Symbols in the periodic table - In class I said you should be familiar with the symbols for the first six periods of the periodic table.  I am modifying that to say you should know the symbols for the first 30 elements + Pd, Ag, Pt, Au, Hg, Cd, U, Pu, Br, I, Pb.   

Gases in the periodic table - monatomic vs. diatomic

Monatomic - gas made up of single atoms

Helium - He
Neon - Ne
Argon - Ar
Krypton - Kr
Xenon - Xe
Radon - Rn

Diatomic - two atoms of the element chemically bound together.

hydrogen - H₂
nitrogen - N₂
oxygen O₂ 
chlorine Cl₂ - yellow, very reactive
fluorine F₂ - colorless, very reactive
bromine - liquid at room temperature, in gas phase Br₂, red
iodine - solid at room temperature, in gas phase I₂, purple

Groups of the periodic table - read about them in the book to get a feel for their properties - "Descriptive chemistry" - many interesting stories but not enough time to cover them.  You do not need to memorize the specific examples given below.

Group 1A - alkali metals - soft metals shiny, react readily with water

Na (usually as sodium cations, as we saw in class, Na metal is very reactive) has numerous industrial uses and it is extremely important for life (Table salt: NaCl - sodium chloride).  Major component of glass, baking soda.

Potassium chloride (KCl) is a common salt substitute (our body has more potassium (typical adult 140g) than sodium (typical adult 100g)), but at the same time, injection of a sufficiently concentration solution of potassium chloride can kill you by interfering with your hearts rhythm.  It is used for lethal injections in some states.  

Group 2A - alkaline earth metals - solids, typical metal, harder, less reactive than 1A

Mg (density 1.74 g / mL, compare to iron 7.86 g / mL)-  very light (low density) metal used in light weight structures, essential to life.
Ca - most abundant metal in the human body - bones (calcium phosphate)

Group 3B - 2B - transition metals - typical metals, colors, solids (except mercury liquid)

Fe  - most abundant transition metal (fourth most abundant on earth).  Major component of steel.   Essential to the action of our red-blood cells that supply our body with oxygen.  More than 80% of the ocean is largely free of life and one current belief is that this is due to iron deficiency.  "Fertilizing" barren regions of the ocean with iron results in rapid growth of plankton. 
Ti - second most abundant - strong, corrosion resistant metal
Cr - protective coatings (chrome)
Ni - with Cr, major component of stainless steel (20% Cr, 10% Ni, 70% Fe)
Cd - batteries/  Common rechargeable NiCad battery uses Ni and Cd - toxic - Interesting balance in that it is toxic (so bad for our environment) but also of benefit because we are reusing natural resources instead of throwing away single use batteries.
Coinage metals such as Pd, Ag, Pt, Au, very unreactive. 
Hg, Pb - heavy metal poisoning

Group 3A -

Al- important structural material - corrosion resistant (does react with oxygen but this reaction yields a protective coating). 
Tl - poison. once used to treat ringworm of the scalp (didn't treat ringworm just made your hair fall out to making it easier to treat).  Standard depilatory for 50 years.  In the 1930s available as an over-the-counter cream to remove unwanted hair.  Lethal dose around 800mg.  Doses of 500mg were given for treating ringworm.

 Group 4A

C - "organic" chemistry - basic building block for life - graphite and diamond are different forms of carbon.
Si - semiconductor - computer industry,  sand/quartz/glass SiO₂

Group 5A

N - air 80% nitrogen (as N₂).   Very abundant, but N₂ is unreactive.   Essential to life, but our bodies cannot convert N₂ into a usable form.  We get ours from plants and other things we eat, and we provide it to plants in a usable form when we fertilize.  Some plants can convernt N₂ into usable forms on their own using an enzyme called nitrogenase.  Chemists are just now beginning to understand the action of nitrogenase after 50 years of work.

Group 6A - Chalcogens

O - as O₂ 20% of the air we breathe, and of course, essential to life.
Se - toxic and an essential element (see Ch. 4, case in point in your text)

Group 7A - Halogens

F - As fluorides (fluorine present as an "anion" in that it has formally gained an extra electron) - formation of fluoroapatite in bones and teeth resulting in them being strengthened, also a common rat poison.  Again, the dose makes the difference.  Component of teflon, and of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)

Group 8A - noble gases

Ne - neon lights
Ar - (1% of air) - important for providing an "inert atmosphere" for many industrial processes, and in welding.  The inert environment inside light bulbs.