Define
Some problems that we have with the current Periodic Table:
- How could we place the Lanthanides and Actinides into the Periodic table while keeping everything still sorted by atomic number (which is a still useful way to sort the elements)?
- What shape would be more engaging for the Periodic Table?
Some things we could change by rearranging the Periodic Table:
- Make it a more engaging and memorable shape.
- Put the Lanthanides and Actinides into the bulk of the Periodic table with the rest of the elements.
- Better transition from the metals to the non-metals.
- Could sort by:
- States of matter
- Physical properties
- Atomic number
- Weight
Discover
The Periodic Table is arranged so that the families are together, as well as the amount of electrons around the atom which is told by the amount of elements in each period.
Making the new Periodic Table keep some of these features would be useful.
Dream
Ideas:
- A large circle containing all the elements.
- When someone needs some info on an element, they would spin the circle to find it, because all the elements are facing outwards.
- Different colors could mean different families, groups or periods.
- A circle with all the shapes facing outwards would be cool because it can be spun and read from all sides.
Design
The design will be the Periodic Table, but it’s a circle, and all the elements are in the places an electron would be, i.e. the first ring would have 2 elements, the second would have 8, third would have 8, fourth would have 18, etc.. The middle elements are Hydrogen (H) and Helium (He), as they are the only 2 elements in the first period. The next row has the next set of elements, being Lithium (Li), Beryllium (Be), Boron (B), Carbon (C), Nitrogen (N), Oxygen (O), and Neon (Ne), which are heavier than Hydrogen and Helium. The following row is another row of 8 elements, echoing the 8 electrons that can fit on the 3rd electron shell, while the 2 after that have 18 apiece, pertaining to the next 2 rows which have a combined 36 elements. The outer most shells have 32 elements each, all of which are the heavier elements such as Francium (Fr), Actinium (Ac), Neptunium (Np), and Mendelevium (Md). They also contain some of the super-heavy, nuclear researched elements and the unknown/undiscovered elements, such as Seaborgium (Sg), Uranium (U), and Livermorium (Lm).
Deliver
Purple = Transition metals
Blue = Alkali metals
Green = Alkaline earth metals
Yellow = Family for Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen, plus elements 110-112
Orange = Noble gases
Red = Halogens
White = Hydrogen
Debrief
With the new Periodic Table, the entire table is arranged like the electrons around the atom, so in case someone new to Chemistry forgets, it’s right there. Nothing can really beat the current Mendeleev Periodic Table, but this is something that was good for studying and learning the elements and key parts of how the current Periodic Table
The Atomic Periodic Table could have been improved by making a marker by placing Oganesson (Og) outside of the circle itself and making it into a marker to more easily find elements on it. Because it looks the same from all sides, it’s hard to find something to distinguish it from all sides. Using Oganesson because it’s the last element on the Periodic Table and doesn’t fully exist yet (technically), makes finding things a bit easier.
And, finding colors that are more general from just thinking about the elements makes it easier to sort through it from a glance. Alkaline earth metals could be green, because of the word earth in the name. Noble gases are stable, and blue is the (unofficial) color for stability, so the noble gases could be blue. Other examples such as those could be useful in identifying where an element is based on the family and color.