Which element has the lowest atomic number in the periodic table?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The element with the lowest atomic number in the periodic table is hydrogen.

The atomic number, denoted by Z, represents the number of protons in an atom's nucleus. Hydrogen has an atomic number of 1, meaning its nucleus consists of a single proton. As the simplest member of the chemical elements, it occupies the first position in the periodic table.123