Why Are Lanthanides and Actinides Excluded from the Periodic Table?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the placement of lanthanides and actinides in the periodic table, questioning why these series are positioned at the bottom and whether this indicates a lack of periodicity among their elements.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions why lanthanides and actinides are not included in the main periodic table and whether there is non-periodicity among their elements.
  • Another participant suggests that the f-block elements do not currently have group numbers, indicating a potential for future changes in classification.
  • A different viewpoint emphasizes that the format of the periodic table is arbitrary, shaped by human categorization tendencies, and may not reflect the natural grouping of elements.
  • References to alternative periodic tables are provided, suggesting that there are multiple ways to represent elemental relationships.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the classification of lanthanides and actinides, with no consensus reached regarding their periodicity or the rationale behind their placement in the periodic table.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the subjective nature of the periodic table's format and its dependence on human interpretation, without resolving the implications of this subjectivity on the classification of elements.

faiz4000
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why aren't the lanthanide and actinide series included in the periodic table? is there some non periodicity in there elements?
 
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Are you asking why these series are shown at the bottom? It's a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_periodic_table" .
 
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yes,i am trying to say why they are not in the main periodic table? why you can't assign there elements to any group? Is there any non-periodicity in the elements?
 
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faiz4000 said:
why aren't the lanthanide and actinide series included in the periodic table? is there some non periodicity in there elements?

The format of the periodic table is "arbitrary," not in the sense that it makes no sense, but from a Sociology/Psychology of Science perspective in the sense that the manner in which it is presented is guided by the human tendency to categorize in groups with linkage to other areas of human understanding. How we, as products of nature, group the elements may or may not be how nature in its raw form groups them (most likely not...). In other words, our periodic table is an imperfect, but extremely useful model. There are others. See...

Alternative Periodic Tables
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_periodic_tables
 
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