How to read the AQA sheet
Each box has four lines. The relative atomic mass sits at the top, then the symbol, then the name. The atomic number, which is the number of protons, is at the bottom.
AQA numbers the main groups 1 to 7, then 0 for the noble gases. The transition metals in the middle block have no group number.
AQA rounds almost every mass to a whole number. The two exceptions are chlorine at 35.5 and copper at 63.5, and a note under AQA's table points them out.
Elements AQA leaves out
AQA prints 90 elements. It drops the lanthanides (atomic numbers 58 to 71) and the actinides (90 to 103). Lanthanum and actinium stay in, in the third column of periods 6 and 7.
Some masses are in square brackets, such as [98] for technetium. These elements are radioactive, and the number is the mass number of their most stable isotope.
Relative formula mass with AQA numbers
Relative formula mass (Mr) is what you get when you add up the relative atomic masses of every atom in a formula. Take calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2. The bracket holds one oxygen and one hydrogen, and the 2 after it doubles both.
- Ca: 1 × 40 = 40
- O: 2 × 16 = 32
- H: 2 × 1 = 2
- Mr = 40 + 32 + 2 = 74
Copper sulfate, CuSO4, comes to 159.5. The half comes from copper. The calculator above the text does the same working for any formula you type, with AQA's numbers only.
If your school uses another board
Pearson Edexcel prints the same whole numbers as AQA, but its table stops at radon. Open the Edexcel GCSE table to check. The periodic table hub compares all five sheets.
Teachers can put this page on the board in a lesson. Our page for teachers explains how the site works in class.
AQA periodic table questions
Is this the same periodic table I get in the AQA exam?
It has the same values as the insert AQA hands out with GCSE Chemistry (8462) and Combined Science (8464 and 8465) papers. The link under the table opens AQA's own copy.
Why is argon 40 here but 39.9 on the OCR sheet?
Both come from the same average mass for argon. AQA rounds it to a whole number, and OCR keeps one decimal place.
What do the square brackets around a mass mean?
They mark a radioactive element. The number in the brackets is the mass number of that element's most stable isotope.