About the Dynamic Periodic Table

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Ptable.com Below you will find the answers to some commonly asked questions about this periodic table. If you have a question that's not on this page or you would like to follow up on one of the below questions, contact me. For general chemistry (homework) questions, visit the chemistry forum.

Where did the element names go?
The site will show you as much detail as it can without horizontal scrolling. Widen your browser window or push F11 to show more data, or alternatively use the check boxes in the menu beneath the blue title.
New address?
The old address, dayah.com/periodic, will always work. The new domain Ptable.com is just to give you, the regular visitor, something easy to spell, type, and remember. Please link to it instead, even though it temporarily redirects here.
Group 12 aren't transition metals? … Isn't it supposed to be Lanthanide, not Lanthanoid? … Metalloid isn't a class of elements?
No, not according to IUPAC [PDF] (IR-3.6, page 8).
How can I use the site when I'm not online?
The best solution at this point is just to load the site in your browser, click around the tabs to cache most of the data, and then use the suspend or hibernate feature of your laptop so the browser never actually closes. The site will continue to function without Internet connectivity.
The site is buggier in my favorite browser than it is in Internet Explorer.
While your favorite browser may have better standards support when simply counting tags and properties, the bugs it does contain are more unstable and harder or impossible to work around. I'm doing my part to remedy this, but if you prefer a prettier layout, visit the site with IE7. To encourage repair of the most serious bugs affecting the site, please vote for them: 318704 (borders randomly don't appear), 262709 (transparent borders appear black), 145503 (writing-mode not supported), 203686 (collapse code abandoned), corner conflict resolution discussion.
What makes this periodic table different?
All XHTML. No images. No Flash.
This gives all the scalability and accessibility of a normal web page while looking as good as any image or Flash out there. Highlight and copy data, print, and resize to suit your vision, just like you would with any web page. Your browser's View, Text Size scales the table up or down as you prefer. If you prefer Flash, check out Brian Adams' table.
Instantly swap layouts.
Use the check boxes at the top of the page to dynamically switch between simple, with names, with electron configuration, and inline rare earth metals. View as much or as little information as you'd like or your screen allows.
Realtime data view.
Move your mouse over any element to instantly update a dozen properties as well as a detailed view of that element.
Instantly swap data.
Only want to see one piece of data at a time, like electronegativity? Whatever you choose appears in place of atomic mass while symbol and atomic number stay visible. Or, maximize and select names and/or electron configs to accompany the dataset you choose.
Visualize trends.
Does atomic radius go up or down by group? Select it and the color of all elements will change in proportion to their values.
Reliable source data.
Our data doesn't come from secondary sources. When important values disagree with WebElements, which also uses primary sources, we discuss who might be wrong and why, perhaps even leaving our data mismatched so you get the chance to make your own analysis. Significant digits are preserved in readouts whenever space permits.
State of matter slider.
In the Series view, drag the slider above the nonmetals and see the state of matter each element is in at that temperature.
Time machine.
After selecting discovery year, use the slider to go back in time and display only the elements discovered by that year.
Data subsets.
Once you've selected a dataset, the slider reveals related properties. Sliding after selecting radius, for example, reveals covalent, empirical, and calculated radii. All told, the slider exposes another 13 properties in addition to the 13 shown, not including the first 30 ionization energies, allowing efficiency functioning on multiple levels and in multiple dimensions.
Orbitals.
Complete orbital readout for each element's ground state, quantum numbers, valence, and diagram following Hund's rules. Hover over each electron pair for a 3-D view of that orbital or hover over the element to view its highest energy level electron pair.
Isotopes.
Click an element in the isotope view to overlay selected or all known isotopes. Hover over to fan through like a deck of cards as 5 properties update including half-life. Borders indicate primary decay mode.
Dozens of languages.
Element names in dozens of languages, even Asian scripts. If your browser sends a compatible language header, you'll be automatically served the site in the language you prefer. Force a different language using the drop down box. Why is it important for the periodic table to be offered in so many languages?
Wikipedia integration.
Click any element to pop up a window with its Wikipedia page…in any language.
Instant search.
Can't seem to find an element? Type its name, symbol, or atomic number into the box below the alkalis and it will instantly highlight.
Ajax data retrieval.
Detailed data is retrieved using Ajax only when you request it.
Never reloads.
Whether you're changing layouts, visualizing data, boiling and freezing elements, searching, or browsing Wikipedia, the site will never interrupt your session by reloading, opening new windows, or resizing your window. Quite the contrary; the site will show you as much as possible without horizontal scrolling as you resize, so try maximizing.
Printable.
The navigation bar at the top offers links to PDFs in American and European paper sizes as well as a large image.
Latest new elements
The day a new element is discovered or synthesized, we'll have the details for you. We even keep up with new, more precise relative atomic masses as IUPAC publishes them.
Small and fast.
Built from the ground up to be extremely fast and efficient, the total amount of JavaScript powering Ptable.com is no bigger than its HTML+CSS and is extensively stateful and modal (like vi).
Keyboard accessible.
Can't or don't want to use the mouse? Your keyboard's tab and arrow keys expose the full functionality of the site. Enter and Escape open and close the Wikipedia window, just like you'd expect. The up/down arrows also manipulate the slider when inside its text box.
Flexible interface.
Whether you prefer to hover around or click to view data, the site accomodates you by offering a click-to-lock interface in the Properties and Orbitals tabs. Hovering accesses most of the interactivity until the first click, which locks whatever element you're viewing in place until another is clicked or the same element is clicked again to revert to hover mode.
When was it made?
September 1997 as a piece of HTML artwork, not a reference. It was posted on the web October 1, 1997. Element descriptions were added later in December 1997. Descriptions were significantly upgraded in summer 2005 to use data from Wikipedia in compliance with its license. Interactivity was radically enhanced summer 2007. Enjoy historic versions.
Can I buy a poster?
We're currently looking into producing a periodic table poster. First, we'll need some feedback from you on what size, paper, and finish you'd like.
Can I print it?
Yes, but only for personal or classroom use. Contact me to discuss larger scale distribution. I'll most likely let you use it, but request a copy of whatever it's going into. If you see it in print or on TV, it's likely I don't know about it. Please let me know. One person wanted to put it on a cake. In that case I only asked for a photo of the cake, but if he lived closer…
License agreement
Because of the frequent piracy of the periodic table, you are not allowed to redistribute the table electronically in any fashion. That means don't save it and upload it to your own web site. Don't worry about my bandwidth; link directly to my images and PDFs if you desire. Of course, you are allowed to print the table out for your own, personal use. If you would like to print out many copies for a classroom, please tell me. So far, I haven't asked for anything more than a copy of whatever it is used in.
Privacy policy
This web server retains only standard access logs. No personal information is collected, so there is nothing to tie to these logs to track behavior. Logs will not be shared with any other entity. In the future, cookies will store some preferences and defaults, such as whether you prefer element names turned on or only use the Isotope tab. These cookies will be processed by JavaScript on your computer; my server will not see them.
Can I link to your periodic table?
By all means, but only if you think it's the best. Please don't place it in a slew of dozens of links to periodic tables. This isn't 1996 and if your visitors want a list of links to periodic tables, they'll visit Google. Exercise your editorial judgement as a webmaster and send them to the resource you believe is best.
Contact methods
The contact form is preferred, but I'm on AIM as Looseint. Also check out my essays and photos or become a fan of the site on Facebook. For general chemistry help, visit the chemistry forum.
Donations
Don't worry about my operational costs; this isn't the BBS days. The site can serve half a million visits a month for less than a Frappuccino a week. Instead of donating to me, direct your support to the children's hospital that did my ingrown toenail surgery a decade ago giving me the downtime to create the site.