PeriodicTableOfElements.org
Learning and science
interactive periodic table
SHOW HN2026
How HN took it
7 positive, 2 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 7 critical, out of 18 comments about the project. Thread score -0.03.
Design: 4 for, 2 againstDocs: 0 for, 2 againstExecution: 0 for, 2 againstIdea: 1 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Fun, useful educational tool with responsive maker
From 4 comments
...and then he (me) cites <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond>, first paragraph. Thanks for responding well — a neat tool. As second suggestion: this probably looks great on a…
ProllyInfamous on HNBruhhh this came out so nice for'real: >> <https://i.imgur.com/hswLkAt.png> Beryllium finally has a use (as explanatory element)! The American Chemical Society rejoices... ----…
ProllyInfamous on HNOh perfect timing, my son was asking me what that table was when we saw it in a show the other day. Thanks :D
marak830 on HNCool project. Could see this being useful embedded in LMS platforms or educational sites via iframe. Any plans to allow iframe embedding?
oskorykh on HN
Objections
Mobile tap and close interactions were janky
From 4 comments
2 Criticisms: - On mobile, it's quite hard to hit the X to close an element description. With my specific screen size, I always end up opening Darmstadtium. - The Element quiz…
heckelson on HNStupid bug on Android Firefox. Scrolling to the side opens description
gitowiec on HNThe tap interaction is a bit janky on mobile.
dddgghhbbfblk on HNTooltip positioning is poor. Also colours are hard to distinguish and layout of table could be better in mobile.
dzhiurgis on HN
Factual errors in the data, such as thermal conductivity claim
From 1 comment
This has (at least) one error: silver is not the most thermally-conductive element (carbon is, as diamond). It is the most thermally-conductive metal. Only pointing this out…
ProllyInfamous on HN
Possibly vibe-coded with no AI disclosure
From 3 comments
I can indeed see some UI patterns that are indicative of vibe coding. So what? Did something like this exist before, with the same level of interactivity? I certainly had not…
p-a_58213 on HNEvery Show HN should come with an AI disclosure detailing exactly how much AI was used to create it. It's not that using AI is bad per se, but I don't want to be a human…
zarzavat on HNWe're considering how to improve the way Show HNs are evaluated and presented. Lately we've had to think deeply about exactly what has changed about Show HNs in the era of…
tomhow on HN
Requests
Show more details in larger displays and popups
From 2 comments
...and then he (me) cites <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond>, first paragraph. Thanks for responding well — a neat tool. As second suggestion: this probably looks great on a…
ProllyInfamous on HN[•] <https://i.imgur.com/byGGVjd.png> Much prettier. Could easily have larger pop-ups (entire point is to get information on elements, no?) <https://i.imgur.com/IVx5MY5.png>…
ProllyInfamous on HN
Add a timeline or time-travel view of discovery
From 1 comment
Beautiful. Another approach to visualizing the discovery of elements would be a "time travel" feature, where you see a timeline with just years below the table and can click on a…
amadeuspagel on HN
Add oxidation states and more element properties
From 1 comment
Needs this! Highly relevant for us geochemists https://railsback.org/PT.html#Popups
thirtygeo on HN
Questions
Where does the table data come from?
From 2 comments
Where did you get the information in the table? I’m aware there are many open sources, I’m asking where you copied from.
hyperhello on HNWhere *ClaudeCode copied from
camillomiller on HN
Alternatives named
Railsback periodic table with popups
From 1 comment
Needs this! Highly relevant for us geochemists https://railsback.org/PT.html#Popups
thirtygeo on HN
Encarta and DVD-ROM encyclopedias
From 1 comment
> Did something like this exist before, with the same level of interactivity? Yes, many of them. There have been online interactive tables of the elements since the early days of…
perilunar on HN