Type a chemical symbol (Fe), an element name (Iron), or an atomic number (26), then press Search or Enter.
Click any of the 118 elements to load its details above.
Reading the periodic table without memorising all 118 elements
Each element sits at a fixed atomic number, that is the count of protons in its nucleus, and this number alone fixes its position: group (the column) and period (the row). Elements in the same group share a similar outer electron arrangement, which is why sodium and potassium react in comparable ways at GCSE and A-level, or why fluorine and chlorine both form salts called halides. Search by symbol, full name, or atomic number above to see where any element sits and what its electron configuration looks like.
| Category | Typical trait |
|---|---|
| Alkali metal | Soft, reacts strongly with water (group 1) |
| Transition metal | Forms coloured compounds, several oxidation states |
| Metalloid | Properties between metal and nonmetal, used in semiconductors |
| Halogen | Highly reactive nonmetal, forms salts with metals |
| Noble gas | Almost entirely unreactive, full outer electron shell |
Where the symbol and the English name part ways
A handful of symbols do not match the English element name at all, and this is one of the more useful things to notice on a periodic table wall chart. Tungsten carries the symbol W because it was named wolfram in German and Swedish sources before the English name settled on tungsten. Sodium is Na from the Latin natrium, potassium is K from kalium, iron is Fe from ferrum, gold is Au from aurum, and lead is Pb from plumbum. None of that is guesswork built into this tool, it simply reflects the IUPAC symbols used worldwide regardless of the local element name. A quick note on spelling: this page follows British usage, so aluminium and caesium keep their British forms even though American charts often write aluminum and cesium.
What this tool does not cover
This is a reference lookup, not a chemistry engine. It will not balance reactions, predict how two elements bond, calculate molar mass for a compound, or model isotopes and radioactive decay. For elements past atomic number 104 the listed properties are largely predicted rather than measured, since only a handful of atoms of these superheavy elements have ever been produced in a laboratory. Pair this with the Scientific Calculator for the arithmetic side of a chemistry problem, or the GPA Calculator if the periodic table is part of a module grade you are tracking.