Periodic Table Chart

Quick Answer: A periodic table chart is a chemistry wall chart that arranges the chemical elements in order of atomic number into 18 vertical groups and 7 horizontal periods, typically showing each element’s symbol, name, atomic number and relative atomic mass. It is the core reference for school and college chemistry.

How the Periodic Table Is Organised

The modern periodic table orders the elements by atomic number, the number of protons in the nucleus. Elements in the same vertical group have the same number of outer (valence) electrons and so behave alike: the alkali metals of group 1 all react with water, and the noble gases of group 18 are very unreactive. Each horizontal period corresponds to a new electron shell being filled.

Colour zones on a periodic table chart usually separate metals, non-metals and metalloids and mark the s, p, d and f blocks, with the lanthanides and actinides set out below the main table. Trends can be read straight from the layout: atomic radius decreases across a period and increases down a group, while metallic character increases down a group.

The current IUPAC table has 118 named elements, the last four named in 2016: nihonium (113), moscovium (115), tennessine (117) and oganesson (118). Looking for these names is a quick way to tell whether a chart is up to date.

Specifications

Care & Handling

• Put the periodic table chart on the wall that every bench faces, clear of the area above sinks where splashes reach.
• Replace an old edition that lacks the four elements named in 2016 or still uses the older IA to VIIIA group labels alone, so students learn the current layout.
• A laminated chart can be wiped after practicals; a paper one is better kept in the theory corner of the lab.

Applications

• Writing symbols and chemical formulae
• Predicting properties and valency from an element’s group
• Teaching electronic configuration and periodic trends
• Looking up atomic masses during numerical problems and practicals

Why Choose LabEquip

Chemistry departments usually hang a periodic table chart in every room where chemistry is taught, alongside apparatus from the Chemistry Lab Equipments range and other titles such as the Chemistry Lab Display Charts. Orders go through the LabEquip contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many elements are on the modern periodic table?

118 elements have been discovered and named. The four most recent, nihonium, moscovium, tennessine and oganesson, received their official names from IUPAC in 2016.

Why do elements in the same group behave similarly?

They have the same number of electrons in their outermost shell, and chemical reactions mainly involve those outer electrons. That is why sodium and potassium both react vigorously with water to form alkalis.

What is the difference between groups and periods?

Groups are the 18 vertical columns and contain elements with similar properties. Periods are the 7 horizontal rows; moving across a period, the atomic number rises by one from each element to the next.

Why are the lanthanides and actinides shown below the table?

They belong in periods 6 and 7, but fitting them into the main body would make the table very wide. Printing them as two rows underneath keeps the chart compact and readable.

What is relative atomic mass?

The average mass of an element’s atoms compared with one-twelfth of the mass of a carbon-12 atom. It is often not a whole number because most elements are mixtures of isotopes; chlorine, for example, is about 35.5.

Who created the periodic table?

Dmitri Mendeleev published the first widely accepted periodic table in 1869, arranging elements by atomic mass and leaving gaps for elements not yet discovered. Henry Moseley later showed that atomic number is the true basis of the order.

Last Updated: September 2026