3.4 On the basis of quantum numbers, justify that the sixth period of the periodic table should have 32 elements.
The period number corresponds to the highest principal quantum number (n) of the elements in the period. The subsequent periods consist of 8, 8, 18, 18 and 32 elements, respectively. The sixth period (n = 6) contains 32 elements and successive electrons enter 6s, 4f, 5d and 6p orbitals, Now, 6s has 1 orbital, 4f has 7 orbitals, 5d has 5 orbitals, and 6p has 3 orbitals.
Therefore, there are a total of 16 orbitals available, and each orbital carries 2 electrons according to Pauli's exclusion principle. So, we have a total of 32 electrons, Hence, the sixth period of the periodic table should have 32 elements.