WebElements Home WebElements

Images of the periodic table of the elements

The periodic table is an arrangment of the chemical elements ordered by atomic number so that chemical periodic properties of the elements (chemical periodicity) are made clear.

There is no one single or best structure for the periodic table but by whatever consensus there is, the standard form used here is very useful and the most common. The periodic table is a masterpiece of organised chemical information and the evolution of chemistry's periodic table into the current form is an astonishing achievement.

The standard form of the periodic table shown here includes periods (shown horizontally) and groups (shown vertically). The chemical properties of elements in the vertical groups are similar in some respects to each other.

Image of the standard periodic table of the elements

Standard form of the periodic table
Standard form of the periodic table. Note that the standard form of the periodic table usually has hydrogen (H) located in Group 1 despite it being a gas while the other compounds are metals. The reason for this position for hydrogen is not chemical but electronic; hydrogen and all the Group 1 metals have the electronic configuration ns1 (n is the principal quantum number). In this case helium (He) is coloured yellow as it is located with all the other p-block elements, although it electronic configuration is 1s2.

Image of the standard periodic table of the elements with He identified by electronic configuration

Standard form of the periodic table
Standard form of the periodic table. Note that the standard form of the periodic table usually has hydrogen (H) located in Group 1 despite it being a gas while the other compounds are metals. The reason for this position for hydrogen is not chemical but electronic; hydrogen and all the Group 1 metals have the electronic configuration ns1 (n is the principal quantum number). In this case helium (He) is coloured blue because although it is located with all the other p-block elements, its electronic configuration is 1s2 (no p electrons..

Image of the standard periodic table of the elements with H in Group 17

Standard form of the periodic table
Standard form of the periodic table. In this case hydrogen (H) located in group 17 as the structural properties of hydrogen compounds are more similar to the group 17 elements than to those of the group 1 elements.

Image of the standard periodic table of the elements coloured by IUPAC names

Standard form of the periodic table coloured by IUPAC names
Standard form of the periodic table. In this case the elements are coloured by element groupings recognised by IUPAC. Recognised names are:
  • Alkali metals: Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, and Fr;
  • Alkaline earth metals: Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Ra;
  • Rare earth metals: Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu;
  • Pnictogens: N, P, As, Sb, Bi, and Mc;
  • Chalcogens: O, S, Se, Te, Po, and Lv;
  • Halogens: F, Cl, Br, I, At, and Ts;
  • Noble gases: He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn, and Og.
Names not recognised by IUPAC but in common use are:
  • Platinum group metals: Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, and Pt;
  • Coinage metals: Cu, Ag, and Au.

Images of various periodic tables

There are many variants of the periodic table, some useful, others less so. A few are linked shown below. Click on the images below to see images of the periodic table in a variety of styles. Many other periodic table formats are catalogued at Mark Leach's Meta-synthesis web site. A classic book showing many forms of the periodic table in print is: Edward G. Mazurs, Periodic representations of the periodic system during one hundred years, University of Alabama Press USA, 2nd edition, 1974. ISBN: 0-8173-3200-6.

Explore the chemical elements through this (standard) periodic table

Group 1 2   3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Period
1
1
1.008
Hydrogen
2
4.0026
Helium
2
3
6.94
Lithium
4
9.0122
Beryllium
5
10.81
Boron
6
12.011
Carbon
7
14.007
Nitrogen
8
15.999
Oxygen
9
18.998
Fluorine
10
20.180
Neon
3
11
22.990
Sodium
12
24.305
Magnesium
13
26.982
Aluminium
14
28.085
Silicon
15
30.974
Phosphorus
16
S
32.06
Sulfur
17
35.45
Chlorine
18
39.948
Argon
4
19
39.098
Potassium
20
40.078
Calcium
21
44.956
Scandium
22
47.867
Titanium
23
50.942
Vanadium
24
51.996
Chromium
25
54.938
Manganese
26
55.845
Iron
27
58.933
Cobalt
28
58.693
Nickel
29
63.546
Copper
30
65.38
Zinc
31
69.723
Gallium
32
72.630
Germanium
33
74.922
Arsenic
34
78.971
Selenium
35
79.904
Bromine
36
83.798
Krypton
5
37
85.468
Rubidium
38
87.62
Strontium
39
88.906
Yttrium
40
91.224
Zirconium
41
92.906
Niobium
42
95.95
Molybdenum
43
Tc
96.906
Technetium
44
101.07
Ruthenium
45
102.91
Rhodium
46
106.42
Palladium
47
107.87
Silver
48
112.41
Cadmium
49
114.82
Indium
50
118.71
Tin
51
121.76
Antimony
52
127.60
Tellurium
53
126.90
Iodine
54
131.29
Xenon
6
55
132.91
Caesium
56
137.33
Barium
*
71
174.97
Lutetium
72
178.49
Hafnium
73
180.95
Tantalum
74
183.84
Tungsten
75
186.21
Rhenium
76
190.23
Osmium
77
192.22
Iridium
78
195.08
Platinum
79
196.97
Gold
80
200.59
Mercury
81
204.38
Thallium
82
207.2
Lead
83
208.98
Bismuth
84
Po
208.98
Polonium
85
At
209.99
Astatine
86
Rn
222.02
Radon
7
87
Fr
223.02
Francium
88
Ra
226.03
Radium
**
103
Lr
262.11
Lawrencium
104
Rf
267.12
Rutherfordium
105
Db
270.13
Dubnium
106
Sg
269.13
Seaborgium
107
Bh
270.13
Bohrium
108
Hs
269.13
Hassium
109
Mt
278.16
Meitnerium
110
Ds
281.17
Darmstadtium
111
Rg
281.17
Roentgenium
112
Cn
285.18
Copernicium
113
Nh
286.18
Nihonium
114
Fl
289.19
Flerovium
115
Mc
289.20
Moscovium
116
Lv
293.20
Livermorium
117
Ts
293.21
Tennessine
118
Og
294.21
Oganesson
 
*Lanthanoids *
57
138.91
Lanthanum
58
140.12
Cerium
59
140.91
Praseodymium
60
144.24
Neodymium
61
Pm
144.91
Promethium
62
150.36
Samarium
63
151.96
Europium
64
157.25
Gadolinium
65
158.93
Terbium
66
162.50
Dysprosium
67
164.93
Holmium
68
167.26
Erbium
69
168.93
Thulium
70
173.05
Ytterbium
**Actinoids **
89
Ac
227.03
Actinium
90
Th
232.04
Thorium
91
Pa
231.04
Protactinium
92
U
238.03
Uranium
93
Np
237.05
Neptunium
94
Pu
244.06
Plutonium
95
Am
243.06
Americium
96
Cm
247.07
Curium
97
Bk
247.07
Berkelium
98
Cf
251.08
Californium
99
Es
252.08
Einsteinium
100
Fm
257.10
Fermium
101
Md
258.10
Mendelevium
102
No
259.10
Nobelium

The standard form of the periodic table shown here includes periods (shown horizontally) and groups (shown vertically). The properties of elements in groups are similar in some respects to each other.