As an alternate to the conventional modern style, the Bayley Pyramid style of table of the elements is readily understood. Whereas the conventional arrangement emphasizes the vertically arranged groups at some expense to the integrity of the periods, the Bayley Pyramid clearly emphasizes the periods of elements and presents a somewhat more obscured view of the groups.
The Bayley Pyramid was first proposed over one hundred years ago. Each of the periods is shown contiguously and relationship lines depict the vertical group relationships of elements with similar outer shell configuration. A comparison of the Bayley and A/B forms shows that the periodic and group relationships can be understood from this portrayal. The Bayley Pyramid is seldom found in print today, however, as the significance of chemical properties repeated in groups has made the conventional arrangement more informative for most work.
|
|