Popular Branches
MBA
B.Tech
BBA
BSc
Home > News & Articles > List of First 20 Elements of the Periodic Table with Atomic Number and Symbols
Updated on 21st August, 2023 , 6 min read
The first 20 elements of the periodic table provide a good overview of the different element groupings. The first 20 elements are commonly encountered in chemical reactions. Metals found in the first twenty elements include lithium, beryllium, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, potassium, and calcium. Non-metals found in the first twenty elements are hydrogen, helium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, and argon.
An element is a pure material composed of only one type of atom. Elements cannot be physically or chemically separated into two or simpler things. There are now 118 elements that have been identified. The first 94 elements are naturally occurring, whereas the last 24 are man-made elements. IUPAC has assigned distinct symbols to each element to symbolize it. For example, hydrogen is represented by H, oxygen by O, and so on. The number of protons in each element's atomic nucleus determines its identity. A new element can be created by adding more protons to an atom.
The first 20 elements of the periodic table are seen to be the most important and have a wide range of uses in daily life. The significance of some of the first 20 components is listed below-
Before delving into the significance of an atomic number of elements, consider the following definitions-
The following is the list of each described element of the periodic table including their appearance, state of matter under normal temperature, atomic number, symbol, atomic mass, electron configuration, and element group-
Description of Element | Symbol | Atomic Number | Atomic Mass | Electron Configuration | Element Group |
Hydrogen: Under normal conditions, it is a non-metallic, colorless gas that transforms into an alkali metal. This element has three isotopes, which differ in the number of neutrons in their atoms. | H | 1 | 1.008 | 1s¹ | group 1, s-block, nonmetal |
Helium: Helium is a colorless, light gas. | He | 2 | 4.002602(2) | 1s² | group 18, s-block, noble gas |
Lithium: Lithium is a solid silver reactive metal. | Li | 3 | 6.94 (6.938–6.997) | [He] 2s¹ | group 1, s-block, alkali metal |
Beryllium: Beryllium is a solid gray-white metal with a gleaming finish. | Be | 4 | 9.0121831(5) | [He] 2s² | group 2, s-block, alkaline earth metal |
Boron: Boron is a metallic-looking grey solid. | B | 5 | 10.81 (10.806–10.821) | [He] 2s² 2p¹ | group 13, p-block, metalloid |
Carbon: Carbon is a solid that exists in a variety of forms, including diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon. It comes in black, grey, or colorless varieties. | C | 6 | 12.011 (12.0096–12.0116) | [He] 2s² 2p² | group 14, p-block, usually a non-metal, although sometimes considered a metalloid. |
Nitrogen: Nitrogen is an odorless and colorless gas. | N | 7 | 14.007 | [He] 2s² 2p³ | group 15 (pnictogens), p-block, nonmetal |
Oxygen: The gas oxygen is colorless. Its liquid form is blue, whereas its solid form might be crimson, metallic, or black. | O | 8 | 15.999 or 16.00 | [He] 2s² 2p⁴ | group 16 (chalcogens), p-block, nonmetal |
Fluorine: Fluorine is a light yellow gas, a bright yellow liquid, and a brilliant yellow solid. | F | 9 | 18.998403163(6) | [He] 2s² 2p⁵ | group 17, p-block, halogen |
Neon:When excited in an electric field, neon is a colorless gas that generates an orange-red light. | Ne | 10 | 20.1797(6) | [He] 2s² 2p⁶ | group 18, p-block, noble gas |
Sodium: Sodium is a silvery-white, soft metal. | Na | 11 | 22.98976928(2) | [Ne] 3s¹ | group 1, s-block, alkali metal |
Magnesium: Magnesium is a solid, gleaming grey metal. | Mg | 12 | 24.305 | [Ne] 3s² | group 2, s-block, alkaline earth metal |
Aluminum: Aluminum is a soft, silver-colored metal that is nonmagnetic. | Al | 13 | 26.9815385(7) | [Ne] 3s² 3p¹ | group 13, p-block, is considered a post-transition metal or sometimes a metalloid |
Silicon: Silicon is a crystalline solid with a metallic sheen that is hard and blue-gray in color. | Si | 14 | 28.085 | [Ne] 3s² 3p¹ | group 14 (carbon group), p-block, metalloid |
Phosphorus: Under normal settings, phosphorus is a solid; however, however it may assume numerous forms. White phosphorus and red phosphorus are the most frequent. | P | 15 | 30.973761998(5) | [Ne] 3s² 3p³ | group 15 (pnictogens), p-block, usually considered a nonmetal, but sometimes a metalloid |
Sulphur: Sulphur is a yellow solid that is most commonly encountered as a crystal or powder. | S | 16 | 32.06 | [Ne] 3s² 3p⁴ | group 16 (chalcogens), p-block, nonmetal |
Chlorine: Under normal circumstances, chlorine is a light yellow-green gas. It is a brilliant yellow liquid. | Cl | 17 | 35.45 | [Ne] 3s² 3p⁵ | group 17, p-block, halogen |
Argon: Argon is a colorless liquid, gas, and solid. Under normal circumstances, it is a gas. When stimulated in an electric field, it displays a beautiful lilac-purple light. | Ar | 18 | 39.948(1) | [Ne] 3s² 3p⁶ | group 18, p-block, noble gas |
Potassium: Potassium is a silvery, reactive solid metal. | K | 19 | 39.0983(1) | [Ar] 4s¹ | group 1, s-block, alkali metal |
Calcium: Calcium is a silvery-gray solid metal with a little yellowish tinge. | Ca | 20 | 40.078(4) | [Ar] 4s² | group 2, s-block, alkaline earth metal |
Noble gases, often known as inert gases, are the elements that are the least reactive or most non-reactive. Noble gases were found later in history than other elements. The first 20 elements contain three noble gases, namely,
The name of an element might provide information about its properties-
The following are the two ways to remember the first 20 elements of the periodic table-
Was this Article Helpful/Relevant or did you get what you were looking for ?
👍 1,234
👎234
D Pharmacy: Admission 2024, Subjects, Colleges, Eligibility, Fees, Jobs, Salary
By - Nikita Parmar 2023-11-04 08:11:48 , 7 min readHow to Become a Pilot after 12th: In India, Courses, Exams, Fees, Salary 2023
By - Nikita Parmar 2023-08-25 09:48:44 , 11 min read