How many chemical elements are there?
So far, 118 elements have been confirmed. In 2016, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) approved the names of elements 113, 115, 117, and 118. This completed period 7 of the periodic table.
In the classification used in our periodic table, 84 elements are metals, 6 are metalloids, and 20 are nonmetals. The properties of the remaining 8 elements are not fully known. These are very heavy elements that have been made in labs only a few atoms at a time.
Table of the first 20 elements
The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. For example, calcium is element 20, so its nucleus has 20 protons.
| Atomic number | Symbol | Name | Atomic mass | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | H | Hydrogen | 1.008 | Nonmetal |
| 2 | He | Helium | 4.003 | Noble gas |
| 3 | Li | Lithium | 6.94 | Alkali metal |
| 4 | Be | Beryllium | 9.012 | Alkaline earth metal |
| 5 | B | Boron | 10.81 | Metalloid |
| 6 | C | Carbon | 12.011 | Nonmetal |
| 7 | N | Nitrogen | 14.007 | Nonmetal |
| 8 | O | Oxygen | 15.999 | Nonmetal |
| 9 | F | Fluorine | 18.998 | Halogen |
| 10 | Ne | Neon | 20.18 | Noble gas |
| 11 | Na | Sodium | 22.99 | Alkali metal |
| 12 | Mg | Magnesium | 24.305 | Alkaline earth metal |
| 13 | Al | Aluminum | 26.982 | Post-transition metal |
| 14 | Si | Silicon | 28.085 | Metalloid |
| 15 | P | Phosphorus | 30.974 | Nonmetal |
| 16 | S | Sulfur | 32.06 | Nonmetal |
| 17 | Cl | Chlorine | 35.45 | Halogen |
| 18 | Ar | Argon | 39.948 | Noble gas |
| 19 | K | Potassium | 39.098 | Alkali metal |
| 20 | Ca | Calcium | 40.078 | Alkaline earth metal |
Elements 21–40
| Atomic number | Symbol | Name | Atomic mass | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Sc | Scandium | 44.956 | Transition metal |
| 22 | Ti | Titanium | 47.867 | Transition metal |
| 23 | V | Vanadium | 50.942 | Transition metal |
| 24 | Cr | Chromium | 51.996 | Transition metal |
| 25 | Mn | Manganese | 54.938 | Transition metal |
| 26 | Fe | Iron | 55.845 | Transition metal |
| 27 | Co | Cobalt | 58.933 | Transition metal |
| 28 | Ni | Nickel | 58.693 | Transition metal |
| 29 | Cu | Copper | 63.546 | Transition metal |
| 30 | Zn | Zinc | 65.382 | Transition metal |
| 31 | Ga | Gallium | 69.723 | Post-transition metal |
| 32 | Ge | Germanium | 72.631 | Metalloid |
| 33 | As | Arsenic | 74.922 | Metalloid |
| 34 | Se | Selenium | 78.972 | Nonmetal |
| 35 | Br | Bromine | 79.904 | Halogen |
| 36 | Kr | Krypton | 83.798 | Noble gas |
| 37 | Rb | Rubidium | 85.468 | Alkali metal |
| 38 | Sr | Strontium | 87.621 | Alkaline earth metal |
| 39 | Y | Yttrium | 88.906 | Transition metal |
| 40 | Zr | Zirconium | 91.224 | Transition metal |
You can find the full list of elements in the atomic mass table.
How can you memorize the elements easily?
Instead of memorizing 20 elements at once, it is easier to split them up by period. A period is a horizontal row of the periodic table.
| Period | Elements | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | H, He | 2 |
| 2 | Li, Be, B, C, N, O, F, Ne | 8 |
| 3 | Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, Ar | 8 |
| 4 (first two) | K, Ca | 2 |
- Memorize periods 1 and 2 first, then add period 3.
- Review for five minutes every day. This works better than one long study session.
- Write each symbol next to its name. Then cover the names and test yourself.
Practice the periodic table in the app
The “Periods and Groups” simulator in the Nalukh chem app is free to use. You place elements by period and group and learn to predict their properties from their position.
Explore the periodic table in the Nalukh chem app
Tap an element to see its atomic mass, electron shells, density, and melting point. The periodic table is free, and no sign-up is required.
