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Elements in Crystals

Periodic table coloured by element frequency.

The Periodic Table, Celebrated Through Crystals!

The United Nations declared 2019 the International Year of the Periodic Table. Scientists around the world celebrated with a variety of events. The CCDC partnered with the British Crystallographic Association to celebrate the way we know best: with crystal structures!

Each element in the Periodic Table has a dedicated webpage, where you can find more information and fun facts about the element as well as a crystal structure to celebrate it. Crystals, indeed, contain different numbers and types of elements from the periodic table ordered in 3 dimensions. The Elements in Crystals project aims to let you see inside those crystals and to celebrate the amazing science that has been made possible through crystallography and the periodic table. Click through the elements on the table below to learn more about each one!

For answers to some common questions about this project, see our FAQ.

Contributors

The project undertaken was very ambitious and it was possible thanks to a team of volunteer contributors from the crystallographic community, some of whom you can meet in a dedicated page. Each of them dedicated their time to this community-led project, taking charge of one or more elements, with the common goal to build an engaging Periodic Table to educate a new generation of scientists.

View contributors

Competition

All the element pages were included in the Elements in Crystals Competition, and our panel of judges selected carbon, chromium, cobalt, europium, germanium, and tellurium to enter the final round, thanks to their highly engaging and informative pages and their high levels of website views. The winner was selected only based on the community preferences. And the winner is… cobalt! Congratulations!

View cobalt page

Educational Resources and Activities

The Elements in Crystals team is also working with expert educators to help others use this resource in education by creating additional worksheets and educational material based on these pages so it can be used in schools, science festivals or uniform groups.

First up: a set of battlecards to play with friends and family while exploring and learning more about the Periodic Table and the crystal structures in its honour.

Explore Crystals Battlecards

Continue exploring the periodic table and learn more about elements and the crystal structures where you can find them with a collection of short videos. In these videos you will explore the periodic table to find elements from science fiction (do they really exist?), discover facts and trivia about elements and crystal structures, and more!

You probably know all about carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and more, but with 118 elements in the periodic table, some elements and trivia about them might not be covered in the curriculum.

When Dmitri Mendeleev (8 February 1834 - to 2 February 1907) was working on the periodic table over 150 years ago, not all the 118 elements that we know now had been discovered.

Do elements from science fiction exist in real life? Can we find them on the periodic table?

You probably know all about carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and more, but with 118 elements in the periodic table, some elements and trivia about them might not be covered in the curriculum.

When Dmitri Mendeleev (8 February 1834 - to 2 February 1907) was working on the periodic table over 150 years ago, not all the 118 elements that we know now had been discovered.

Do elements from science fiction exist in real life? Can we find them on the periodic table?

You probably know all about carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and more, but with 118 elements in the periodic table, some elements and trivia about them might not be covered in the curriculum.

Coloured by Element Frequency

I
H
1.01
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Hydrogen
1
1.01
nonmetal
37628455
He
4
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Helium
2
4
noble gas
1
II
Li
6.94
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Lithium
3
6.94
alkali metal
29180
Be
9.01
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Beryllium
4
9.01
alkaline earth metal
1212
B
10.81
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Boron
5
10.81
metalloid
223990
C
12.01
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Carbon
6
12.01
nonmetal
32727832
N
14.01
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Nitrogen
7
14.01
nonmetal
3624650
O
16
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Oxygen
8
16
nonmetal
6317688
F
19
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Fluorine
9
19
halogen
1124235
Ne
20.18
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Neon
10
20.18
noble gas
20
III
Na
22.99
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Sodium
11
22.99
alkali metal
34913
Mg
24.31
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Magnesium
12
24.31
alkaline earth metal
11860
Al
26.98
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Aluminum
13
26.98
metal
24592
Si
28.09
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Silicon
14
28.09
metalloid
165644
P
30.97
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Phosphorus
15
30.97
nonmetal
419565
S
32.07
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Sulphur
16
32.07
nonmetal
607895
Cl
35.45
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Chlorine
17
35.45
halogen
661189
Ar
39.95
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Argon
18
39.95
noble gas
34
IV
K
39.1
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Potassium
19
39.1
alkali metal
30944
Ca
40.08
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Calcium
20
40.08
alkaline earth metal
9090
Sc
44.96
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Scandium
21
44.96
transition metal
3159
Ti
47.87
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Titanium
22
47.87
transition metal
21265
V
50.94
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Vanadium
23
50.94
transition metal
33218
Cr
52
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Chromium
24
52
transition metal
21082
Mn
54.94
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Manganese
25
54.94
transition metal
72660
Fe
55.85
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Iron
26
55.85
transition metal
112183
Co
58.93
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Cobalt
27
58.93
transition metal
103459
Ni
58.69
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Nickel
28
58.69
transition metal
80789
Cu
63.55
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Copper
29
63.55
transition metal
215833
Zn
65.38
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Zinc
30
65.38
transition metal
121884
.Ga
69.72
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Gallium
31
69.72
metal
15310
Ge
72.64
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Germanium
32
72.64
metalloid
17520
As
74.92
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Arsenic
33
74.92
metalloid
17550
Se
78.96
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Selenium
34
78.96
nonmetal
51398
Br
79.9
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Bromine
35
79.9
halogen
138716
Kr
83.8
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Krypton
36
83.8
noble gas
13
V
Rb
85.47
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Rubidium
37
85.47
alkali metal
3977
Sr
87.62
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Strontium
38
87.62
alkaline earth metal
4919
Y
88.91
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Yttrium
39
88.91
transition metal
8519
Zr
91.22
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Zirconium
40
91.22
transition metal
19041
Nb
92.91
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Niobium
41
92.91
transition metal
6521
Mo
95.96
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Molybdenum
42
95.96
transition metal
90509
Tc
[98]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Technetium
43
[98]
transition metal
1238
Ru
101.07
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Ruthenium
44
101.07
transition metal
57521
Rh
102.91
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Rhodium
45
102.91
transition metal
25795
Pd
106.42
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Palladium
46
106.42
transition metal
42980
Ag
107.87
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Silver
47
107.87
transition metal
82801
Cd
112.41
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Cadmium
48
112.41
transition metal
68027
In
114.82
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Indium
49
114.82
metal
12072
Sn
118.71
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Tin
50
118.71
metal
33492
Sb
121.76
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Antimony
51
121.76
metalloid
17619
Te
127.6
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Tellurium
52
127.6
metalloid
13673
I
126.9
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Iodine
53
126.9
halogen
99004
Xe
131.29
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Xenon
54
131.29
noble gas
99
VI
Cs
132.91
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Cesium
55
132.91
alkali metal
6021
Ba
137.33
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Barium
56
137.33
alkaline earth metal
7096
La
138.91
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Lanthanum
57
138.91
lanthanoid
11031
Ce
140.12
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Cerium
58
140.12
lanthanoid
7456
Pr
140.91
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Praseodymium
59
140.91
lanthanoid
7019
Nd
144.24
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Neodymium
60
144.24
lanthanoid
10886
Pm
[145]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Promethium
61
[145]
lanthanoid
3
Sm
150.36
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Samarium
62
150.36
lanthanoid
10109
Eu
151.96
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Europium
63
151.96
lanthanoid
14865
Gd
157.25
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Gadolinium
64
157.25
lanthanoid
13649
Tb
158.93
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Terbium
65
158.93
lanthanoid
11835
Dy
162.5
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Dysprosium
66
162.5
lanthanoid
13022
Ho
164.93
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Holmium
67
164.93
lanthanoid
4453
Er
167.26
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Erbium
68
167.26
lanthanoid
7811
Tm
168.93
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Thulium
69
168.93
lanthanoid
1666
Yb
173.05
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Ytterbium
70
173.05
lanthanoid
7668
Lu
174.97
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Lutetium
71
174.97
transition metal
2555
Hf
178.49
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Hafnium
72
178.49
transition metal
3005
Ta
180.95
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Tantalum
73
180.95
transition metal
4039
W
183.84
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Tungsten
74
183.84
transition metal
90557
Re
186.21
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Rhenium
75
186.21
transition metal
21797
Os
190.23
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Osmium
76
190.23
transition metal
16778
Ir
192.22
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Iridium
77
192.22
transition metal
17755
Pt
195.08
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Platinum
78
195.08
transition metal
33720
Au
196.97
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Gold
79
196.97
transition metal
31217
Hg
200.59
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Mercury
80
200.59
transition metal
14070
Tl
204.38
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Thallium
81
204.38
metal
3217
Pb
207.2
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Lead
82
207.2
metal
18370
Bi
208.98
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Bismuth
83
208.98
metal
9835
Po
[209]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Polonium
84
[209]
metalloid
0
At
[210]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Astatine
85
[210]
halogen
0
Rn
[222]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Radon
86
[222]
noble gas
0
VII
Fr
[223]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Francium
87
[223]
alkali metal
0
Ra
[226]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Radium
88
[226]
alkaline earth metal
0
Ac
[227]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Actinium
89
[227]
actinoid
0
Th
232.04
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Thorium
90
232.04
actinoid
1866
Pa
231.04
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Protactinium
91
231.04
actinoid
17
U
238.03
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Uranium
92
238.03
actinoid
17239
Np
[237]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Neptunium
93
[237]
actinoid
618
Pu
[244]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Plutonium
94
[244]
actinoid
339
Am
[243]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Americium
95
[243]
actinoid
49
Cm
[247]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Curium
96
[247]
actinoid
7
Bk
[247]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Berkelium
97
[247]
actinoid
7
Cf
[251]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Californium
98
[251]
actinoid
6
Es
[252]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Einsteinium
99
[252]
actinoid
0
Fm
[257]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Fermium
100
[257]
actinoid
0
Md
[258]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Mendelevium
101
[258]
actinoid
0
No
[259]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Nobelium
102
[259]
actinoid
0
Lr
[262]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Lawrencium
103
[262]
actinoid
0
Rf
[267]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Rutherfordium
104
[267]
transition metal
0
Db
[268]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Dubnium
105
[268]
transition metal
0
Sg
[271]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Seaborgium
106
[271]
transition metal
0
Bh
[272]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Bohrium
107
[272]
transition metal
0
Hs
[270]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Hassium
108
[270]
transition metal
0
Mt
[276]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Meitnerium
109
[276]
transition metal
0
Ds
[281]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Darmstadtium
110
[281]
transition metal
0
Rg
[280]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Roentgenium
111
[280]
transition metal
0
Cn
[285]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Copernicium
112
[285]
transition metal
0
Nh
[284]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Nihonium
113
[284]
metal
0
Fl
[289]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Flerovium
114
[289]
metal
0
Mc
[288]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Moscovium
115
[288]
metal
0
Lv
[293]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Livermorium
116
[293]
metal
0
Ts
[294]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Tennessine
117
[294]
halogen
0
Og
[294]
Name:
Atomic number:
Atomic mass:
Type:
Count
Oganesson
118
[294]
noble gas
0

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The Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) is a database of over 1.25 million organic and metal organic crystal structures. The database entries contain many different element types and the diversity of different element types that can been found in these structures has increased over the decades. This periodic table is colour-coded to show the amount of each element present in the structures of the CSD.

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Elements in Crystals

The Periodic Table, Celebrated Through Crystals!

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Competition

Educational Resources and Activities