An invention of 1869 by a Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, the periodic table is a tabular method of displaying the chemical elements. While Dmitri arranged the chemical elements in increasing order of atomic mass he left the rest of the tabular space open to accommodate new discoveries that he’d anticipated would be made in the coming future. Over the years, this table has undergone many alterations and modifications in accordance to the new theoretical models.

The current periodic table provides a framework to classify and compare chemical behavior of different chemical elements and in turn systematically display these elements. The horizontal rows in the periodic table are called periods while the vertical ones are known as groups. At the right hand side of each period is displayed a noble gas. The elements with an atomic number ranging from 1 – 92 are the naturally occurring elements, others with an atomic number greater than 92 are the artificial elements produced by bombarding other elements with particles. As of October, 2006, the total number of chemical elements confirmed was 118. The periodic table has gone beyond the parameters of chemistry and is now widely being used in disciplines such as physics, engineering and industry.