Why Is Tellurium Before Iodine?

Why does tellurium Te come before iodine in on the periodic table? Iodine has a lower relative atomic mass than tellurium. So iodine should be placed before tellurium in Mendeleev's tables. However, iodine has similar chemical properties to chlorine and bromine.

Why is iodine after tellurium in the periodic table?

The iodine had lower atomic mass (126.9) than tellurium (127.6), so Iodine must had been placed before tellurium based on its physical property, but he placed iodine as 53rd element after tellurium 52nd element which then lined up with the fluorine, chlorine and bromine based on its chemical properties.

Why is tellurium Te placed before iodine in on the periodic table of the elements even though it has a higher average atomic mass than iodine?

Since tellurium contains isotopes of masses higher than the iodine, the average atomic mass of tellurium is greater than that of iodine.

Marcus Vance

Marcus Vance

Cybersecurity & Digital Privacy Researcher

Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.