ABSTRACT
The periodic table can be thought of as an atomic and nuclear roadmap that conveniently organizes all of the elements in the universe into a simple and easy-to-understand table. The very lightest elements can be found at the top of the table, and the heaviest elements can be found at the bottom. In fact, the binding energy per nucleon is different between elements and even between the isotopes of a particular element. Heavy elements such as uranium and plutonium have a lower binding energy per nucleon than elements with intermediate atomic weights like iron and nickel. Some heavy elements of particular importance to the nuclear power industry have a very large number of isotopes, but only a few of them exist in measurable amounts. Elements of an intermediate atomic weight such as barium, cesium, iodine, xenon, krypton, rubidium, and strontium also have isotopes that have important nuclear and medical applications.
