Recent Version Changes

0.9.2

added unit conversion available on property hover for premium users
added grouping of similar elements, properties switchable on property hover
added information:
- second ionization energy
- third ionization energy
- common ions
made elements with an 'Unknown' property show transparent on property render
changed the default color scheme for the 'series' property
changed the app's name to 'ChemReference: Periodic Table' to increase search relevance
changer the feedback button's url to that of the new webstore feedback area

0.9.1

made the constants and their values highlight-able
changed the default colors used in rendering 'series' on the table

0.9.0

the series key is now visible when the right pane is hidden
'high contrast mode' can be toggled when the right pane is hidden
searching is now enabled in all modes (except for when in 'help & settings')
the 'high contrast' and 'select on hover' indicators/buttons are now in the bottom left corner of the screen
the new main navigation toolbar on the right side of the screen allows for changing of the main content
- this was a design driven by the need for more space for information and the upcoming need to change the main viewing area intuitively
- buttons housed in the navigation show: the periodic table, visualization, Wikipedia, WebElements, and settings
- the links to Wikipedia and WebElements that are now housed in the right navigation and are also selectable with 'W' and 'E'
- outside links open within Element by default can be turned into out of page links in the settings
the new visualization view shows an electron shell visualization for all elements
there is a new 'constants' pane available above the periodic table
- two 'favorite' constants can be toggled by clicking the 'more' button and checking the numbers to the left of the table
there are now two overall themes: a 'light' grayscale theme and the default 'dark' theme
new information added:
- Empirical Radius
- Covalent Radius
- Van der Waals Radius
- Mohs Hardness
- Vickers Hardness

0.8.2

fixed a spelling error: 'Cerium' was incorrectly spelled 'Cereum'

0.8.1

replaced an overlooked and outdated image
removed some extraneous image files that jacked up the file size

0.8.0

fixed (because I accidentally broke) the theming system to prevent reset of default colors on refresh
improved the row/col numbering to be less in the way and auto-highlite the current row/col
slightly redesigned the interface for better aesthetics and improved work-flow
- added a new tabbed interface in the right pane
- moved the searchbox into the right pane
- changed the colors/shadows/look of some parts of the interface
- redesigned the 'Help & Settings' page for consistent look and feel
added an orbital filling tab, showing core electron configuration and filling
added new information
- shear modulus
- young modulus

0.7.4

fixed a spelling error: 'Darmstadtium' was incorrectly spelled 'Darmstadium'

0.7.3

fixed issues with correctly storing settings and information and displaying them on first run
added up/down keyboard navigation
added row/column numbering (off by default, can be turned on in settings)

0.7.2

fixed one of the visual cues not showing up correctly
fixed a bug where the active element's border would not stay white when a different property was rendered
fixed a bug where the key would be shown in high contrast mode upon (un)/hiding while series is rendered
fixed the buttons in the right pane from rendering incorrectly at some resolutions
added a feedback button linking to chrome store reviews, also doubles as a more subtle update indicator
added new information:
- specific heat
- heat of fusion
- heat of vaporization

0.7.1

fixed an oversight, significantly speeding up selecting elements on hover, making it much more usable
disabled keyboard shortcuts while the dialog box is shown
added a custom context menu on right click of elements; quick links to Wikipedia and Google

0.7.0

made hitting left and right arrow keys now shows the previous/next element
the series key, searchbox, and select-on-hover indicator are now fully opaque
the series key is bigger, along with the font, to improve readability
'high contrast mode' has been added; quickly toggle-able with 'C' or by clicking the indicator
'high contrast mode' can now be set to on/off by default in the new settings dialog
hover-to-select can now be set to on/off by default in the settings dialog
the right pane, searchbox, and key can be hidden to maximize space by clicking the bottom right button
the table can be set to start with the searchbox etc. hidden/visible in the settings dialog
the colors for the elements' series can be customized in the new theming dialog
new information added:
- calculated radius
- brinell hardness
- bulk modulus
- stp density
- thermal conductivity

0.5.3.1

changed search behavior to search only from beginning of name and symbol
added 'f' hotkey to initiate search
added indicator as to whether or not elements will be shown on hover
added 'm' hotkey to quickly toggle whether or not to show elements on hover
fixed slight clipping of font in the table
added 'Help and Changelog' dialog

0.5.2

Fixed small rendering bug

0.5.1

Fixed font inconsistencies
Slightly re-positioned parts of interface
Added mousing over to quickly show elements, clicking to semi-permanently show them

Do you frequently find yourself looking for online chemistry help? You're not alone. Chemistry can be a very tricky course for many students in high school and college. But though it can be difficult to understand at times, making sure you understand the basics and are capable of problem solving will save you lots of headache in the course. So here's what you need to know to survive your first course in chemistry.

Learn to Read, Understand, and Use the Periodic Table

Love it or hate it, you'll be looking at a periodic table for much of the semester, so it's important you know your way around the thing. It'll be a huge help to every aspect of chemistry if you can use it. You might have trouble finding a given element quickly - don't worry, we've got you covered with an online, searchable periodic table. Now that you've got that, let's look at what the table represents.

Structure

The periodic table is an arrangement of the fundamental elements such that their commonality is more easily visualized and grouped. In other words, elements are laid out so that we can quickly pick them out according to the properties we are looking at. There are a couple different things worth looking at here.

Groups, also known as families, are the vertical columns on the table. Groups exhibit a few trends. As one moves down the group, the elements gain more electrons and thus have more energy levels. This means that the outermost electrons will be pushed farther from the nucleus. This causes atomic radius to increase and ionization energy to decrease as you go down.

Periods, also known as series, are the horizontal rows. Periods, like groups, exhibit trends in atomic radius and ionization energy to name a couple. Atomic radius tends to decrease from left to right and ionization energy increases.

The table can also be divided into blocks. These blocks are useful for predicting electron orbital filling, which you'll learn about later in Chemistry class. They are labeled s, p, d, and f and reflect the shell that the "outermost" electron occupies.

On many periodic tables there are two rows at the very bottom that are separated from the rest. These two rows actually fit in to the table right after the Alkaline Earth Metals column as seen to the right. They are usually moved below the table to condense space.

Trends

Many elements have properties that exhibit trends as you move across the periodic table. For instance, atomic radius tends to increase as you move left and downwards across the table, whereas first ionization energy tends to increase as you move right and upwards. You can easily view many other trends on our periodic table by clicking on properties in the right pane.

Know How to Google Example Problems and Get Chemistry Help

There are lots of times when you'll be working a problem and hit a little hang up. It may not be worth contacting an instructor but you still need to know how to do it. Fortunately, you can find almost every single problem type on the internet.

Search Yahoo Answers

I believe I've found every problem I've ever looked for on yahoo answers, or at least one that's very close to what I need. You can search yahoo answers easily by including this little line in your Google search:

site:answers.yahoo.com your search here

Google is really good about finding related problems if you just copy and paste the problem off your online chemistry homework or out of your text book, but if you don't get any hits off your search, try removing some of the punctuation or a few of the specific numbers from the problem. This should return problems that are very similar to what you've got.

Go to Your School's Help Sessions

Many colleges have out-of-class help or tutoring sessions. Use them. Go ask questions. Even if you don't manage to get any decent help from the tutors, talking about the problem often helps you realize your mistakes or oversights. As an added bonus, it helps just a bit to ward off procrastination, which we're all guilty of.

Get Every Possible Point of Partial Credit on Exams

You're probably not going to know how to do every problem on your chemistry exams, but that's okay. Many schools will cut you a break by giving out partial credit - and you can get a lot of this if you take the right approach when working problems. So make sure you:

Always Include Units

Always write your units in every single step of a problem. To many graders, units are as important as numbers, so don't forget to write them down. Also make sure to clearly indicate conversions.

Write Down What You Do

If your work isn't the clearest (although you should try to write as best you can), make sure to include notes to the grader indicating what you did in a given step. They'll be more likely to give you the points if they think you had some idea of what you're doing.

Work Both Ends of a Problem

If you're stuck on a problem but you got a bit of a start on it, try working backwards from the final answer. You should have some idea of what the final answer should look like, whether that be an estimate, a format, or a intelligent guess. You might be able to work backward from the end and forward from the beginning and fudge it to make it mesh in the middle. Hey, at this point you're just trying not to lose all your points (relevant XKCD [the alt-text]).

Practice Chemistry Constantly

You may hate doing homework and practice all the time, but it'll help you tremendously. Do every practice problem and assignment that your instructor provides. Although it's incredibly dull, it will pay dividends when you get to the exam. The constant practice will drill the procedure into your head and make the test a breeze, even under pressure.

Chemistry doesn't have to be all that hard - well Chemistry I doesn't (no guarantees on the next few). You don't necessarily need to be Googling for online chemistry help and may not even need any chemistry tutoring. Just make sure you can do the procedure type for each problem and practice a lot. Just follow this with all the other tips, and you'll be through it in no time.