The location and composition of Group 3: A follow-on examination

Abstract

This article is a follow-on to the author’s 2021 arguments on the location and composition of Group 3, a topic which continues to attract interest (Cotton 2022; Neve 2022). In three parts I examine the matter via (a) a critique of the provisional report of the IUPAC Group 3 project (Scerri 2021a); (b) a critique of “In praise of triads” by Scerri (2022a); and (c) electron configuration arguments. The provisional report of the IUPAC Group 3 project is found to lack objectivity; the scientific basis of triads and the notion of a fundamental periodic table are challenged; and electron configuration arguments support Group 3 as Sc-Y-La-Ac.