Identify the correct statement about Newlands' law of octaves.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. He started with the element having the lowest atomic mass (hydrogen) and ended at thorium which was the 56th element.
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Newlands' Law of Octaves (1865) stated that every eighth element had properties similar to the first, when the elements were arranged in the order of increasing atomic mass.
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He compared this to the octaves in music, where every eighth note is similar.
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He began his classification with hydrogen, the lightest element.
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At the time, only 56 elements were known, and thorium was the 56th.
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His law worked well only for the lighter elements.