Periodic Table with Element Names- Complete Guide

What the Periodic Table Actually Is

The periodic table is a systematic arrangement of all 118 known chemical elements. It organizes elements by their atomic number (number of protons), electron configuration, and recurring chemical properties.

You probably encountered this in school and forgot most of it. That's fine. Here's what you actually need to know.

How the Table is Organized

Atomic Number

Each element has a unique atomic number — the count of protons in its nucleus. Hydrogen is 1, Carbon is 6, Oxygen is 8. This number defines what the element is.

Periods (Horizontal Rows)

There are 7 periods. Each row represents one electron shell filling up. Elements in the same period don't share similar properties — that's not how it works.

Groups (Vertical Columns)

There are 18 groups. Elements in the same group have the same number of valence electrons and similar chemical behavior. This is where patterns actually emerge.

Element Categories

Alkali metals — Group 1, highly reactive
Alkaline earth metals — Group 2, also reactive but less
Transition metals — Groups 3-12, good conductors, form colored compounds
Post-transition metals — Aluminum, tin, lead — softer, less conductive
Metalloids — Boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony, tellurium, polonium — properties between metals and nonmetals
Nonmetals — Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur, selenium
Halogens — Group 17, extremely reactive, never found free in nature
Noble gases — Group 18, inert, don't react easily
Lanthanides — Elements 57-71, the rare earth metals
Actinides — Elements 89-103, all radioactive except thorium and uranium

The Complete Periodic Table with Element Names

Here's the full periodic table with element names, symbols, and atomic numbers:

Atomic #	Symbol	Element Name	Category
1	H	Hydrogen	Nonmetal
2	He	Helium	Noble gas
3	Li	Lithium	Alkali metal
4	Be	Beryllium	Alkaline earth metal
5	B	Boron	Metalloid
6	C	Carbon	Nonmetal
7	N	Nitrogen	Nonmetal
8	O	Oxygen	Nonmetal
9	F	Fluorine	Halogen
10	Ne	Neon	Noble gas
11	Na	Sodium	Alkali metal
12	Mg	Magnesium	Alkaline earth metal
13	Al	Aluminum	Post-transition metal
14	Si	Silicon	Metalloid
15	P	Phosphorus	Nonmetal
16	S	Sulfur	Nonmetal
17	Cl	Chlorine	Halogen
18	Ar	Argon	Noble gas
19	K	Potassium	Alkali metal
20	Ca	Calcium	Alkaline earth metal
21	Sc	Scandium	Transition metal
22	Ti	Titanium	Transition metal
23	V	Vanadium	Transition metal
24	Cr	Chromium	Transition metal
25	Mn	Manganese	Transition metal
26	Fe	Iron	Transition metal
27	Co	Cobalt	Transition metal
28	Ni	Nickel	Transition metal
29	Cu	Copper	Transition metal
30	Zn	Zinc	Transition metal
31	Ga	Gallium	Post-transition metal
32	Ge	Germanium	Metalloid
33	As	Arsenic	Metalloid
34	Se	Selenium	Nonmetal
35	Br	Bromine	Halogen
36	Kr	Krypton	Noble gas
37	Rb	Rubidium	Alkali metal
38	Sr	Strontium	Alkaline earth metal
39	Y	Yttrium	Transition metal
40	Zr	Zirconium	Transition metal
41	Nb	Niobium	Transition metal
42	Mo	Molybdenum	Transition metal
43	Tc	Technetium	Transition metal
44	Ru	Ruthenium	Transition metal
45	Rh	Rhodium	Transition metal
46	Pd	Palladium	Transition metal
47	Ag	Silver	Transition metal
48	Cd	Cadmium	Transition metal
49	In	Indium	Post-transition metal
50	Sn	Tin	Post-transition metal
51	Sb	Antimony	Metalloid
52	Te	Tellurium	Metalloid
53	I	Iodine	Halogen
54	Xe	Xenon	Noble gas
55	Cs	Cesium	Alkali metal
56	Ba	Barium	Alkaline earth metal
57	La	Lanthanum	Lanthanide
58	Ce	Cerium	Lanthanide
59	Pr	Praseodymium	Lanthanide
60	Nd	Neodymium	Lanthanide
61	Pm	Promethium	Lanthanide
62	Sm	Samarium	Lanthanide
63	Eu	Europium	Lanthanide
64	Gd	Gadolinium	Lanthanide
65	Tb	Terbium	Lanthanide
66	Dy	Dysprosium	Lanthanide
67	Ho	Holmium	Lanthanide
68	Er	Erbium	Lanthanide
69	Tm	Thulium	Lanthanide
70	Yb	Ytterbium	Lanthanide
71	Lu	Lutetium	Lanthanide
72	Hf	Hafnium	Transition metal
73	Ta	Tantalum	Transition metal
74	W	Tungsten	Transition metal
75	Re	Rhenium	Transition metal
76	Os	Osmium	Transition metal
77	Ir	Iridium	Transition metal
78	Pt	Platinum	Transition metal
79	Au	Gold	Transition metal
80	Hg	Mercury	Transition metal
81	Tl	Thallium	Post-transition metal
82	Pb	Lead	Post-transition metal
83	Bi	Bismuth	Post-transition metal
84	Po	Polonium	Metalloid
85	At	Astatine	Halogen
86	Rn	Radon	Noble gas
87	Fr	Francium	Alkali metal
88	Ra	Radium	Alkaline earth metal
89	Ac	Actinium	Actinide
90	Th	Thorium	Actinide
91	Pa	Protactinium	Actinide
92	U	Uranium	Actinide
93	Np	Neptunium	Actinide
94	Pu	Plutonium	Actinide
95	Am	Americium	Actinide
96	Cm	Curium	Actinide
97	Bk	Berkelium	Actinide
98	Cf	Californium	Actinide
99	Es	Einsteinium	Actinide
100	Fm	Fermium	Actinide
101	Md	Mendelevium	Actinide
102	No	Nobelium	Actinide
103	Lr	Lawrencium	Actinide
104	Rf	Rutherfordium	Transition metal
105	Db	Dubnium	Transition metal
106	Sg	Seaborgium	Transition metal
107	Bh	Bohrium	Transition metal
108	Hs	Hassium	Transition metal
109	Mt	Meitnerium	Unknown
110	Ds	Darmstadtium	Unknown
111	Rg	Roentgenium	Unknown
112	Cn	Copernicium	Transition metal
113	Nh	Nihonium	Post-transition metal
114	Fl	Flerovium	Post-transition metal
115	Mc	Moscovium	Post-transition metal
116	Lv	Livermorium	Post-transition metal
117	Ts	Tennessine	Halogen
118	Og	Oganesson	Noble gas

How to Memorize Element Symbols

Most symbols come from the element's Latin or original name. Here's the breakdown:

One-letter symbols — H, B, C, N, O, F, P, K, V, Y, I, W, U
Two-letter symbols — Most elements. First letter capitalized, second lowercase: Na (sodium), Fe (iron), Au (gold)
Three-letter symbols — Only the synthetic elements 104-118: Rf, Db, Sg, Bh, Hs, Mt, Ds, Rg, Cn, Nh, Fl, Mc, Lv, Ts, Og

The symbols aren't random. They derive from historical names:

Au from Aurum (Latin for gold)
Fe from Ferrum (Latin for iron)
Na from Natrium (Latin for sodium)
K from Kalium (Latin for potassium)
W from Wolfram (German for tungsten)
Sn from Stannum (Latin for tin)
Pb from Plumbum (Latin for lead)
Cu from Cuprum (Latin for copper, from Cyprus)
Ag from Argentum (Latin for silver)
Hg from Hydrargyrum (Greek for liquid silver — mercury)

Element Names: Where They Come From

Element names have several origins:

Planets — Uranium, Neptunium, Plutonium, Cerium (asteroid)
Countries — Polonium (Poland), Francium (France), Americium (America), Germanium (Germany), Gallium (France/Gaul)
Scientists — Curium, Einsteinium, Fermium, Mendelevium, Rutherfordium, Seaborgium, Bohrium, Roentgenium, Copernicium, Oganesson
Colors — Cesium (sky blue), Chromium (color), Indium (indigo line), Rubidium (deep red), Thallium (green twig)
Minerals — Beryllium, Magnesium, Scandium, Titanium
Greek/Latin roots — Hydrogen (water-maker), Oxygen (acid-maker), Neon (new), Xenon (stranger)

Properties by Group

Group	Elements	Key Properties
1 (Alkali)	Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr	Soft, highly reactive, stored in oil
2 (Alkaline earth)	Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra	Reactive, form alkaline solutions
3-12 (Transition)	Sc through Cn	Hard, high melting points, conduct electricity
13 (Boron group)	B, Al, Ga, In, Tl, Nh	Three valence electrons
14 (Carbon group)	C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, Fl	Four valence electrons
15 (Pnictogens)	N, P, As, Sb, Bi, Mc	Five valence electrons
16 (Chalcogens)	O, S, Se, Te, Po, Lv	Six valence electrons
17 (Halogens)	F, Cl, Br, I, At, Ts	Seven valence electrons, very reactive
18 (Noble gases)	He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn, Og	Full valence shell, inert

Getting Started: How to Use the Periodic Table

Here's what you actually do with it:

Finding an Element

Look up the atomic number to find the element. The atomic number tells you the proton count. A neutral atom has equal protons and electrons.

Predicting Reactivity

Elements in Group 1 (alkali metals) lose electrons easily — they're reducing agents. Elements in Group 17 (halogens) gain electrons easily — they're oxidizing agents. The further apart elements are on the table, the more violently they react.

Understanding Compounds

Elements in the same group behave similarly because they have the same valence electron count. Sodium (Na, Group 1) and Potassium (K, Group 1) both react violently with water. They form similar compounds.

Reading Electron Configurations

The period number tells you how many electron shells an element has. The group number (for Groups 1-2 and 13-18) tells you how many valence electrons. That's it.

Quick Reference: Most Important Elements

Carbon (C) — The basis of organic chemistry, forms millions of compounds
Oxygen (O) — Respiration, combustion, second most electronegative
Nitrogen (N) — 78% of atmosphere, makes fertilizers
Iron (Fe) — Most used metal, hemoglobin component
Silicon (Si) — Computer chips, solar cells
Gold (Au) — Non-reactive, excellent conductor, jewelry
Uranium (U) — Nuclear fuel, heaviest naturally occurring
Helium (He) — Inert, cryogenics, party balloons

The Bitter Truth

Most people never need the periodic table after chemistry class. But if you're in STEM, medicine, engineering, or materials science — you'll use it constantly. The table organizes chemical reality. You can fight it or use it.

Reference this guide when you forget whether it's Sn or St for tin. You will forget. Everyone does.