Appendix

“Architectural Units of the Universe”

That is how a modern encyclopedia of science describes the chemical elements. There is amazing variety among the elements of our earth; some of them are rare; others are abundant. Elements such as gold may attract the human eye. Others are gases that we do not even see, such as nitrogen and oxygen. Each element is made of a certain kind of atom. How the atoms are constructed and relate to one another bespeaks economy and awesome organization in chartlike order.

About 300 years ago, only 12 elements were known—antimony, arsenic, bismuth, carbon, copper, gold, iron, lead, mercury, silver, sulfur, and tin. As more were discovered, scientists noticed that the elements reflected a distinct order. Because there were gaps in the order, scientists such as Mendeleyev, Ramsay, Moseley, and Bohr theorized the existence of unknown elements and their characteristics. Those elements were subsequently discovered just as predicted. Why could those scientists predict that there were forms of matter that were unknown at the time?

Well, the elements follow a natural numerical order based on the structure of their atoms. This is a proven law. Thus, school textbooks can set out a periodic table of elements in rows and columns—hydrogen, helium, and so on.

The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology observes: “Few systemizations in the history of science can rival the periodic concept as a broad revelation of the order of the physical world. . . . Whatever new elements may be discovered in the future, it is certain they will find a place in the periodic system, conforming to its order and exhibiting the proper familial characteristics.”

When the elements are arranged in the rows and columns of the periodic table, a remarkable relationship is seen between elements that share a column. For example, in the last column are located helium (No. 2), neon (No. 10), argon (No. 18), krypton (No. 36), xenon (No. 54), and radon (No. 86). These are gases that glow brightly when an electric discharge passes through them, and they are used in some light bulbs. Also, they do not react easily with various elements, as do some other gases.

Yes, the universe—even down to its atomic particles—reveals astonishing harmony and order. What is responsible for such order, harmony, and variety among the building blocks of the universe?

 [Chart on page 27]

Periodic Table of the Elements

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Do the order and harmony of elements in the periodic table reflect mere chance or intelligent design?

METALS

NONMETALS

RARE GASES

TRANSITION ELEMENTS

Lanthanide series

Actinide series

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

Name of element Symbol Atomic number

hydrogen H 1

helium He 2

lithium Li 3

beryllium Be 4

boron B 5

carbon C 6

nitrogen N 7

oxygen O 8

fluorine F 9

neon Ne 10

sodium Na 11

magnesium Mg 12

aluminum Al 13

silicon Si 14

phosphorus P 15

sulfur S 16

chlorine Cl 17

argon Ar 18

potassium K 19

calcium Ca 20

scandium Sc 21

titanium Ti 22

vanadium V 23

chromium Cr 24

manganese Mn 25

iron Fe 26

cobalt Co 27

nickel Ni 28

copper Cu 29

zinc Zn 30

gallium Ga 31

germanium Ge 32

arsenic As 33

selenium Se 34

bromine Br 35

krypton Kr 36

rubidium Rb 37

strontium Sr 38

yttrium Y 39

zirconium Zr 40

niobium Nb 41

molybdenum Mo 42

technetium Tc 43

ruthenium Ru 44

rhodium Rh 45

palladium Pd 46

silver Ag 47

cadmium Cd 48

indium In 49

tin Sn 50

antimony Sb 51

tellurium Te 52

iodine I 53

xenon Xe 54

cesium Cs 55

barium Ba 56

lanthanum La 57

cerium Ce 58

praseodymium Pr 59

neodymium Nd 60

promethium Pm 61

samarium Sm 62

europium Eu 63

gadolinium Gd 64

terbium Tb 65

dysprosium Dy 66

holmium Ho 67

erbium Er 68

thulium Tm 69

ytterbium Yb 70

lutetium Lu 71

hafnium Hf 72

tantalum Ta 73

tungsten W 74

rhenium Re 75

osmium Os 76

iridium Ir 77

platinum Pt 78

gold Au 79

mercury Hg 80

thallium Tl 81

lead Pb 82

bismuth Bi 83

polonium Po 84

astatine At 85

radon Rn 86

francium Fr 87

radium Ra 88

actinium Ac 89

thorium Th 90

protactinium Pa 91

uranium U 92

neptunium Np 93

plutonium Pu 94

americium Am 95

curium Cm 96

berkelium Bk 97

californium Cf 98

einsteinium Es 99

fermium Fm 100

mendelevium Md 101

nobelium No 102

lawrencium Lr 103

104

105

106

107

108

109