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⚛️ Interactive Periodic Table

All 118 elements, filtered to your syllabus. Choose Cambridge IGCSE, Edexcel, AQA GCSE, A Level or IB and the table dims what you are not examined on and shows only the properties your specification asks for.

  • Shell configurations
  • Relative atomic masses
  • Common ions
  • States at 20 °C
  • 6 syllabuses

Interactive periodic table

Outer electrons42 of 118 highlighted

Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620 / 0971)

Cambridge prints a Periodic Table in the data booklet supplied with the written papers, so you are not asked to memorise relative atomic masses. What you do need from memory is the shell notation of the first 20 elements and the trends down Groups I and VII.

Highlighted: First 20 elements, Groups I, II, VII and 0, and the first row of transition elements. Everything else is dimmed, not hidden — you can still click it.

Revise Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620) →

Scroll sideways to see the whole table, or switch to list view.

Select any element to see its properties for Cambridge IGCSE.

Use the arrow keys to move around the table once a tile is focused.

Element families — select one to isolate it

Keep going

The table tells you what. The Learning Portal tells you why.

Topic-by-topic notes, past paper questions by topic, and an AI study buddy for 0620.

Open Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620) →

Go from the table to the whole course

The periodic table is the reference. The Tutopiya Learning Portal is the course around it — topic-by-topic chemistry content, past paper questions sorted by topic and difficulty, and an AI study buddy that answers doubts at 2am. Pick your syllabus:

Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620)

Topic-by-topic notes, past paper questions by topic, and an AI study buddy for 0620.

Open in the Learning Portal →

Edexcel IGCSE Chemistry (4CH1)

Topic-by-topic notes, past paper questions by topic, and an AI study buddy for 4CH1.

Open in the Learning Portal →

AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462)

Topic-by-topic notes, past paper questions by topic, and an AI study buddy for 8462.

Open in the Learning Portal →

Cambridge International A Level Chemistry (9701)

Full 9701 course content, past paper questions by topic, and an AI study buddy.

Open in the Learning Portal →

Edexcel International A Level Chemistry

Full IAL chemistry content, past paper questions by topic, and an AI study buddy.

Open in the Learning Portal →

IB Diploma Chemistry

Structure and reactivity content for SL and HL, with past paper questions by topic.

Open in the Learning Portal →

The group trends you are actually examined on

Every board gives you the table in the exam, so no marks are available for reciting it. The marks are in explaining the patterns — here are the four that come up most.

Group I — the alkali metals

Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr

One electron in the outer shell, so they all form 1+ ions. Going down the group the outer electron sits in a shell further from the nucleus and is shielded by more full shells, so it is lost more easily — which is why reactivity increases down Group I. Lithium fizzes on water, sodium melts into a ball, potassium ignites the hydrogen.

In the exam: Be ready to predict the properties of an unfamiliar Group I element from the trend, and to write the equation for the metal reacting with water.

Group VII — the halogens

F, Cl, Br, I, At

Seven outer electrons, so they gain one to form 1− ions and exist as diatomic molecules. The trend runs the other way from Group I: going down, the incoming electron is further from the nucleus and more shielded, so it is attracted less strongly and reactivity decreases. Chlorine is a green gas, bromine a red-brown liquid, iodine a grey solid — the melting and boiling points rise down the group.

In the exam: Displacement reactions are the classic question: a more reactive halogen displaces a less reactive one from its salt, so chlorine displaces bromine from potassium bromide.

Group 0 — the noble gases

He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn

A full outer shell means there is nothing to gain, lose or share, so the noble gases are monatomic and almost entirely unreactive. That stability is the reference point for the whole of bonding: every other atom reacts in order to reach a noble gas electron arrangement.

In the exam: Expect to explain unreactivity in terms of a full outer shell, and to use the noble gas arrangement when explaining why ions carry the charges they do.

The transition elements

Sc to Zn, and the rows below

Compared with Group I metals they are harder, denser, and melt at much higher temperatures. Their defining chemistry is variable oxidation state — iron forms both 2+ and 3+ ions — along with coloured compounds and catalytic activity. Iron is the catalyst in the Haber process; vanadium(V) oxide in the Contact process.

In the exam: The standard question contrasts a transition element with a Group I metal. Four points win it: harder, higher melting point, variable oxidation states, coloured compounds.

How to write an electron configuration

This is the one thing about the periodic table you are expected to recall rather than look up. Every element in the table above shows its shell notation when you select it — here is how to produce it yourself for the first 20 elements.

  1. 1

    Count the electrons

    In a neutral atom, the number of electrons equals the atomic number. Chlorine is element 17, so it has 17 electrons.

  2. 2

    Fill the shells in order

    The first shell holds 2, the second holds 8, the third holds 8 at this level. Fill each one before starting the next.

  3. 3

    Write it with commas

    Chlorine's 17 electrons fill as 2, then 8, leaving 7 — so the configuration is 2,8,7.

  4. 4

    Read the group and period off it

    The last number is the outer-shell electrons, which gives the group: 7 outer electrons puts chlorine in Group VII. The count of numbers gives the period: three shells means Period 3.

How to get the most out of it

Pick your syllabus first

The table dims everything your specification does not examine and trims the property list to what you are actually asked for, so you are not revising A Level electronegativity for an IGCSE paper.

Colour by outer electrons or block

Switching the colour mode makes the pattern visible. Colouring by block shows why the table is shaped the way it is; colouring by state makes the eleven gases and two liquids jump out.

Filter by outer-shell electrons

Tap a number from 1 to 8 to highlight every element with that many outer electrons. It is the fastest way to see that the group number and the outer electron count are the same thing.

Use the arrow keys

Once a tile has focus you can move around the table with the arrow keys, which makes comparing neighbours down a group much quicker than clicking.

What each syllabus expects from you

Every major board gives you a periodic table in the exam, so the marks are in what you can explain, not what you can recall. Check the current specification and data booklet for your series — these notes are a guide, not a substitute.

Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620 / 0971)

IGCSE

Cambridge prints a Periodic Table in the data booklet supplied with the written papers, so you are not asked to memorise relative atomic masses. What you do need from memory is the shell notation of the first 20 elements and the trends down Groups I and VII.

Edexcel IGCSE Chemistry (4CH1)

IGCSE

Edexcel supplies a Periodic Table on the back of the question paper. Focus your revision on writing electronic configurations as 2,8,8,1 and on explaining Group 1 and Group 7 reactivity trends in terms of shielding and atomic radius.

AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462)

GCSE

AQA provides a Periodic Table in the insert. Group 1, Group 7 and Group 0 trends come up almost every series, and the transition metals are compared against Group 1 as a contrast — higher melting points, variable oxidation states, coloured compounds and catalytic behaviour.

Cambridge International A Level Chemistry (9701)

A Level

At A Level you write configurations in full s/p/d notation and explain periodic trends rather than just state them. Watch the two exceptions in the first transition row: chromium is 3d5 4s1 and copper is 3d10 4s1, because a half-filled or full d subshell is more stable.

Edexcel International A Level Chemistry (YCH11)

A Level

Edexcel leans heavily on ionisation energy evidence for shell structure. Being able to read a configuration off the table and predict where the big jumps in successive ionisation energies fall is worth more marks than recalling the numbers themselves.

IB Diploma Chemistry

IB Diploma

The IB data booklet gives you electronegativity values, so the marks are in explaining the trend rather than quoting it. Electronegativity rises across a period and falls down a group, and the table below will show you the pattern if you switch the colour mode to electronegativity.

Use it with

IGCSE Chemistry formula sheet

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Chemistry revision checklist

Track every topic in your specification and see what you have left to cover.

Definition and keyword lists

The exact wording examiners expect for chemistry definitions.

Frequently asked questions

Is this periodic table free to use?

Yes. The whole tool is free, there is no sign-up, and nothing is stored on our servers — your syllabus choice is remembered in your own browser only.

Which syllabuses does it cover?

It filters to 6 specifications: Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620/0971), Edexcel IGCSE Chemistry (4CH1), AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462), Cambridge International A Level Chemistry (9701), Edexcel International A Level Chemistry and IB Diploma Chemistry. Choosing one dims the elements your specification does not examine and hides properties you are not asked about.

Do I have to memorise the periodic table for my exam?

No. Every major board supplies a periodic table in the data booklet or on the question paper, so relative atomic masses are given to you. What you are expected to recall is the electron shell configuration of the first 20 elements, and the trends in Groups I, VII and 0. Always check your own specification and the current data booklet.

What do the electron shells like 2,8,7 mean?

Each number is how many electrons occupy that shell, working outwards from the nucleus. Chlorine is 2,8,7: two electrons in the first shell, eight in the second and seven in the outer shell. The outer number tells you the group — seven outer electrons puts chlorine in Group VII.

Why are some elements dimmed?

Dimming shows what falls outside the syllabus you selected. Nothing is removed — a dimmed element is still clickable, and it brightens when you hover or focus it, so you can look anything up without switching syllabus.

Can I use it on a phone?

Yes. On a narrow screen the table scrolls sideways, and there is a list view that shows the same data as a scrollable table if you prefer reading it that way.

Can I download the data?

Yes. Choose your syllabus, then download the element list tailored to it — only the elements that specification examines, with only the columns it asks for. It is a CSV, so it drops straight into a flashcard app or a spreadsheet. The page also prints cleanly if you want a paper copy.

Which elements do I need to know for IGCSE Chemistry?

You are not expected to know all 118. Cambridge and Edexcel IGCSE focus on the first 20 elements, the trends down Groups I, II, VII and 0, and the first row of transition elements — 42 elements in total. Selecting Cambridge IGCSE or Edexcel IGCSE above highlights exactly those and dims the rest.

What is the difference between a group and a period?

A group is a column and a period is a row. Elements in the same group have the same number of outer-shell electrons, which is why they behave similarly — all of Group I has one outer electron. Elements in the same period have the same number of occupied electron shells. Chlorine is in Period 3 because it has three shells, and Group VII because seven electrons sit in the outer one.

Why is hydrogen sometimes shown on its own?

Hydrogen has one outer electron, which places it above Group I, but it is a non-metal and does not behave like an alkali metal — it does not react with water the way lithium or sodium does. Many printed tables therefore float it above the table or shade it separately. Here it sits in the Group I position but is coloured as a non-metal.

What happens to the trends as you go across a period?

Going left to right across a period, protons are added to the nucleus while electrons go into the same shell, so the nuclear pull on the outer electrons increases. Atomic radius decreases, electronegativity and ionisation energy increase, and the elements shift from metallic on the left through the metalloid staircase to non-metallic on the right. Switch the colour mode to electronegativity above to see that trend directly.

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