The periodic table has become an icon of science. Its rows and columns provide a tidy way of showcasing the elements—the ingredients that make up the universe. It seems obvious today, but it wasn't to ...

GALLIUM IS an unusual element. It is a light, silvery metal, similar to aluminium. But unlike aluminium, if you hit it with a hammer it shatters like glass. It melts at about 30°C—in your hand, or ...

When Dimitri Mendeleev published the first periodic table 150 years ago, only about half as many elements were known as today. Over the ensuing decades, researchers have added new names to the chart, ...

The periodic table is one of those classic images that you find in many science labs and classrooms. It’s an image almost everyone has seen at some time in their life. Who can forget the periodic ...

The iconic chart of elements has served chemistry well for 150 years. But it’s not the only option out there, and scientists are pushing its limits. By Siobhan Roberts When Sir Martyn Poliakoff, a ...