Periodic Classification of Elements

Complete Compiled Notes — Exceptions, Key Q&A, and Mendeleev Relevance for JEE Main &
Advanced (Class 11)

Part 1: Exceptions & Anomalies

1. Electronic Configuration Exceptions

● Cr: [Ar] 3d5 4s1 (not 3d4 4s2) — extra stability of half-filled d subshell
● Cu: [Ar] 3d10 4s1 (not 3d9 4s2) — extra stability of fully-filled d subshell
● Mo: [Kr] 4d5 5s1; Ag: [Kr] 4d10 5s1; Au: [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s1; Pt: [Xe] 4f14 5d9 6s1 — same
half/fully-filled stability logic

● Pd: [Kr] 4d10 5s0 — unique; only element with zero electrons in outermost s-orbital
● Nb: [Kr] 4d4 5s1; Ru: [Kr] 4d7 5s1; Rh: [Kr] 4d8 5s1
● La: [Xe] 5d1 6s2 — 5d fills before 4f, breaking simple aufbau expectation
● Ce: [Xe] 4f1 5d1 6s2 (irregular, not 4f2 6s2) — see detailed note in Part 2
● Gd: [Xe] 4f7 5d1 6s2 — half-filled f stability (same logic as Cr/Cu)
● Th: [Rn] 6d2 7s2 — no 5f electrons despite being an actinide
● Pa, U, Np also show irregular d–f configuration switching

2. Atomic / Ionic Radius Exceptions

● Ga < Al (post-transition contraction due to poor shielding by 3d electrons) — see detailed note in Part 2
● Noble gases show larger (van der Waals) radii than adjacent halogens — not a true like-for-like
comparison with covalent radius

● Lanthanide contraction makes 4d and 5d elements of the same group almost equal in size: Zr ≈ Hf, Nb ≈
Ta, Zr4+ ≈ Hf4+

● Ag+ has an unusually large ionic radius for a transition metal ion
● Radius across the 3d series does not decrease smoothly — stays nearly constant/slightly decreases as
3d electrons shield each other

3. Ionization Enthalpy Exceptions

● Be > B (Group 2 > Group 13) — extra stability of fully-filled 2s2 in Be
● N > O (Group 15 > Group 16) — extra stability of half-filled 2p3 in N
● Mg > Al and P > S — same fully-filled/half-filled logic
● Complete Period 2 order is non-monotonic: He > Ne > F > N > O > C > Be > B > Li
● He has the highest IE1 in the entire periodic table, not F
● IE2 of Na and IE3 of Mg are abnormally high — removing an electron from a stable noble-gas core
● Zn has a higher IE1 than Ga — breaks the expected smooth decrease after the Group 12 peak, due to
Ga's poor 3d shielding

● IE1 does not rise smoothly across the 3d series — small dips/rises occur depending on whether a 4s or
3d electron is removed
● Ge and Si have unexpectedly close IE values (not a clear decrease down the group) due to poor d-block
shielding

● In and Tl have close IE values due to lanthanide contraction

4. Electron Gain Enthalpy Exceptions

● Cl has a more negative EGE than F — F's small size causes strong electron-electron repulsion in its
compact 2p orbital

● S has a more negative EGE than O — same small-size repulsion effect

● Group 16 rough order: S > Se > O > Te (O is anomalous, not the most negative despite being smallest)
● N and noble gases show positive (or ~zero) EGE — N due to half-filled 2p3 stability, noble gases
because the added electron must enter a new shell

● Be and Mg (Group 2) show low/positive EGE due to stable, fully-filled ns2 configuration

5. Electronegativity Exceptions
● Anomalies appear in some 4d/5d elements due to poor shielding, breaking the smooth 'increases across
period, decreases down group' trend

● Diagonal pairs (Li–Mg, Be–Al, B–Si) show unexpectedly close electronegativity values despite being in
different groups/periods

6. Metallic / Non-metallic Character & Oxide Nature

● Diagonal relationship: Li–Mg, Be–Al, B–Si show similar chemical properties despite belonging to
different groups (similar charge/size ratio)

● Amphoteric oxides break the simple 'metal oxide = basic, non-metal oxide = acidic' rule: BeO, Al2O3,
Ga2O3, SnO, PbO, As2O3

● Zn, Cd, Hg are NOT considered true transition elements despite being in the d-block — fully-filled d10
configuration, no variable oxidation states, diamagnetic, mostly colourless ions

● Sc is often excluded from 'typical' transition metal behaviour — shows only the +3 state, and Sc3+ is
colourless with no d-electrons

● Group 13 nature gradation: B = metalloid/non-metal; Al–Tl = metals

● Group 14 shows a full non-metal → metalloid → metal gradation in a single group: C (non-metal) →
Si/Ge (metalloid) → Sn/Pb (metal)

● Group 15 gradation: N, P (non-metals) → As, Sb (metalloids) → Bi (metal)

7. Melting / Boiling Point Anomalies

● 3d series melting points peak around V/Cr (mid-series) instead of increasing monotonically — linked to
d-orbital half-filling and metallic bonding strength

● Zn, Cd, Hg have unusually low melting/boiling points among transition metals — weak metallic bonding
due to fully-filled d-orbitals

8. Oxidation State & Inert Pair Effect

● N shows a maximum covalency of only 4 (unlike P, As, Sb which can show 5) because N lacks
d-orbitals — so N cannot form NCl5, but P forms PCl5
● Inert pair effect: down Groups 13–16, the lower oxidation state becomes more stable than the group
oxidation state for heavier elements — Tl+ > Tl3+, Pb2+ > Pb4+, Bi3+ > Bi5+, Sn2+ is reasonably stable

9. Group 3 Controversy (IUPAC-relevant)

● Debate over whether La or Lu belongs in Group 3 alongside Sc and Y — depends on whether 4f or 5d
fills first; modern IUPAC recommendation leans toward Lu

10. Other Notable Exceptions

● Hydrogen's anomalous/dual position — resembles alkali metals (ns1 configuration) and also halogens
(needs 1 electron for noble gas configuration); doesn't fit cleanly into either group

● Lanthanides and actinides are placed separately (f-block) because of their similar properties across the
4f/5f filling series
 Part 2: Specific Concept Notes

A. Atomic Size: Aluminium vs Gallium

Aluminium (Al) is larger than Gallium (Ga) — this breaks the usual rule that atomic radius increases
down a group.

Reason: Gallium comes right after the 3d transition series (Sc to Zn). The 3d electrons have poor
shielding effect on the nuclear charge felt by Ga's outer 4p electron. This raises the effective nuclear
charge on Ga's outermost electron, pulling the electron cloud in tighter than expected.

Approximate values: Al ≈ 143 pm, Ga ≈ 135 pm.

This is a classic JEE-favourite anomaly under Group 13.

B. Electronic Configuration of Cerium (Ce, Z = 58)

Ground state configuration: [Xe] 4f1 5d1 6s2

Why it's an exception: Simple Aufbau filling would predict [Xe] 4f2 6s2 (continuing the pattern after La).
Instead, Ce retains one electron in 5d along with 4f1, because the 4f and 5d orbitals are extremely close
in energy at this point in the periodic table — the energy gap is too small for Ce to commit both electrons
fully to 4f.

Related pair: La ([Xe] 5d1 6s2, no 4f electron at all) and Ce ([Xe] 4f1 5d1 6s2, only one 4f electron
instead of two) are cited together as exceptions before the lanthanide series settles into regular 4f-filling
from Pr onward.

C. Mendeleev's Periodic Table — JEE Relevance

Overall importance: Low priority. JEE almost always tests the Modern Periodic Law (Moseley) —
properties are a periodic function of atomic number, not atomic mass. Mendeleev's table (mass-based)
is mainly covered for conceptual contrast — i.e., why it was replaced.

Where it can still appear (rare, usually as a distractor/statement):

● Defects of Mendeleev's classification: position of hydrogen (fits both alkali metals and halogens),
position of isotopes (couldn't be placed separately), anomalous pairs (Ar before K, Co before Ni, Te
before I — placed by properties, not strict mass order), no accounted position for lanthanides/actinides

● Assertion-reason or multi-statement questions with one line testing whether Mendeleev's law was
mass-based, contrasted with Moseley's atomic-number-based law

Confirmed past-year instances found:

● JEE Main 2025: Statement-based question — 'Which of the following Statements are NOT true about
the periodic table?' Included the (false) statement 'The properties of elements are a function of atomic
weights' (Mendeleev-era claim) contrasted with the correct 'function of atomic numbers' (Moseley)
statement.

● JEE Main 2025: Modern-table application question — 'The element that does not belong to the same
period of the remaining elements: (A) Palladium (B) Iridium (C) Osmium (D) Platinum' — tests period
placement using the modern classification, not Mendeleev directly.
● JEE Main 2021: Related periodic-trends question comparing Be vs Mg and Be vs Al statements —
shows the chapter is tested heavily through trends and exceptions rather than table history.

Pattern: Direct 'defects of Mendeleev's table' questions appear more often in Foundation/NEET-level or
lower-difficulty mocks, not as standalone JEE Main/Advanced questions in recent official papers. When
tested in JEE Main, it's usually one line inside a multi-statement/assertion-reason question. JEE Advanced
has essentially not tested Mendeleev's table directly in recent years — Advanced skews harder toward
numerical/trend-based reasoning (radii, IE, EGE anomalies).

Practical takeaway: Spend ~10 minutes total on Mendeleev — know it's atomic-mass-based, its 3 main
defects (H position, isotopes, anomalous pairs), and that Moseley fixed it with atomic number. Prioritize the
trend exceptions (IE, radius, EGE) in Part 1 instead — those are asked almost every year in some form.

Compiled for JEE Main & Advanced revision — Periodic Classification of Elements, Class 11 IOC