The periodic spiral of elements

Abstract

There are 2 main problems with the current periodic table: artificial breaks from a given noble gas to the next alkali metal (along with the common protrusion of the “f” block) and hydrogen placed in the alkali group, although this gas also exhibits halogen properties. This paper proposes arranging chemical elements in a square spiral with hydrogen at the centre. This element is also above lithium but passes above fluorine to connect with helium, representing its dual alkali and halogen nature effectively. Then the spiral moves outwards in a counter-clockwise direction, avoiding artificial breaks and following the natural direction of reading for the “s” and “p” blocks elements placed at the bottom of the spiral. Furthermore, this proposed square spiral improves upon previous Janet´s and Benfey´s representations with a more regular shape to draw, an effective depiction of the dual nature of hydrogen, and easily identifiable orbital blocks without the need for protrusions.