About Periodic Bubbles

A free interactive periodic table where all 118 elements float as bubbles you can pop, quiz and collect. Built and written by one person, for students, teachers and anyone who likes knowing what things are made of.

Why this exists

Most periodic tables online are either a static grid of squares or a wall of reference data. Neither gives you a feel for the elements. Periodic Bubbles started as a small experiment: what if the table moved, and what if you could size the bubbles by atomic mass or colour them by melting point and actually see the trends chemistry teachers talk about?

The experiment grew. Today the site has a Wordle-style daily element puzzle, a three-level Pop Quiz with leaderboards, badges, narration for every element, 3D Bohr models, printable flashcards and worksheets for teachers, a full write-up for every element and a growing library of plain-English guides. Everything is free, works on phones and tablets, and keeps working offline once it has loaded.

Who makes it

Periodic Bubbles is made by Anthony, a software developer based in the UK with a long-standing interest in science education. I design the site, write the code, write and edit the element pages and articles, and answer the emails. There is no company behind it and no editorial team, which means mistakes are mine and fixes are fast. If you find something wrong, tell me and I will correct it.

Where the data comes from

Numerical data (atomic masses, melting and boiling points, densities, electron configurations, ionisation energies and so on) comes from the open Periodic-Table-JSON dataset, which is released under a Creative Commons CC BY-SA licence and is itself compiled from published reference values. Element photographs are from Wikimedia Commons and images-of-elements.com and are credited individually on each element page.

The written content on the element pages and in the Learn guides is original to this site. Where a value is a prediction rather than a measurement, as with the superheavy synthetic elements, the text says so. Temperatures are shown in both kelvin and degrees Celsius. If you are citing a number for coursework, please check it against your exam board's data sheet, because reference values are occasionally revised.

How the site is funded

Periodic Bubbles is free to use and has no accounts or paywalls. It is supported by visitors who buy me a coffee and, in future, by a small number of clearly labelled advertisements. Advertising never influences what is written about an element. See the privacy policy for details on analytics and cookies.

For teachers and schools

You are welcome to use Periodic Bubbles in lessons, on interactive whiteboards and in homework anywhere in the world, and to print the flashcards and worksheets for your classes. The lesson plans guide has three ready-to-run outlines for ages 11 to 16, whatever curriculum you teach. If you would like a feature that would help your classroom, get in touch.

Accessibility

The site is built to work with keyboards and screen readers, respects reduced-motion settings, and keeps text contrast within accessibility guidelines. Every element also has audio narration. If something does not work for you, please let me know.