Trick to remember the first 30 elements of the periodic table, with atomic numbers, atomic masses and valency: mnemonics in English and Hinglish that a 13-year-old actually keeps

Every chemistry course between Class 9 and IGCSE asks the child to know the first 20 or 30 elements by symbol, atomic number and, soon after, valency. Most children learn them the night before, in order, by chanting, and lose half by the following week. This post gives the table you actually need, three mnemonic sentences (English and Hinglish, because a sentence in the language you think in sticks), the trick for the atomic numbers and masses so they are not memorised separately, and a four-day plan that our students use to keep all 30 for the whole year.

The first 30 elements: symbol, atomic number, atomic mass, valency

Atomic masses are the rounded values used in school calculations; the exam board's data sheet is the final word.

The mnemonics, in three blocks

The block of ten, the block of eight and the block of twelve match the periods of the table (period 1 is H and He, period 2 is Li to Ne, period 3 is Na to Ar, period 4 starts at K), which is why the blocks are easier to keep than one sentence of thirty.

Elements 1 to 10 (H He Li Be B C N O F Ne)

• English: Happy Henry Likes Beans But Cannot Nibble Orange Fruit Neatly.
• Hinglish: Hi Hema, Lekin Beta Bahut Chai Nahi, Odh Fir Neend.

Elements 11 to 18 (Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar)

• English: Naughty Magpies Always Sit Perfectly Still, Clearly Arguing.
• Hinglish: Nana Maange Aloo, Sita Pa Se Class Aram.

Elements 19 to 30 (K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn)

• English: Kind Cats Scare Tiny Voles; Crows Moan, Ferrets Cough, Nightingales Cut Zinc.
• Hinglish: Kaka Car Scooter Tikka Vada, Cricket Manoranjan, Fenko Coin, Nikal Cup Zinda.

Say the sentence aloud while writing the symbols in a row, three times; the writing is what fixes it. If a sentence does not stick, change one word to something from your own house; the mnemonic that works is the one you made.

The trick for the atomic numbers

Do not learn the atomic numbers as a list. The position in the sentence is the atomic number, so once the three sentences are fixed, count: the seventh word of the first sentence is N, so nitrogen is 7; the third word of the second sentence is Al, and 10 + 3 = 13; the sixth word of the third sentence is Fe, and 18 + 8 = 26. After a week the counting stops and the number is simply there.

The trick for the atomic masses

For elements 1 to 20 the mass is close to twice the atomic number, because in light atoms the number of neutrons is about the same as the number of protons: carbon 6 → 12, oxygen 8 → 16, neon 10 → 20, magnesium 12 → 24, silicon 14 → 28, calcium 20 → 40. Learn the six that break the rule: H is 1 (no neutron), Be is 9, N is 14, Cl is 35.5 (a mixture of two isotopes), Ar is 40 and K is 39 (argon is heavier than potassium; it is the one place the table is not in mass order). From 21 to 30 the masses go 45, 48, 51, 52, 55, 56, 59, 59, 63.5, 65: "up by 3, 3, 1, 3, 1, 3, 0, 4.5, 1.5", or simply learn Fe 56, Cu 63.5 and Zn 65, which are the three that appear in calculations.

Valency in one rule

Valency at school is the number of electrons an atom gives, takes or shares to reach a full outer shell, and for the first 20 elements it follows the group: groups 1, 2 and 13 give 1, 2 and 3 electrons (valency 1, 2, 3); group 14 shares 4 (valency 4); groups 15, 16 and 17 take 3, 2 and 1 (valency 3, 2, 1); group 18 does nothing (valency 0). So the valencies of Li to Ne read 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, and Na to Ar read the same 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. That pattern is worth more than any list. The transition metals 21 to 30 have more than one valency because they can lose electrons from two shells; for exams up to IGCSE the ones that matter are iron (2 and 3), copper (1 and 2) and zinc (2), and the exam tells you which one applies.

The four-day plan

• Day 1: sentence one, written three times with symbols; then the table row for each of the ten elements read once. Ten minutes.
• Day 2: sentence two the same way; sentence one from memory first. Ten minutes.
• Day 3: sentence three; both earlier ones from memory. Fifteen minutes.
• Day 4: blank grid, 30 rows, fill symbol, atomic number and valency from memory; check against the table; write the misses five times. Fifteen minutes.
• Then: the blank grid once a week for a month. After that it is permanent.

Children who learn it this way in Class 9 or Year 9 do not relearn it for Class 10, IGCSE or the first year of A-Level; the electronic configurations of the first 20, which come next, hang on the atomic numbers they already have.

What we do

Our chemistry classes are one tutor with one child, mapped to the child's board (CBSE, IGCSE, GCSE, MYP, the Australian or US curriculum), and the periodic table is taught as a pattern, not a list, which is why our students keep it. The first 30-minute class is free; bring the chapter and we will show the child the trick live on the whiteboard. Details on the chemistry tutoring page.

Questions parents ask

See how we teach this, 1-on-1 online →