The periodic table

The 118 elements

All the elements of the periodic table, as they appear in Bohr Blast: atomic number, symbol, name, group, the electrons in each shell and a fact about every one.

Play your way through them

Alkali metal
Alkaline earth metal
Transition metal
Post-transition metal
Metalloid
Reactive nonmetal
Halogen
Noble gas
Lanthanide
Actinide

The isotope given for each element is its most common one. For elements with no stable isotope it is the most stable one. Radioactive elements are marked ☢.

Period 1: hydrogen to heliumWorld 1 in the game, “First Light”

No.	Symbol	Name	Group	Electrons in the shells	Isotope	Fact
1	H	Hydrogen	Reactive nonmetal	1	Hydrogen-1	Hydrogen makes up roughly three-quarters of all ordinary matter in the universe.
2	He	Helium	Noble gas	2	Helium-4	Helium was spotted in sunlight in 1868, almost 30 years before anyone found it on Earth.

Period 2: lithium to neonWorld 2 in the game, “Second Shell”

No.	Symbol	Name	Group	Electrons in the shells	Isotope	Fact
3	Li	Lithium	Alkali metal	2, 1	Lithium-7	Lithium is the lightest metal. It floats on water, and it powers most phone batteries.
4	Be	Beryllium	Alkaline earth metal	2, 2	Beryllium-9	X-rays pass almost straight through beryllium, so it is used as the window in X-ray tubes.
5	B	Boron	Metalloid	2, 3	Boron-11	Boron is what lets borosilicate glass, like lab beakers and oven dishes, survive sudden heat.
6	C	Carbon	Reactive nonmetal	2, 4	Carbon-12	Diamond and pencil graphite are both pure carbon. Only the way the atoms are arranged differs.
7	N	Nitrogen	Reactive nonmetal	2, 5	Nitrogen-14	Nitrogen makes up about 78% of the air you breathe.
8	O	Oxygen	Reactive nonmetal	2, 6	Oxygen-16	Oxygen is the most common element in Earth's crust, nearly half of it by mass.
9	F	Fluorine	Halogen	2, 7	Fluorine-19	Fluorine is the most reactive element of all. Tiny amounts in toothpaste help protect teeth.
10	Ne	Neon	Noble gas	2, 8	Neon-20	Pure neon glows red-orange. Signs in other colours use other gases or coated tubes.

Period 3: sodium to argonWorld 3 in the game, “Mixed Matter”

No.	Symbol	Name	Group	Electrons in the shells	Isotope	Fact
11	Na	Sodium	Alkali metal	2, 8, 1	Sodium-23	Sodium reacts so strongly with water that it fizzes, melts and can burst into flame. Table salt is sodium chloride.
12	Mg	Magnesium	Alkaline earth metal	2, 8, 2	Magnesium-24	Magnesium burns with a dazzling white light, which is why early camera flashes used it.
13	Al	Aluminium	Post-transition metal	2, 8, 3	Aluminium-27	Aluminium is the most common metal in Earth's crust, yet in the 1850s it was worth more than gold.
14	Si	Silicon	Metalloid	2, 8, 4	Silicon-28	Silicon chips run every computer and phone, and sand is mostly silicon dioxide.
15	P	Phosphorus	Reactive nonmetal	2, 8, 5	Phosphorus-31	Phosphorus was discovered in 1669 by an alchemist boiling down large amounts of urine.
16	S	Sulfur	Reactive nonmetal	2, 8, 6	Sulfur-32	Sulfur compounds give rotten eggs and volcanic vents their smell.
17	Cl	Chlorine	Halogen	2, 8, 7	Chlorine-35	Chlorine keeps swimming pools and drinking water free of germs.
18	Ar	Argon	Noble gas	2, 8, 8	Argon-40	Argon makes up almost 1% of the air, more than 20 times as much as carbon dioxide.

Period 4: potassium to kryptonWorld 4 in the game, “Transition”

No.	Symbol	Name	Group	Electrons in the shells	Isotope	Fact
19	K	Potassium	Alkali metal	2, 8, 8, 1	Potassium-39	Bananas are famous for their potassium, and a tiny part of it is naturally radioactive.
20	Ca	Calcium	Alkaline earth metal	2, 8, 8, 2	Calcium-40	Calcium builds your bones and teeth. Chalk and marble are calcium carbonate.
21	Sc	Scandium	Transition metal	2, 8, 9, 2	Scandium-45	A little scandium makes aluminium strong enough for light bike frames and baseball bats.
22	Ti	Titanium	Transition metal	2, 8, 10, 2	Titanium-48	Titanium is as strong as many steels but about 45% lighter, and the body accepts it in implants.
23	V	Vanadium	Transition metal	2, 8, 11, 2	Vanadium-51	A little vanadium makes steel tough, which is why many wrenches are stamped "chrome vanadium".
24	Cr	Chromium	Transition metal	2, 8, 13, 1	Chromium-52	Chromium makes stainless steel shine and resist rust, and it gives rubies their red colour.
25	Mn	Manganese	Transition metal	2, 8, 13, 2	Manganese-55	Most of the manganese mined in the world goes into making steel.
26	Fe	Iron	Transition metal	2, 8, 14, 2	Iron-56	Earth's core is mostly iron, and iron carries oxygen around your blood.
27	Co	Cobalt	Transition metal	2, 8, 15, 2	Cobalt-59	Cobalt compounds gave old Chinese porcelain and stained glass their deep blue.
28	Ni	Nickel	Transition metal	2, 8, 16, 2	Nickel-58	Nickel is one of only a few elements that are magnetic at room temperature.
29	Cu	Copper	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 1	Copper-63	Copper was one of the first metals people used. The Statue of Liberty is copper turned green.
30	Zn	Zinc	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 2	Zinc-64	A zinc coating protects steel from rust. The process is called galvanising.
31	Ga	Gallium	Post-transition metal	2, 8, 18, 3	Gallium-69	Gallium melts in your hand: its melting point is about 30 °C.
32	Ge	Germanium	Metalloid	2, 8, 18, 4	Germanium-74	Mendeleev predicted germanium in 1871, fifteen years before anyone found it.
33	As	Arsenic	Metalloid	2, 8, 18, 5	Arsenic-75	Arsenic was a notorious poison for centuries.
34	Se	Selenium	Reactive nonmetal	2, 8, 18, 6	Selenium-80	Selenium conducts electricity better in light, which made early photocopiers possible.
35	Br	Bromine	Halogen	2, 8, 18, 7	Bromine-79	Bromine is one of only two elements that are liquid at room temperature. Mercury is the other.
36	Kr	Krypton	Noble gas	2, 8, 18, 8	Krypton-84	Krypton is real, not just Superman's home. It fills some flash lamps and insulated windows.

Period 5: rubidium to xenonWorld 5 in the game, “Unstable Ground”

No.	Symbol	Name	Group	Electrons in the shells	Isotope	Fact
37	Rb	Rubidium	Alkali metal	2, 8, 18, 8, 1	Rubidium-85	Rubidium atoms keep time in many atomic clocks, including some on GPS satellites.
38	Sr	Strontium	Alkaline earth metal	2, 8, 18, 8, 2	Strontium-88	Strontium makes the red in fireworks.
39	Y	Yttrium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 9, 2	Yttrium-89	Yttrium is named after Ytterby, a Swedish village that gave its name to four elements.
40	Zr	Zirconium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 10, 2	Zirconium-90	Zirconium barely absorbs neutrons, so nuclear fuel rods are wrapped in it.
41	Nb	Niobium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 12, 1	Niobium-93	Niobium alloys become superconductors and are used in the magnets of MRI scanners.
42	Mo	Molybdenum	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 13, 1	Molybdenum-98	Molybdenum melts at over 2,600 °C, one of the highest melting points of any element.
43	Tc	Technetium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 13, 2	Technetium-98 ☢	Technetium was the first element made artificially, in 1937. It has no stable form at all.
44	Ru	Ruthenium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 15, 1	Ruthenium-102	Ruthenium makes hard-wearing electrical contacts and was used in hard drive coatings.
45	Rh	Rhodium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 16, 1	Rhodium-103	Rhodium is one of the rarest and most expensive metals. Car catalytic converters use it.
46	Pd	Palladium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 18	Palladium-106	Palladium can soak up hundreds of times its own volume of hydrogen gas.
47	Ag	Silver	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 18, 1	Silver-107	Silver conducts electricity and heat better than any other metal.
48	Cd	Cadmium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 18, 2	Cadmium-114	Cadmium was used in rechargeable NiCd batteries, but it is toxic.
49	In	Indium	Post-transition metal	2, 8, 18, 18, 3	Indium-115	Indium tin oxide is the see-through conductor in touchscreens.
50	Sn	Tin	Post-transition metal	2, 8, 18, 18, 4	Tin-120	Tin cans are actually steel with a thin coating of tin.
51	Sb	Antimony	Metalloid	2, 8, 18, 18, 5	Antimony-121	In ancient Egypt, an antimony mineral was used as black eye make-up.
52	Te	Tellurium	Metalloid	2, 8, 18, 18, 6	Tellurium-130	Cadmium telluride turns sunlight into electricity in some solar panels.
53	I	Iodine	Halogen	2, 8, 18, 18, 7	Iodine-127	Iodine is added to table salt because your thyroid gland needs it.
54	Xe	Xenon	Noble gas	2, 8, 18, 18, 8	Xenon-132	Xenon fuels ion engines on spacecraft and lights some bright car headlamps.

Period 6: caesium to radonWorld 6 in the game, “Heavy Metal”

No.	Symbol	Name	Group	Electrons in the shells	Isotope	Fact
55	Cs	Caesium	Alkali metal	2, 8, 18, 18, 8, 1	Caesium-133	Caesium atomic clocks define the length of one second.
56	Ba	Barium	Alkaline earth metal	2, 8, 18, 18, 8, 2	Barium-138	A barium drink makes the gut show up on X-rays, and barium colours fireworks green.
57	La	Lanthanum	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 18, 9, 2	Lanthanum-139	Lanthanum goes into camera lenses and the batteries of many hybrid cars.
58	Ce	Cerium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 19, 9, 2	Cerium-140	Cerium is the part of a lighter flint that makes the spark.
59	Pr	Praseodymium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 21, 8, 2	Praseodymium-141	Praseodymium goes into special glass for welders' goggles that blocks the glare.
60	Nd	Neodymium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 22, 8, 2	Neodymium-142	Neodymium magnets are the strongest permanent magnets, used in headphones and motors.
61	Pm	Promethium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 23, 8, 2	Promethium-145 ☢	Promethium is radioactive and extremely rare. Almost none exists naturally.
62	Sm	Samarium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 24, 8, 2	Samarium-152	Samarium-cobalt magnets keep working at temperatures that weaken other magnets.
63	Eu	Europium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 25, 8, 2	Europium-153	Europium's red glow under UV light is one of the anti-forgery marks on euro banknotes.
64	Gd	Gadolinium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 25, 9, 2	Gadolinium-158	Gadolinium helps doctors see blood vessels more clearly in MRI scans.
65	Tb	Terbium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 27, 8, 2	Terbium-159	Terbium makes the green glow in some screens and lamps.
66	Dy	Dysprosium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 28, 8, 2	Dysprosium-164	Dysprosium keeps neodymium magnets strong inside hot electric-car motors.
67	Ho	Holmium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 29, 8, 2	Holmium-165	Holmium has one of the strongest magnetic moments of any element and is used to focus very strong magnetic fields.
68	Er	Erbium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 30, 8, 2	Erbium-166	Erbium boosts the light signals racing through undersea internet cables.
69	Tm	Thulium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 31, 8, 2	Thulium-169	Thulium is one of the rarest lanthanides and is used in portable X-ray machines.
70	Yb	Ytterbium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 32, 8, 2	Ytterbium-174	Ytterbium atoms tick inside some of the most accurate experimental clocks ever built.
71	Lu	Lutetium	Lanthanide	2, 8, 18, 32, 9, 2	Lutetium-175	Lutetium is one of the priciest lanthanides, and lutetium-177 is used to treat some cancers.
72	Hf	Hafnium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 10, 2	Hafnium-180	Hafnium was discovered in Copenhagen in 1923 and named after the city's Latin name, Hafnia.
73	Ta	Tantalum	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 11, 2	Tantalum-181	Tiny tantalum capacitors sit inside most phones and laptops.
74	W	Tungsten	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 12, 2	Tungsten-184	Tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal: 3,422 °C.
75	Re	Rhenium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 13, 2	Rhenium-187	Rhenium was the last stable element to be discovered, in 1925.
76	Os	Osmium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 14, 2	Osmium-192	Osmium is the densest naturally occurring element.
77	Ir	Iridium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 15, 2	Iridium-193	A thin layer rich in iridium marks the asteroid impact that ended the dinosaurs.
78	Pt	Platinum	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 17, 1	Platinum-195	Platinum speeds up reactions in car exhausts and in many chemical plants.
79	Au	Gold	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 1	Gold-197	One gram of gold can be hammered into a sheet about one square metre in size.
80	Hg	Mercury	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 2	Mercury-202	Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature.
81	Tl	Thallium	Post-transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 3	Thallium-205	Thallium is highly toxic and was once known as the poisoner's poison.
82	Pb	Lead	Post-transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 4	Lead-208	Romans made water pipes of lead. "Plumbing" comes from its Latin name, plumbum.
83	Bi	Bismuth	Post-transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 5	Bismuth-209	Bismuth grows rainbow-coloured, stair-step crystals and is used in stomach medicine.
84	Po	Polonium	Post-transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 6	Polonium-209 ☢	Marie and Pierre Curie discovered polonium in 1898 and named it after Poland.
85	At	Astatine	Halogen	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 7	Astatine-210 ☢	Astatine is the rarest natural element. Only a tiny trace exists in Earth's crust at any moment.
86	Rn	Radon	Noble gas	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 8	Radon-222 ☢	Radon is a radioactive gas that can build up in basements, so many homes are tested for it.

Period 7: francium to oganessonWorld 7 in the game, “Synthetic”

No.	Symbol	Name	Group	Electrons in the shells	Isotope	Fact
87	Fr	Francium	Alkali metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 8, 1	Francium-223 ☢	Francium is so radioactive that no one has ever seen a visible piece of it.
88	Ra	Radium	Alkaline earth metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 8, 2	Radium-226 ☢	Radium glows faintly and was once painted on watch dials, which harmed the painters.
89	Ac	Actinium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 9, 2	Actinium-227 ☢	Actinium glows pale blue in the dark from its own radioactivity.
90	Th	Thorium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 10, 2	Thorium-232 ☢	Thorium is about three times as common as uranium and could fuel future reactors.
91	Pa	Protactinium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 20, 9, 2	Protactinium-231 ☢	Protactinium is one of the rarest and most expensive natural elements.
92	U	Uranium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 21, 9, 2	Uranium-238 ☢	A uranium fuel pellet the size of a fingertip holds about as much energy as a tonne of coal.
93	Np	Neptunium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 22, 9, 2	Neptunium-237 ☢	Neptunium, made in 1940, was the first element heavier than uranium. It is named after Neptune.
94	Pu	Plutonium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2	Plutonium-244 ☢	Plutonium batteries power spacecraft such as Voyager and the Mars rovers.
95	Am	Americium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 25, 8, 2	Americium-243 ☢	A tiny speck of americium sits inside many household smoke detectors.
96	Cm	Curium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 25, 9, 2	Curium-247 ☢	Curium is named after Marie and Pierre Curie and powered X-ray instruments on Mars rovers.
97	Bk	Berkelium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 27, 8, 2	Berkelium-247 ☢	Berkelium is named after Berkeley, California, where it was first made.
98	Cf	Californium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 28, 8, 2	Californium-251 ☢	Californium gives off so many neutrons that it is used to start up nuclear reactors.
99	Es	Einsteinium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 29, 8, 2	Einsteinium-252 ☢	Einsteinium was first found in the debris of the first hydrogen bomb test, in 1952.
100	Fm	Fermium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 30, 8, 2	Fermium-257 ☢	Fermium, named after Enrico Fermi, was found in the same 1952 bomb debris.
101	Md	Mendelevium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 31, 8, 2	Mendelevium-258 ☢	Mendelevium is named after Dmitri Mendeleev, who created the periodic table.
102	No	Nobelium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 8, 2	Nobelium-259 ☢	Nobelium is named after Alfred Nobel, who founded the Nobel Prizes.
103	Lr	Lawrencium	Actinide	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 8, 3	Lawrencium-266 ☢	Lawrencium honours Ernest Lawrence, who invented the cyclotron particle accelerator.
104	Rf	Rutherfordium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 10, 2	Rutherfordium-267 ☢	Rutherfordium honours Ernest Rutherford, who discovered the atomic nucleus.
105	Db	Dubnium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 11, 2	Dubnium-268 ☢	Dubnium is named after Dubna in Russia, home of a major nuclear research lab.
106	Sg	Seaborgium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 12, 2	Seaborgium-269 ☢	Seaborgium was named after Glenn Seaborg while he was still alive, a rare honour.
107	Bh	Bohrium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 13, 2	Bohrium-270 ☢	Bohrium is named after Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist behind the atom model in this game.
108	Hs	Hassium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 14, 2	Hassium-269 ☢	Hassium is named after the German state of Hesse, where it was first made.
109	Mt	Meitnerium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 15, 2	Meitnerium-278 ☢	Meitnerium honours Lise Meitner, who helped explain nuclear fission.
110	Ds	Darmstadtium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 16, 2	Darmstadtium-281 ☢	Darmstadtium is named after Darmstadt, the German city where it was made in 1994.
111	Rg	Roentgenium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 17, 2	Roentgenium-282 ☢	Roentgenium is named after Wilhelm Röntgen, who discovered X-rays.
112	Cn	Copernicium	Transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 2	Copernicium-285 ☢	Copernicium honours Nicolaus Copernicus, who put the Sun at the centre of the solar system.
113	Nh	Nihonium	Post-transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 3	Nihonium-286 ☢	Nihonium was the first element discovered in Japan, which is called Nihon in Japanese.
114	Fl	Flerovium	Post-transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 4	Flerovium-289 ☢	Flerovium is named after the Flerov Laboratory in Dubna, Russia.
115	Mc	Moscovium	Post-transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 5	Moscovium-290 ☢	Moscovium is named after the Moscow region.
116	Lv	Livermorium	Post-transition metal	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 6	Livermorium-293 ☢	Livermorium honours the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
117	Ts	Tennessine	Halogen	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 7	Tennessine-294 ☢	Tennessine is named after the US state of Tennessee, home to labs that helped make it.
118	Og	Oganesson	Noble gas	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 8	Oganesson-294 ☢	Oganesson is named after Yuri Oganessian, one of only two people honoured with an element while alive.