Click Any Element for Properties — 118 Elements
Last reviewed: April 2026
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The periodic table organizes all 118 known elements by atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus). Rows are called periods and columns are called groups. Elements in the same group share similar chemical properties because they have the same number of valence (outer shell) electrons. Click any element above to see its atomic mass, electron configuration, melting point, boiling point, density, and category. For calculating molar masses of compounds, use our Molar Mass Calculator.
Elements fall into several families. Alkali metals (Group 1) are highly reactive soft metals. Noble gases (Group 18) are inert gases with full electron shells. Transition metals (Groups 3–12) are the workhorses — iron, copper, gold, silver — known for forming colored compounds and multiple oxidation states. Metalloids (like silicon, germanium) have properties between metals and nonmetals. The lanthanides and actinides are placed separately at the bottom because they share unique electron-filling patterns in the f-orbital. For pH and acid-base chemistry, see our pH Calculator.
Electron configurations describe how electrons are arranged in orbitals around the nucleus. The notation follows the format [core]ns²np³, where the number indicates the shell, the letter indicates the orbital type (s, p, d, f), and the superscript is the electron count. Noble gas shorthand like [Ne] represents the filled shells of that noble gas. Understanding electron configuration is key to predicting chemical behavior, bonding, and reactivity.
| Property | Count/Range | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Total elements | 118 confirmed | H(1) to Og(118) |
| Naturally occurring | 94 | H through Pu |
| Groups (columns) | 18 | Alkali metals, halogens, noble gases |
| Periods (rows) | 7 | Period 1: H, He only |
| Most abundant (Earth crust) | Oxygen (46%) | O, Si, Al, Fe, Ca |
The periodic table's 118 elements are organized into several major categories based on their electronic structure and chemical behavior. Alkali metals (Group 1) are soft, highly reactive metals that form +1 ions — lithium, sodium, and potassium are the most familiar. Alkaline earth metals (Group 2) include magnesium and calcium, forming +2 ions. Transition metals (Groups 3–12) include most of the metals used in industry and technology — iron, copper, gold, silver, platinum, and titanium. Halogens (Group 17) are highly reactive nonmetals — fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine — that form −1 ions and pair readily with alkali metals to form salts. Noble gases (Group 18) are nearly inert due to their full valence shells — helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon.
| Element | Symbol | Atomic # | Atomic Mass | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen | H | 1 | 1.008 | Nonmetal |
| Carbon | C | 6 | 12.011 | Nonmetal |
| Nitrogen | N | 7 | 14.007 | Nonmetal |
| Oxygen | O | 8 | 15.999 | Nonmetal |
| Iron | Fe | 26 | 55.845 | Transition metal |
| Copper | Cu | 29 | 63.546 | Transition metal |
| Silver | Ag | 47 | 107.868 | Transition metal |
| Gold | Au | 79 | 196.967 | Transition metal |
| Uranium | U | 92 | 238.029 | Actinide |
Several fundamental properties follow predictable patterns across the table. Atomic radius generally increases going down a group (more electron shells) and decreases going across a period (stronger nuclear attraction). Ionization energy — the energy needed to remove an electron — follows the opposite trend: it increases across a period and decreases down a group, which is why cesium is the most easily ionized naturally occurring element. Electronegativity — the tendency to attract bonding electrons — increases toward fluorine (the most electronegative element at 3.98 on the Pauling scale) and decreases toward francium. These trends explain chemical reactivity patterns: alkali metals become more reactive going down the group (easier to lose the outer electron), while halogens become more reactive going up (stronger attraction for the missing electron).
An element's chemical behavior is determined almost entirely by its electron configuration — specifically the number and arrangement of valence (outermost) electrons. Elements in the same group share the same number of valence electrons, which is why they exhibit similar chemical properties. Carbon has 4 valence electrons, enabling it to form 4 covalent bonds and creating the extraordinary diversity of organic chemistry. Oxygen has 6 valence electrons and typically forms 2 bonds. Noble gases have complete valence shells (8 electrons, or 2 for helium), making them chemically inert under normal conditions. The quantum mechanical model organizes electrons into shells (n = 1, 2, 3...), subshells (s, p, d, f), and orbitals, with each orbital holding a maximum of 2 electrons with opposite spins. This structure directly determines the shape of the periodic table — the s-block is 2 elements wide, the p-block is 6, the d-block is 10, and the f-block is 14.
Most of the matter you interact with daily involves fewer than 30 elements. Your body is approximately 65% oxygen, 18% carbon, 10% hydrogen, and 3% nitrogen by mass — these four elements compose 96% of the human body. Calcium strengthens bones and teeth, iron carries oxygen in hemoglobin, sodium and potassium drive nerve signals, and phosphorus forms the backbone of DNA. Modern technology depends heavily on elements that were virtually unused a century ago: silicon powers computer chips, lithium enables rechargeable batteries, rare earth elements (neodymium, dysprosium) create powerful magnets for electric motors and wind turbines, and gallium and indium make LED lighting possible. For compound mass calculations, use our Molar Mass Calculator.
All elements with atomic numbers above 82 (lead) have no stable isotopes — they are all radioactive to some degree. Uranium-238 has a half-life of 4.47 billion years (roughly the age of Earth), while some synthetic elements like oganesson (element 118) exist for only milliseconds before decaying. Naturally occurring radioactive isotopes include carbon-14 (used for archaeological dating), potassium-40 (contributes to natural background radiation), and radon-222 (a gas that can accumulate in basements and is the second leading cause of lung cancer). Medical imaging uses technetium-99m, the most widely used radioisotope in medicine, with a convenient 6-hour half-life that allows imaging while minimizing patient radiation exposure.
→ Learn the first 20 elements. Hydrogen through calcium covers the most commonly encountered elements in general chemistry and biology courses.
→ Use group numbers for valence electrons. For main group elements, the group number (1–8) equals the number of valence electrons. Group 1 = 1 valence electron, Group 17 = 7.
→ Remember the trend directions. Atomic radius: bigger going down and left. Ionization energy and electronegativity: bigger going up and right. These two patterns explain most periodic behavior.
See also: Molar Mass · Equation Balancer · Concentration · pH Calculator
Elements have been discovered across centuries using increasingly sophisticated methods. Ancient civilizations knew 9 elements (gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, mercury, sulfur, carbon) discovered through mining and metallurgy. The 18th and 19th centuries saw explosive growth through chemical analysis — Lavoisier identified oxygen and hydrogen, Davy isolated sodium, potassium, calcium, and several others using electrolysis, and Mendeleev's 1869 periodic table predicted the existence and properties of then-undiscovered elements like gallium and germanium with remarkable accuracy. The 20th century brought synthetic elements created in particle accelerators — all elements above 94 (plutonium) are exclusively human-made. Element 118 (oganesson), confirmed in 2006, is the heaviest element currently recognized. Research continues on elements 119 and 120 at laboratories in Russia and Japan, pushing the boundaries of nuclear physics.
Modern technology depends on a surprisingly small set of critical elements. Silicon (semiconductor chips), copper (electrical wiring), lithium and cobalt (batteries), neodymium (magnets in motors and speakers), indium and gallium (displays and LEDs), tantalum (capacitors in smartphones), and rare earths like dysprosium and terbium (wind turbines, EVs) are essential to the digital economy. Supply chain concentration creates geopolitical risk — China produces over 60% of the world's rare earth elements and dominates processing of lithium, cobalt, and graphite. Understanding element properties helps engineers evaluate material substitutions and recycling opportunities that reduce dependency on concentrated supply chains.
The periodic table remains one of humanity's greatest intellectual achievements — a single organized chart that predicts the chemical behavior of all matter in the universe from the lightest hydrogen atom to the heaviest synthetic elements.
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See also: Molar Mass Calculator · pH Calculator · Density Calculator · Ideal Gas Law · Half-Life Calculator · Calorimetry Calculator