The Ultimate Guide to Major in the Periodic Table of Elements!

Periodic Table of Elements

Download Periodic Table of the Elements

The topic of periodic table is considered to be one of the hardest topics of chemistry. Students spend hours and hours in absorbing it but even then fail in memorizing it completely.

Periodic table is an arrangement of the chemical elements in the form of a table on the basis of their atomic numbers and electronic configurations. The elements are arranged in accordance with their periods horizontally while the same groups are placed vertically below each other. The elements in similar groups have similar properties.

We present a unique and simple way of nailing down the periodic table and you are sure to retain it without too much effort!

We bring you the tricks to remember the periodic table both in English as well as Hindi. We first deal with the English tip of grasping the table of elements and then we shall proceed towards the desi or the Hindi method of cramming the chemical table of elements.

So, in the English version you are expected to cram the first 12 elements yourself (we apologize for not being able to help you in this). Now, we are ready to help you in retaining around 65 elements of periodic table.

We begin with the P-block and then move on to the D-block:

P-block elements

We consider the groups 13-17 starting column wise.

Group 13

So just remember the group as BAG IT. You can see this group in the periodic table. First element is Boron and the last is Thalium. So, if we consider the initials of the elements of this row then we get B Al Ga In Tl. Now collecting the first letters of these it becomes BAGIT.

Group 14

The elements of this group are C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb. We just try to arrange them in such a way so that they can be learnt easily. Cram it as Carbon and Silicon chips in Germany doped with Tin (Sn) and Lead (Pb). You will never ever get confused or forget the order of elements if you memorize it like this.

Group 15

Considering its constituent elements which are N, P, As, Sb, Bi, just link them and mug it up as Naga Pambu Aasaiya Saabuduthu Biscuit.

Group 16

On similar lines, since the elements of this group are O S Se Te Po so they can better be retained as Ohh YeS! Se Thu Po.

Group 17

This group is a bit musical. Its components are Flourine (F), Chlorine (Cl), Bromine (Br), Iodine (I), Astatine (At). If you read them together quickly, you’ll realize that they all end with ‘ine’. So, they should be learnt in this way.

Group 18

Cram this group by heart as these are the chief elements and their presence on the table is inevitable.

Group	Elements	Tip
Group 13	B, Al, Ga, In, Tl	BAG IT
Group 14	C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb	Carbon and Silicon chips in Germany doped with Tin (Sn) and Lead (Pb)
Group 15	N, P, As, Sb, Bi	Naga Pambu Aasaiya Saabuduthu Biscuit
Group 16	O S Se Te Po	Ohh YeS! Se Thu Po
Group 17	F, Cl, Br, I, At	End with ine (are rhythmic)
Group 18	He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn

D-block elements

This block is the trickiest one and we try to attack the elements of this block according to their periods. So, in this case we move row-wise:

Period 4-

The first row in the D-block denotes the elements with period 4. These are Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn. As they are ten in total and hence we further divide them in two groups. The first part is Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn and the second one includes Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn.

The first should better me mugged up as Scandium saw Titanic in Vettri Chrompet Theatre with Manganese. Now, to memorize the second part is an arduous task. So we are actually trying to learn the elements Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn. We read these symbols as Feh Co Nee Ku Zinc – FeCo NiCu Zn. Just assume that Fe, Co and Ni, Cu are two couples while Zn is still a bachelor. The chief point to be noted here is that there are chances of messing up Cobalt (Co) with Copper (Cu). So keep a note of that!

Period 5-

This period is quite entertaining. Just imagine it to be a story of two friends Y and Z i.e. Yttrium and Zed/Zee Zirconium respectively. So, Y and Z are two mates who say Namba (Nb) Teacher (Tc) R-square(Ru,Rh)” (Our teacher R-square). And henceforth, they dance and sing on music numbers from CD- Padi(Pd) Aaadi(Ag) Cd.

Thus, the crux to remember period 5 is

Y and Z – two friends – say “Namba Teacher R-square” – and Padi, Aadi to a Cd.

Period 6-

The elements covered under this category include Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au and Hg.

The simplest way to memorize this is to consider them in reverse order and then we try to associate them with some related words. Let’s see how we do this-

Hg – Mercury – Marie – This is a reputed brand of biscuit in India.

W – Tungsten – Wandhichu or Vandhichu- which implies “to come” or “to get affected with”

“Ta – Tantalum – Theriyuma – meaning “do you know”?

Just try to imagine that we are conversing with the element Hafnuim, then our words would be

“Marie Gold Platinum biscuit saaptu Irridium ku Soree Wandhichu Theriyuma Hafnium?”

The above thing can better be comprehended as

“Marie(Hg) Gold(Au) Platinum(Pt) biscuit saaptu Irridium(Ir) ku SoRee(OsRe) Wandhichu(W) Theriyuma(Ta) Hafnium(Hf) ?”

which decodes to “Hey hafnium, did you know that Irridium got a bad itch after eating Marie Gold Platinum biscuits ?”

Last but not the least, do not ignore the first element of the atomic periodic table which is also the leading element of Lanthanides i.e. Lanthanum.

Periods	Elements	Mnemonic
Period 4	Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn	Scandium saw Titanic in Vettri Chrompet Theatre with Manganese Fe, Co and Ni, Cu are two couples while Zn is still a bachelor
Period 5	Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd	Y and Z – two friends – say “Namba Teacher R-square” – and Padi, Aadi to a Cd
Period 6	Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au and Hg.	Hey hafnium, did you know that Irridium got a bad itch after eating Marie Gold Platinum biscuits?

Memorizing the periodic table with Simple and fascinating mnemonics!

So, we now proceed to learn the periodic table of elements with the help of some simple and catchy easy to learn phrases which would make the learning of periodic table a fun task!

The strategy to recite the mnemonics……

S-Block Elements

The S-block consists of two groups which have identical physical and chemical properties. Group 1 contains Lithium (Li), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Rubidium (Ru), Caesium (Cs), and Francium (Fr). Jus take the intials and we get the mnemonic as

LiNa Ki Ruby Cse Friendship hai

Group 2 is known as alkaline earth metals. It includes Beryllium (Be), Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca), Strontium (Sr), Barium (Br), and Radium (Ra).

Mnemonic for Group 2: Beta Mange Car Scooter Baap rone se Raazi

Group	Elements	Mnemonic
Group 1	Li, Na, K, Ru,Cs,Fr	LiNa Ki Ruby Cse Friendship hai
Group 2	Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Br, Ra	Beta Mange Car Scooter Baap rone se Raazi

P-Block Elements

Groups 13-18 constitute the P-block. This block includes non-metals, semi-metals and poor metals. Often termed as the Boron group or the group of Icosagens or Triels, the group includes metals like Boron (B), Aluminium (Al), Gallium (Ga), Indium (In), and Thallium (Tl).

Mnemonic for Group 13: B A G I T.

Group 14 is known as Carbon group or the group of Crystallogens, Tetragens or Tetrels. It includes Carbon (C), Silicon (Si), Germanium (Ge), Tin (Sn), and Lead (Pb).

Mnemonic for Group 14: Chemistry Sir Gives Sanki Problems.

Group 15 includes Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Arsenic (As), Antimony (Sb), and Bismuth (Bi). It is also termed as the group of Pnictogens or Nitrogen group.

Mnemonic for Group 15: Nahi Pasand Aise Sab Bhai.

Group 16 is known as the group of Chalcogens or Oxygen group. It includes Oxygen (O), Sulphur (S), Selenium (Se), Tellurium (Te), and the radioactive element Polonium (Po).

Mnemonic for Group 16: Oh! Style Se Tel Polish.

Group 17 is known as the group of Halogens. It includes Fluorine (F), Chlorine (Cl), Bromine (Br), Iodine (I), and Astatine (At).

Mnemonic for Group 17: Fir Call kar Bahaar AayI Aunty.

Group 18 is known as the group of Noble gases, excluding Helium. Normally, they are all odorless and colorless gases with very low chemical reactivity. The group includes Helium (He), Neon (Ne), Argon (Ar), Krypton (Kr), Xenon (Xe), and the radioactive Radon (Rn).

Mnemonic for Group 18: He Never Arrived; Kara Xero Run pe out.

Group	Elements	Tip
Group 13	B, Al, Ga, In, Tl	BAG IT
Group 14	C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb	Chemistry Sir Gives Sanki Problems
Group 15	N, P, As, Sb, Bi	Nahi Pasand Aise Sab Bhai
Group 16	O S Se Te Po	Oh! Style Se Tel Polish
Group 17	F, Cl, Br, I, At	Fir Call kar Bahaar AayI Aunty
Group 18	He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn	He Never Arrived; Kara Xero Run pe out

D-Block Elements

Groups 3-12 are covered under the D-block. Groups 3-11 are termed as the transitional elements while those in group 12 which have their d subshell completely filled are termed as post-transition elements.

We shall approach these elements period wise.

Period 4 – The elements included in the D-block having period 4 are Scandium (Sc), Titanium (Ti), Vanadium (V), Chromium (Cr), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu) and Zinc (Zn).

Mnemonic for Period 4: Science Ti(ea)cher Vineeta Criplani Man Fenko (FeCo) Ni Kyun(Cu) Zaan hai?

Recite it as: Science Teacher Vineeta Kriplani manfenko ni kyun zaan hai?

Period 5- Since it includes the elements Yttrium (Y), Zirconium (Zr), Niobium (Nb), Molybdenum (Mo), Technetium (Tc), Ruthenium (Ru), Rhodium (Rh), Pd (Palladium), Silver (Ag) and Cadmium (Cd).

Mnemonic for Period 5: Yeh Zarra Nabi bana Mohabaat mein T(c)eri, R(u)o R(h)o P(d)ukarogi Aaj(g) ise Chandni

Which can better be read as: Yeh Zarra Nabi bana Mohabbat mein Teri, Ro Ro Pukarogi Aaj ise Chandni

Period 6- The D-block elements that come under this category are Lutetium (Lu), Hafnium (Hf), Tantalum (Ta), Tungsten (W), Rhenium (Re), Osmium (Os), Iridium (Ir), Platinum (Pt), Gold (Au) and Mercury (Hg).

Mnemonic for Period 6: L(u)a HafTa Warna Reh Us(Os) Irritating Popat ke saath Aur Hoj(g)a pagal.

Read as: La Hafta Warna Reh Us Irritating Popat ke saath Aur Hoja pagal.

Period 7 contains the radioactive elements only. D-block elements that come under it are Actinium (Ac), Rutherfordium (Rf), Dubnium (Db), Seaborgium (Sg), Bohrium (Bh), Hassium (Hs), Meitnerium (Mt), and Darmstadtium (Ds).

Mnemonic for Period 7: Ak(c)ele R(f) D(b) S(g)harma ki B(h)ook mein H(s)ain Maths ke Difficult sawaal.
Read as: Akele R D Sharma ki Book mein Hain Maths ke Difficult sawaal.

Periods	Elements	Mnemonic
Period 4	Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn	Science teacher Vineeta Kriplani manfenko ni kyun zaan hai?
Period 5	Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd	Yeh Zarra Nabi bana Mohabbat mein Teri, Ro Ro Pukarogi Aaj ise Chandni
Period 6	Lu, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg	La Hafta Warna Reh Us Irritating Popat ke saath Aur Hoja pagal
Period 7	Ac, Rf, Db, Sg, Bh, Hs, Mt, Ds	Akele R D Sharma ki Book mein Hain Maths ke Difficult sawaal

F-Block Elements

F-block elements are also termed as inner transition elements. They can be further divided into Lanthanides and Actinides.

Lanthanides include Cerium (Ce), Praseodymium (Pr), Neodymium (Nd), Promethium (Pm), Samarium (Sm), Europium (Eu), Gadolinium (Gd), Terbium (Tb), Dysprosium (Dy), Holmium (Ho), Erbium (Er), Thulium (Tm), Ytterbium (Yb) and Lutetium (Lu).

We can mug them up in a very interesting way by dividing them in three parts:

1. Cerium (Ce), Praseodymium (Pr), Neodymium (Nd), Promethium (Pm), and Samarium (Sm)

Mnemonic for Lanthanides Part 1: Celina aur Priety Ne dande se Pammy aur Simmy ko mara.

2. Europium (Eu), Gadolinium (Gd), Terbium (Tb), Dysprosium (Dy), and Holmium (Ho)

Mnemonic for Lanthanides Part 2: Europe G(d)aya to TB(b) aur Di(y)arrohoea Ho gaya.

Read as: Europe Gaya to TB aur Diarrohoea Ho gaya.

3. Erbium (Er), Thulium (Tm), Ytterbium (Yb) and Lutetium (Lu)

Mnemonic for Lanthanides Part 3: E re, dekh Tamatar Yellow aur bLue hain.

Parts	Elements	Mnemonic
Part 1	Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm	Celina aur Priety Ne dande se Pammy aur Simmy ko mara.
Part 2	Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho	Europe Gaya to TB aur Diarrohoea Ho gaya
Part 1=3	Er, Tm, Yb, Lu	E re, dekh Tamatar Yellow aur bLue hain

Various actinides included under the F-block are – Thorium (Th), Protactinium (Pa), Uranium (U), Neptunium (Np), Plutonium (Pu), Americium (Am), Curium (Cm), Berkelium (Bk), Fermium (Fm), Mendelevium (Md), Nobelium (No), and Lawrencium (Lr).

We can learn all these in three parts too:

1.Thorium (Th), Protactinium (Pa), Uranium (U), and Neptunium (Np)

Mnemonic for Actinides Part 1: Thode Pehelwan Unse Niptengey.

2.Plutonium (Pu), Americium (Am), Curium (Cm), Berkelium (Bk)

Mnemonic for Actinides Part 2: Purane Aam K(C)am Bikenge.

Read as: Purane Aam Kam Bikenge.

3. Fermium (Fm), Mendelevium (Md), Nobelium (No), and Lawrencium (Lr)
Mnemonic for Actinides Part 3: Itni Family aMdani mein No Ladki rajee.

Actinides Part	Elements	Mnemonic
Part 1	Th, Pa, U, Np	Thode Pehelwan Unse Niptengey
Part 2	Pu, Am, Cm, Bk	Purane Aam Kam Bikenge
Part 3	Fm, Md, No, Lr	Itni Family aMdani mein No Ladki rajee