Elements 1 to 10
Elements 1 to 10: a chapter of The Periodic Table Book, with each element's symbol, number and story.
11 cards · Science
Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the chapter a few at a time.
Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 27 Oct 2026
Sources: Periodic Table of Elements (IUPAC), Periodic Table (Royal Society of Chemistry)
Preview
Symbol: H
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Hydrogen
Learn more: About three quarters of the normal matter in the universe by mass; stars shine by fusing it into helium.
Element 2
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Helium
Learn more: Seen in the Sun's light in 1868 before it was found on Earth; its name comes from Helios, the Greek Sun.
Symbol: Li
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Lithium
Learn more: The lightest metal: it floats on oil, and stores the energy in rechargeable batteries.
Symbol: Be
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Beryllium
Learn more: Light and stiff, it is used in spacecraft and in the mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope.
Symbol: B
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Boron
Learn more: Glass made with boron survives sudden heat, which is why lab glass and some ovenware use it.
About this topic
The first row of the periodic table holds just hydrogen and helium; the second runs from lithium to neon. These ten elements include the gas that fuels the stars, the metal in your phone's battery, the element every living thing is built on and the air you breathe. Each card shows a symbol or an atomic number and asks for the element's name, with a fact about where you meet it.
This is a chapter of The Periodic Table Book. Each card shows a symbol or an atomic number and asks for the element's name, with a hint before you answer and a fact after.
All 11 cards
Symbol: H
Hydrogen
Learn more: About three quarters of the normal matter in the universe by mass; stars shine by fusing it into helium.
Element 2
Helium
Learn more: Seen in the Sun's light in 1868 before it was found on Earth; its name comes from Helios, the Greek Sun.
Symbol: Li
Lithium
Learn more: The lightest metal: it floats on oil, and stores the energy in rechargeable batteries.
Symbol: Be
Beryllium
Learn more: Light and stiff, it is used in spacecraft and in the mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope.
Symbol: B
Boron
Learn more: Glass made with boron survives sudden heat, which is why lab glass and some ovenware use it.
Element 6
Carbon
Learn more: Diamond and graphite are both pure carbon, and it is the backbone of every living thing.
Symbol: N
Nitrogen
Learn more: About 78% of the air is nitrogen; plants need it, which is why fertilisers contain it.
Symbol: O
Oxygen
Learn more: It makes up about 21% of the air and is the most common element in Earth's crust by mass.
Symbol: F
Fluorine
Learn more: The most reactive element of all; as fluoride, it helps protect teeth from decay.
Element 10
Neon
Learn more: A noble gas: it hardly reacts with anything, and glows red-orange when electricity runs through it.
Group of helium, neon and argon, which hardly react
Noble gases
Learn more: With full outer electron shells they rarely react, so they were long called inert gases.
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