THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS

PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS

Here are a collection of mnemonic sentences supplied by Neville Holmes (6/00) of Australia for the elements in the first four periods of the chemical Periodic Table.

Period 1-2 (Elements 1-10):
Happy Henry Lithely Began Baking Cakes, Not Omitting Four Necessities

 H  He  Li  Be  B  C  N  O  F  Ne

(hydrogen. helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon)

Period 2-3: (Elements 11-18):
Naval Magistrates Always Signal Per Siren, Claiming Adequacy

 Na  Mg  Al  Si  P  S  Cl  A

(sodium, magnesium, aluminium, silicon, phosphorus, sulphur, chlorine, argon)

Period 3-4:
(Elements 19-27): Kindly Cannibals Scare Timid Visitors, Cruelly Menacing Feeble Communist

 K  Ca  Sc  Ti  V  Cr  Mn  Fe  Co

(potassium, calcium, scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt)

(Elements 28-36): Nitwits Cuddling Zany Gabbling Geese Astride Several British Kangaroos

 Ni  Cu  Zn  Ga  Ge  As  Se  Br  Kr

(nickel, copper, zinc, gallium, germanium, arsenic, selenium, bromine, krypton)

All matter consists of atoms of one or another element such as hydrogen (H) or oxygen (O), often combined into compounds (as in H²O=water). The elements are set in a Periodic Table in the order of their atomic weights (starting with hydrogen, the lightest) following Mendeleev's Periodic Law, which states that "the properties of the elements are in periodic dependence upon their atomic weights" - in other words, elements either eight or ten places apart have many properties in common. See rare earths for the order of rare earth elements and rare gases for a mnemonic sentence governing the order of rare gases. For those completely unfamiliar with the Periodic Table itself, it is reproduced below in full.

Periodic Table of Elements
The elements are arranged horizontally in order of increasing atomic weights. Those beneath each other have similar properties. Hydrogen (Atomic No.1) is omitted as it is unlike any other element.
O IA IIA IIIA IVA VA VIA VIIA 9 10 11
2
He
helium 3
Li
lithium 4
Be
beryllium 5
B
boron 6
C
carbon 7
N
nitrogen 8
O
oxygen 9
F
fluorine -- -- --
10
Ne
neon 11
Na
sodium 12
Mg
magnesium 13
Al
aluminium 14
Si
silicon 15
P
phosphorus 16
S
sulphur 17
Cl
chlorine -- -- --
18
A
argon

-- 19
K
potassium

29
Cu
copper 20
Ca
calcium

30
Zn
zinc 21
Sc
scandium

31
Ga
gallium 22
Ti
titanium

32
Ge
germanium 23
V
vanadium

33
As
arsenic 24
Cr
chromium

34
Se
selenium 25
Mn
manganese

35
Br
bromine 26
Fe
iron

-- 27
Co
cobalt

-- 28
Ni
nickel

--
36
Kr
krypton

-- 37
Rb
rubidium

47
Ag
silver 38
Sr
strontium

48
Cd
cadmium 39
Y
yttrium

49
In
indium 40
Zr
zirconium

50
Sn
tin 41
Nb
niobium

51
Sb
antimony 42
Mo
molybdenum

52
Te
tellurium 43
Tc
technetium

53
I
iodine 44
Ru
ruthenium

-- 45
Rh
rhodium

-- 46
Pd
palladium

--
54
Xe
xenon

-- 55
Cs
caesium

79
Au
gold 56
Ba
barium

80
Hg
mercury rare
earths

81
Tl
thalium 72
Hf
hafnium

82
Pb
lead 73
Ta
tantalum

83
Bi
bismuth 74
W
tungsten

84
Po
polonium 75
Re
rhenium

85
Ab
alabamium 76
Os
osmium

-- 77
Ir
iridium

-- 78
Pt
platinum

--
86
Rn
radon

-- 87
Vi
virginium

97
Bk
berkelium 88
Ra
radium

98
Cf
californium 89
Ac
actinium

99
Es
einsteinium 90
Th
thorium

100
Fm
fermium 91
Pa
protactinium

101
Md
mendelevium 92
U
uranium

102
No
nobelium 93
Np
neptunium

103
Lr
lawrencium 94
Pu
plutonium

-- 95
Am
americium

-- 96
Cm
curium

--