent it is integrated into the curriculum.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that only General Chemistry I heavily utilizes the periodic table, while General Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry I do not require it much.
  • Another participant compares the use of the periodic table to the use of the alphabet after kindergarten, suggesting it becomes assumed knowledge once the basics are covered.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about which advanced chemistry courses make extensive use of the periodic table, mentioning Inorganic, Physical, Biochemistry, and Analytical Chemistry as possibilities.
  • A later reply indicates that more specialized courses, such as those in materials science, may involve extensive use of the periodic table, particularly in the context of semiconductor materials and optical glasses.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the periodic table is a foundational tool in chemistry, but there is no consensus on which specific advanced courses utilize it extensively. Multiple competing views remain regarding its application in different chemistry disciplines.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying levels of familiarity with the periodic table's role in different chemistry courses, and there are indications of missing assumptions about the depth of study in advanced classes.

Ric-Veda
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So far, I have taken General Chemistry I and II, and Organic Chemistry I. Out of these classes, only General Chemistry I seems to make use of the periodic table, but it is mostly just going through the basics of the periodc table. Not so much in Gen Chem II or Orgo I. I mean they give it to you, but you don't need it that much. I will be finishing Organic II, but what other chemistry courses will make heavy use of the periodic table?
 
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This is kind of like asking: after kindergarten, when else do you use the alphabet?

The periodic table is a tool. Once you cover the basics behind it, you advance to other things. The table itself becomes "assumed knowledge."
 
Ric-Veda said:
So far, I have taken General Chemistry I and II, and Organic Chemistry I. Out of these classes, only General Chemistry I seems to make use of the periodic table, but it is mostly just going through the basics of the periodc table. Not so much in Gen Chem II or Orgo I. I mean they give it to you, but you don't need it that much. I will be finishing Organic II, but what other chemistry courses will make heavy use of the periodic table?
Always, ALL courses
 
Ok maybe every chemistry course uses it. For my organic chemistry class, I just needed to know a few elements, electronegativity, and atomic numbers, but other than that, there was no use of the periodic table. Gen Chem II, It was the same thing. but we never looked at the periodic table. I understand that you need to know the basics of the periodic table, but what other chem courses do you use the periodic table extensively or study it more in depth? Inorganic, Physical, Biochemistry, analytical?

Again you just needed to know a few parts of the periodic table for Gen Chem II and Organic I, but we never really went in depth with it or use it extensively.
 
Ric-Veda said:
Ok maybe every chemistry course uses it. For my organic chemistry class, I just needed to know a few elements, electronegativity, and atomic numbers, but other than that, there was no use of the periodic table. Gen Chem II, It was the same thing. but we never looked at the periodic table. I understand that you need to know the basics of the periodic table, but what other chem courses do you use the periodic table extensively or study it more in depth? Inorganic, Physical, Biochemistry, analytical?

Again you just needed to know a few parts of the periodic table for Gen Chem II and Organic I, but we never really went in depth with it or use it extensively.
If you get more involved with the chemistry of materials (often taught in a materials science and engineering dept rather than a chemistry dept), you will make extensive use of the periodic table. E.g., for semiconductor materials, you will study Group IV elemental semiconductors and Group III-V and Group II-VI compound semiconductors; for optical glasses, you will study rare Earth's; for high-temperature applications, you will study refractory metals; ...
 

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