How to Use the Periodic Table of Elements
Explore all 118 chemical elements in an interactive, color-coded periodic table.
Element Organization
- Periods (Rows): 7 horizontal rows showing energy levels
- Groups (Columns): 18 vertical columns showing similar properties
- Element Box: Shows atomic number, symbol, and name
- Color Coding: Each color represents an element category
Element Categories by Color
- Orange (Alkali Metals): Highly reactive elements like Li, Na, K
- Yellow (Alkaline Earth Metals): Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra
- Pink (Transition Metals): D-block elements including Fe, Cu, Au
- Light Blue (Post-Transition Metals): Al, Ga, In, Sn, Pb
- Green (Metalloids): B, Si, Ge, As, Sb, Te
- Cyan (Nonmetals): C, N, O, P, S, Se
- Purple (Noble Gases): He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn
- Lanthanides & Actinides: Rare earth elements in separate rows
Reading an Element
- Atomic Number: Number of protons (top left)
- Symbol: Chemical abbreviation (center, large)
- Name: Full element name (bottom)
Special Sections
Lanthanides: Elements 57-71 (La-Lu) - Rare earth metals
Actinides: Elements 89-103 (Ac-Lr) - Radioactive elements
Usage Tips
- Hover over elements to see details
- Explore similar elements by looking at the same column
- Study periodic trends across rows and columns
- Use this as a reference for chemistry studies and research
Examples
Example 1: Gold (Au) - Atomic number 79, Transition metal
Example 2: Carbon (C) - Atomic number 6, Nonmetal (forms basis of organic chemistry)
Common Patterns
Elements in the same group have similar chemical properties. For example, all alkali metals (Group 1) are highly reactive with water. Moving across a period, elements become less metallic and more nonmetallic.