Periodic trends  are changes in the properties of  chemical elements  along the  periodic table  of elements. Major periodic trends include  electronegativity ,  ionization energy ,  electron affinity ,  atomic radius ,  ionic radius ,  metallic character , and  chemical reactivity .             The periodic trends in properties of elements These trends reflect the changes in atomic properties along the  periods  (horizontal rows) and  groups  (vertical columns) in the periodic table. They give a qualitative assessment of the properties of each element. However, not all properties strictly follow these trends, for example, the  ionization energies  in group 3, the  electron affinities  in group 17 or the  densities  in group 1 elements ( alkali metals ). History