I wish I would have had this program years ago. I plan on telling my colleagues and all of the students I tutor about this easy to use periodic table of the elements. This is an excellent program that provides the user with a very user friendly periodic table. In case you don’t know already, you will learn to depend on and need a periodic table to succeed in any chemistry course in both high school and college. Please note that the table itself at first glance might look a bit odd.
When I first opened it, almost half of the elements on the periodic table were liquids. For anyone that has seen a periodic table before or has a small understanding of the physical world, you are going to find it hard to swallow that interesting fallacy. I immediately thought that this program was crap until I played around with it, and discovered that to the right of the screen there is a thermometer graphic that is set at a ridiculously high temperature. When I brought the temperature down to room temperature (293.16 Kelvin or just K as it is displayed on the screen) the periodic table that I have grown to love, appears as it should. Above the periodic table, between beryllium
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(BE) and Boron (B) is the information box divided into 2 parts. One part shows the element, and the other shows the properties. When you click on an element the full name, atomic number, and mass are displayed. To see more information about the element you can right click the element on the periodic table, not the information box, or you can click the tiny arrows up or down next to the properties box. At this point you will see a list of properties pertaining to that element. Some of the unique features that this program provides are the useful facts such as the electronic configuration, naturally occurring isotopes (percentages), Oxidation numbers, and electronegativity. For anyone who is just starting out in chemistry, these terms sound like a foreign language, but you will see as you get into the class that these features help out a lot. The next feature that is available for use is a very nifty calculator that allows you to very quickly find the molar mass of compounds. Reading the help section before you start using the calculator is recommended. On the calculator there is a function button next to the 1 that gives you a list of many standard constants and measurements that you will need for many calculations seen in chemistry courses. Of course you can also use it as a regular calculator and for anyone who hates figuring out scientific notation, the calculator will do it for you. If you are having problems or like me, you like to read the instructions before you use something, the snowflake button will guide you through the program with an easy to read help section. This is the end of the useful parts of the program. All that is left is the some what interesting translations of the element’s name in different languages at the bottom of the screen, and you can hit the start button under the thermometer to see what physical state an element will be in as it is heated up or cooled. All in all this program is an excellent addition to any student faced with the daunting challenge of a chemistry class.
