International Year of the Periodic Table – Other Representations

September 22, 2019

In this post, we’ll highlight other representations of the periodic system.

“Developing a Modern Periodic Table: From Spirals to the Stars” highlights a few of these representations, including a 3D periodic “screw” de Chancourtois proposed in 1862, and the 3D spiral model that William Crookes developed in 1888.(1)

Model of the periodic system of de Chancourtois. 1925-647.  From ref (2). Science Museum Group, CC BY 4.0. https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co13134
  

Crookes’ spiral periodic system. 1921-395. From ref (2). Science Museum Group, CC BY 4.0. https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co13105

 

 

Hayley Bennett, Eva Amsen, and Michelle Francl also highlight some interesting alternative tables, including spirals, ribbons, and snails.(3-5)

Elementspiral (polyatomic).svg by DePiep. From ref (6). CC BY SA 3.0.

The chemical elements and their periodic relationships (circa 1975) by Rezmason. From ref (7). CC BY SA 4.0.

Spiral Periodic Table by R. W. Harrison. From ref (8). CC BY SA 3.0.

Charles Janet’s left-step periodic table. From ref (9). CC BY SA 3.0.

References

1. Developing a Modern Periodic Table: From Spirals to the Stars. Objects and Stories. Science Museum, February 22, 2019. https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/developing-modern-periodic-table-spirals-stars (accessed September 19, 2019).
2. Science Museum Group Online Collection. Science Museum. https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/ (accessed September 20, 2019).
3. Bennett, H. The Art of the Periodic Table. Chemistry World. Royal Society of Chemistry, March 25, 2019. https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/the-art-of-the-periodic-table/3010202.article (accessed September 20, 2019).
4. Amsen, E. Alternative Periodic Tables. easternblot.net, January 16, 2019. https://easternblot.net/2019/01/16/alternative-periodic-tables/ (accessed September 20, 2019).
5. Francl, M. Table Manners. Nat. Chem. 2009, 1, 97-98. DOI: 10.1038/nchem.183
6. DePiep. File:Elementspiral (polyatomic).svg. Wikimedia Commons, August 18, 2013. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elementspiral_(polyatomic).svg (accessed September 19, 2019). Based Theodor Benfey’s periodic table from Seaborg, G. Plutonium: The Ornery Element. Chemistry 1964, 37 (6), 12-17, on p 14.
7. Rezmason. File:The chemical elements and their periodic relationships.svg. Wikimedia Commons, December 17, 2016. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:The_chemical_elements_and_their_periodic_relationships.svg (accessed September 19, 2019). Based on J. F. Hyde’s 1975 variation. Reproduced by J. Sachs with permission from G. and S. Schuster.
8. Harrison, R. W. New Spiral Periodic Table of the Elements. Our Electric Universe… & Anti-Gravity, n.d. https://spiralperiodictable.com/ (accessed September 20, 2019).
9. Charles Janet. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Janet (accessed September 21, 2019).

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