Learn the periodic table
Plain-English guides written to go with the bubbles. Start with how to read the table, then work through groups, trends and history, or jump straight to the revision and classroom guides.
How to Read the Periodic Table (A Plain-English Guide)
A plain-English guide to the periodic table: what each square means, why rows and columns matter, why it has that odd shape, and how to predict behaviour.
What Is an Atom? Protons, Neutrons, Electrons and Shells for Beginners
A plain-English guide to atoms: protons, neutrons and electrons, the nucleus, electron shells, isotopes, ions and why the Bohr model is still worth learning.
Groups and Periods Explained: Why Columns Matter More Than Rows
What the 18 groups of the periodic table are, why elements in a column react alike, what changes down a group and across a period, and group 1 versus group 17.
Periodic Trends: Atomic Radius, Ionisation Energy and Electronegativity Made Simple
Atomic radius, ionisation energy and electronegativity explained simply: the direction of each trend, the reasons behind it, the exceptions and why it matters.
Metals, Non-metals and Metalloids: The Three Big Families
Where metals, non-metals and metalloids sit on the periodic table, how their properties and bonding differ, why silicon matters, and why hydrogen is odd.
Why the Noble Gases Don't React (and When They Do)
Full outer shells explained simply, how argon was found hiding in air, what each noble gas is used for, the 1962 xenon surprise and the oganesson puzzle.
Lanthanides and Actinides: The Two Rows at the Bottom of the Table
Why the f-block is drawn separately, what the lanthanides and actinides are, why rare earths power magnets and screens, and the debate over group 3.
The History of the Periodic Table: From Triads to Element 118
How the periodic table was built, from Döbereiner's triads and Newlands' octaves to Mendeleev's gaps, Moseley's atomic number and the naming of element 118.
How New Elements Are Made: Inside the Hunt for Element 119
How scientists create superheavy elements by smashing nuclei together, detect a handful of atoms from their decay, name them, and hunt for elements 119 and 120.
The Elements in Your Kitchen: Everyday Chemistry You Can Touch
Tour a home room by room and meet the elements behind salt, foil, wiring, stainless steel, toothpaste, phone batteries, light bulbs, glass, balloons and bones.
How to Memorise the Periodic Table (First 20 Elements and Beyond)
A practical guide to memorising the first 20 elements for GCSE (ages 14 to 16), with original mnemonics, chunking, spaced repetition, symbol traps and a seven-day plan.
Periodic Table Lesson Plans for Ages 11 to 16 (KS3, GCSE, Middle and High School)
Three complete 60-minute periodic table lessons for ages 11 to 16 with objectives, starters, activities, plenaries, differentiation, misconceptions and homework.
The Periodic Table in Medicine: Elements That Diagnose, Treat and Heal
From iodine and iron to platinum chemotherapy, technetium scans, gadolinium MRI contrast and titanium implants: the elements modern medicine relies on.
Elements Named After Places, People and Myths
Where element names come from: a Swedish village behind four elements, the scientists honoured on the table, gods and planets, and the IUPAC naming rules.
The Metals in Your Phone: 30 Elements in Your Pocket
Take a smartphone apart element by element: indium in the touchscreen, lithium and cobalt in the battery, gold and tantalum in the circuits, neodymium magnets.
What Is a Mole in Chemistry? Avogadro's Number Explained Simply
A simple guide to the mole: why chemists count atoms in batches of 6.022 x 10^23, how to read molar mass off the periodic table, and worked examples.
Prefer to learn by doing?
Open the bubbles Teacher resourcesPop all 118 elements, play today's Daily Bubble, or print the flashcards and worksheet for class.