periodic table

Images, Videos & Interactives

Periodic table of the elements with color-coded categories and labeled element groups, showing atomic numbers, symbols, and basic information for each chemical element.

Periodic table of the elements displaying each element's atomic number, symbol, and atomic weight, with color-coded categories for alkali metals, alkaline-earth metals, transition metals, other metals, other nonmetals, halogens, noble gases, rare-earth elements, and actinoid elements.

Understanding the Organization of the Periodic Table

A simplified periodic table highlights metals in pink, nonmetals in blue, and metalloids in green, showing their distinct regions and groupings within the table.

A periodic table chart displays the electronegativity values for each element, with values increasing from left to right and decreasing from top to bottom, highlighting how strongly atoms attract shared electrons.

What Is the Periodic Law?

A color-coded periodic table displays each element's atomic number, symbol, and electron configuration, with a legend identifying categories such as alkali metals, noble gases, and transition metals.

A periodic table of the elements with element symbols and atomic numbers, organized by subshells being filled as atomic number increases; subshells are labeled in the left column, and the table highlights groups, periods, and electron configurations.

Diagram of the periodic table with each element's position marked by boxes and labeled with electron subshells, using arrows to indicate the order in which valence shells fill with electrons.

Periodic table of the elements showing atomic number and symbol for each element, with color coding to indicate physical state at room temperature: pink for gases, blue for liquids, and yellow-green for solids.

At a Glance

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periodic table summary

periodic table: Media

chemistry

Videos

Understanding the Organization of the Periodic Table

Understanding the Organization of the Periodic Table

An overview of how the periodic table organizes the elements into columns and rows.

Video: © American Chemical Society (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

What Is the Periodic Law?

What Is the Periodic Law?

Explanation of the periodic table.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Who Created the Periodic Table?

Who Created the Periodic Table?

Learn about the history of the periodic table.

Video: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

Images

Periodic table of the elements displaying each element's atomic number, symbol, and atomic weight, with color-coded categories for alkali metals, alkaline-earth metals, transition metals, other metals, other nonmetals, halogens, noble gases, rare-earth elements, and actinoid elements.

Periodic table with atomic number, symbol, and atomic weight

The table showing periodic arrangement of elements with their atomic numbers, symbols,...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A simplified periodic table highlights metals in pink, nonmetals in blue, and metalloids in green, showing their distinct regions and groupings within the table.

Metallic elements in the periodic table

Metals, nonmetals, and metalloids are represented in different regions of the periodic...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A periodic table chart displays the electronegativity values for each element, with values increasing from left to right and decreasing from top to bottom, highlighting how strongly atoms attract shared electrons.

Electronegativity values of the elements in the periodic table

Each element has an electronegativity value, which is a measure of the ability of...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A color-coded periodic table displays each element's atomic number, symbol, and electron configuration, with a legend identifying categories such as alkali metals, noble gases, and transition metals.

Periodic table with electron configurations

The periodic table of the elements with atomic numbers, symbols, and electron configurations.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A periodic table of the elements with element symbols and atomic numbers, organized by subshells being filled as atomic number increases; subshells are labeled in the left column, and the table highlights groups, periods, and electron configurations.

Periodic table with column indicating subshells

The left column indicates the subshells that are being filled as atomic number Z...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Diagram of the periodic table with each element's position marked by boxes and labeled with electron subshells, using arrows to indicate the order in which valence shells fill with electrons.

Periodic table showing the valence shells

The periodic table of the elements showing the valence shells.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Periodic table of the elements showing atomic number and symbol for each element, with color coding to indicate physical state at room temperature: pink for gases, blue for liquids, and yellow-green for solids.

Periodic table with room-temperature state

The periodic table with atomic number, symbol, and room-temperature state (solid,...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A color-coded periodic table of the elements displays each element's symbol and atomic number, with categories such as alkali metals, noble gases, halogens, transition metals, and actinoid elements distinguished by different background colors.

Periodic table

Modern version of the periodic table of the elements (printable).

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Mendeleev's periodic table

Mendeleev's periodic table

The periodic table of the elements from Dmitri Mendeleev's Osnovy khimii...

© Photos.com/Getty Images Plus

Diagram of the periodic table of elements arranged in rows ending with noble gases, with each element color-coded by chemical group such as alkali metals, transition metals, and noble gases. A legend at the top left explains the color categories.

Periodic system of elements with periods demarcated by noble gases

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Color-coded chart of the long-period form of the periodic table of elements, showing all chemical elements by atomic number, symbol, and group, with categories such as alkali metals, transition metals, noble gases, and rare-earth elements indicated by different background colors.

Long-period form of periodic system of elements

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A historical periodic table from 1930, titled short-period form of periodic system of elements, displays elements known at that time arranged by group and period, with group and period labels across the top and left. Some element slots are marked with dashes or notes, and a footnote explains that certain elements' positions were uncertain due to similarities with others.

Short-period form of periodic system of elements, 1930

The short-period form of periodic system of elements, listing the elements known...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Dmitri Mendeleev

Dmitri Mendeleev

Oil on canvas portrait of Dmitri Mendeleev, by Ivan Kramskoi, 1878. Mendeleev developed...

© World History Archive/age fotostock

Dmitri Mendeleev's 1871 periodic table chart showing chemical elements arranged in rows and columns by group, with symbols and atomic weights written in German.

Mendeleev's 1871 periodic table

The revised version of Mendeleev's periodic table, published in 1871.

NikNaks (redrawn from original periodic table)

Diagram of the Bohr atomic model for a nitrogen atom, showing a central nucleus with protons and neutrons, surrounded by two rings of orbiting electrons. Labels identify protons, neutrons, electrons, and electron orbits.

Bohr atomic model of a nitrogen atom

The diagram illustrates a nitrogen atom according to the Bohr model, with protons...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A chart of the periodic table of the elements, showing elements arranged by atomic number in rows called periods and columns called groups, with both Roman numerals and numbers 1 to 18 labeling the groups. The table highlights s, d, p, and f blocks and separates the lanthanoids and actinoids below the main table.

periodic table

In the periodic table of the elements, there are currently two systems for numbering...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A periodic table diagram highlights the s, p, d, and f blocks, with most elements shaded to indicate the metals relevant to organometallic chemistry. Group numbers are labeled at the top.

periodic table with group numbers and the s, p, d, and f blocks

The periodic table of the elements, displaying the group numbers and the s,...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A color-coded periodic table of the elements displays each element's symbol and atomic number, with categories such as alkali metals, noble gases, halogens, transition metals, and actinoid elements distinguished by different background colors.

periodic table

Modern version of the periodic table of the elements.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Interactives

Periodic table of the elements with color-coded categories and labeled element groups, showing atomic numbers, symbols, and basic information for each chemical element.

Interactive periodic table

Modern version of the periodic table of the elements. To learn an element's name,...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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