ElementsLearn the periodic table
Short guides in plain language, with real values from the table.
How to read the periodic table
A plain guide to the periodic table: what the tile shows, what periods and groups are, where metals and nonmetals sit, and what the two bottom rows mean.
Periodic trends
How atomic size, ionisation energy, electronegativity and metallic character change across a period and down a group, explained simply with real values.
Why is sodium Na? Symbols that do not match the name
Eleven element symbols, such as Na, K, Fe, Au and Pb, do not match their English names. See the Latin or German name behind each and an easy way to remember them.
Electron shells and electron configuration
What electron shells are, how many electrons each shell holds, how to read a configuration like 1s2 2s2 2p6, and why the outer shell decides behaviour.
When was each element discovered?
A timeline of the discovery of all 118 elements, from the metals known in ancient times to the elements made in particle accelerators after the year 2000.