Click any element to view details
Select an element from the periodic table above to see its full properties, including atomic mass, electron configuration, melting and boiling points, and more.
How to Use the Periodic Table
Click an Element for Full Details
Tap or click any element cell in the periodic table grid to open its detail panel. You'll see the full property set: atomic mass, electron configuration, melting and boiling points, electronegativity, density, oxidation states, ionization energy, discovery information, biological role, and common uses.
Search and Filter Elements
Use the search bar to instantly find any element by name, chemical symbol, or atomic number. Use the category filter buttons to highlight groups — for example, select 'Transition Metal' to see all d-block metals, or 'Noble Gas' to highlight the Group 18 elements. Non-matching elements are dimmed so the pattern is immediately visible.
Use the Temperature Slider
Drag the temperature slider (0–6000 K) to visualize the state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) for every element at that temperature. Watch elements transition as temperature rises — at 1000 K you'll see some metals liquefied while others remain solid. Useful for understanding phase behavior across the table at a glance.
Visualize Property Trends with the Heat Map
Select a property from the 'Color by property' dropdown — such as electronegativity, ionization energy, or density — to color-code the entire table from blue (low) to red (high). This instantly reveals periodic trends. You can also use the Molar Mass Builder at the bottom: click elements or type a formula (e.g., H2O) to calculate the molar mass and percentage composition.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many elements are in the periodic table?
As of 2024, the periodic table contains 118 confirmed chemical elements, from hydrogen (atomic number 1) to oganesson (atomic number 118). Elements 1 through 94 occur naturally on Earth in at least trace amounts; elements 95 through 118 are entirely synthetic and can only be produced in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators. The heaviest naturally occurring element is plutonium (Z=94), though traces of neptunium (Z=93) and plutonium are found in uranium ores. IUPAC officially confirmed elements 113 (nihonium), 115 (moscovium), 117 (tennessine), and 118 (oganesson) in January 2016, completing period 7 of the table. Researchers are actively attempting to synthesize element 119 and beyond, which would begin period 8.
What do the element categories (colors) mean?
The 10 color-coded categories reflect the fundamental classification of elements by their properties. Alkali metals (Group 1) are highly reactive soft metals. Alkaline earth metals (Group 2) are reactive but less so than alkali metals. Transition metals (Groups 3–12) are the familiar hard metals: iron, copper, gold, silver. Post-transition metals (e.g., aluminum, lead, tin) are softer and more electronegative than transition metals. Metalloids (e.g., silicon, germanium) have mixed metallic/nonmetallic properties and are crucial as semiconductors. Reactive nonmetals (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur) form the chemical basis of life. Halogens (Group 17) are reactive nonmetals that readily form salts. Noble gases (Group 18) are chemically inert. Lanthanides and actinides are the f-block elements, with special magnetic and nuclear properties.
What is electron configuration and why does it matter?
Electron configuration describes how electrons are distributed among the atomic orbitals of an atom. It is written using shell numbers (1, 2, 3...) and orbital subshell letters (s, p, d, f) with superscript counts — for example, carbon is 1s² 2s² 2p² (6 electrons total). The shorthand version uses the previous noble gas in brackets: [He] 2s² 2p². Electron configuration determines virtually all chemical behavior: the number of valence electrons (outermost shell) controls bonding capacity, oxidation states, and reactivity. Elements in the same group have the same valence electron configuration (just in higher shells), which is why they share similar chemical properties. Understanding electron configuration is essential for predicting which elements will bond together, what types of bonds they form, and the shapes and properties of the resulting molecules.
What are periods and groups in the periodic table?
Periods are the horizontal rows in the periodic table, numbered 1 through 7. Each period corresponds to one electron shell being filled; period 1 fills the 1s orbital (H and He), period 2 fills the 2s and 2p orbitals (Li through Ne), and so on. Moving across a period, each successive element has one more proton and one more electron. Groups are the vertical columns, numbered 1 through 18. Elements in the same group share the same number of valence electrons, giving them similar chemistry. For instance, all Group 1 elements (alkali metals) have 1 valence electron and react vigorously with water; all Group 17 elements (halogens) have 7 valence electrons and readily gain one more to form anions. The period and group together uniquely identify an element's position and predict its behavior.
How do I use the molar mass builder?
The molar mass builder lets you calculate the molar mass of any chemical compound. Type a formula directly into the formula field (e.g., H2O, C6H12O6, Fe2O3, Ca(OH)2) — the tool parses subscripts, parentheses, and nested groups automatically and instantly displays the molar mass in grams per mole plus the percentage composition by element. You can also click element cells in the table to add them to the formula. To solve for mass, moles, or molar mass using the m = nM equation, enter any two of the three values and the tool calculates the third. This is useful for lab work: if you know you need 0.5 mol of sodium chloride (NaCl, molar mass 58.44 g/mol), the tool tells you to weigh out 29.22 g.
What does the temperature slider show?
The temperature slider (range: 0 K to 6000 K) visualizes the state of matter for every element at the selected temperature. As you drag the slider upward, elements transition from solid to liquid (at their melting point) and from liquid to gas (at their boiling point). At 293 K (room temperature, 20°C), most elements are solid; only two — mercury (Hg) and bromine (Br) — are liquid; and a handful — H, N, O, F, Cl, and all noble gases — are gases. At very high temperatures (above ~4000 K) almost all elements are gases. The color coding changes in real time: gray for solid, blue for liquid, orange/red for gas, and a lighter shade for elements with unknown phase data. This slider is especially useful for understanding metallurgy and the behavior of elements in extreme environments like stellar interiors or industrial furnaces.