Title: Theory / Unimportant / Experimental / Chemistry / Periodic table memory pegs

Name: Hydrogen
Number: 1
Symbol: H
Memory sentence: Hydrant. Blue for "first place" (blue ribbon) and for water, its principal compound; tall and thin, shaped like a "1". Hydrant sounds like hydrogen (both refer to water).

Name: Helium
Number: 2
Symbol: He
Memory sentence: Helium Balloon. Silver colored for "second place" (silver medal); a noble color for a noble gas.

Name: Lithium
Number: 3
Symbol: Li
Memory sentence: Lithium watch battery, 3-volt. Lilac colored (sounds like lithium and all three natural minerals are lilac colored).

Name: Beryllium
Number: 4
Symbol: Be
Memory sentence: Beryl-studded Belt Buckle. Rectangular (4 sides), with four pink beryls (beryl is a pink gem: beryllium aluminum silicate).

Name: Boron
Number: 5
Symbol: B
Memory sentence: Box of Borax. 5-pound box, dark brown, the color of pure boron (borax is hydrated sodium borate).

Name: Carbon
Number: 6
Symbol: C
Memory sentence: Charcoal pencil. Black, the color of charcoal and also of graphite (carbon) in pencil leads. Hexagonal (6-sided).

Name: Nitrogen
Number: 7
Symbol: N
Memory sentence: Dynamite, or Nitroglycerin. Two red sticks, shaped like a "7" (most explosives contain nitrogen).

Name: Oxygen
Number: 8
Symbol: O
Memory sentence: Oxygen-filled Life preservers. White for air, which preserves life. Two of them touching, shaped like an "8".

Name: Fluorine
Number: 9
Symbol: F
Memory sentence: Fluoride Toothpaste. Purple, the color of the mineral fluorite (calcium fluoride), and shaped like a "9".

Name: Neon
Number: 10
Symbol: Ne
Memory sentence: Neon Sign. Shaped like a "10", flashing orange, like the orange/red color of neon in neon signs.

Name: Sodium
Number: 11
Symbol: Na
Memory sentence: Narrow Soda Crackers. Two of them, bright yellow, shaped like an "11", like the bright yellow sodium D spectral lines. Sodium is named for soda (sodium carbonate).

Name: Magnesium
Number: 12
Symbol: Mg
Memory sentence: Mug. 12 oz. green mug made of olivine (magnesium silicate), filled with milk of magnesia (magnesium hydroxide). Magnesium in chlorophyll gives plants their green color.

Name: Aluminum
Number: 13
Symbol: Al
Memory sentence: Aluminum Ladder. Unlucky to walk under, and 13 is unlucky. Turquoise (blue-green) colored (turquoise is hydrated aluminum phosphate).

Name: Silicon
Number: 14
Symbol: Si
Memory sentence: Silicon Chip. It as 14 pins, and is the tan color of sand (silicon dioxide) or sandstone (silica).

Name: Phosphorus
Number: 15
Symbol: P
Memory sentence: Phosphorus Matches. Red/white striped book of 15, heads white, striker red (there are both white and red forms of phosphorus). The matches could light the dynamite (nitrogen) in the periodic table.

Name: Sulfur
Number: 16
Symbol: S
Memory sentence: Sulfuric Acid. One pint (16 oz.), pale yellow in a flask.

Name: Chlorine
Number: 17
Symbol: Cl
Memory sentence: Clorox. Yellow-green bottle, the color of chlorine gas ("chloros" means yellow-green in Greek). Cleans 17 ways (Clorox is sodium hypochlorite). Note that Clorox has no letter "h" making it easy to remember the abbreviation Cl.

Name: Argon
Number: 18
Symbol: Ar
Memory sentence: Argon-filled Fluorescent Light. 18-inch, sky-blue (air is 1% argon).

Name: Potassium
Number: 19
Symbol: K
Memory sentence: Kettle, or Pot of gray Ashes. 19th-century way to make soap from potash (potassium is named for potash, potassium carbonate or hydroxide, which is named for the pot of ashes used to obtain it).

Name: Calcium
Number: 20
Symbol: Ca
Memory sentence: Calcite Pearls. Ivory A string of 20 pearls. Calcite is a form of calcium carbonate.

Name: Scandium
Number: 21
Symbol: Sc
Memory sentence: Scandal Page. One should be 21 years old to read the scandal page of the newspaper.

Name: Titanium
Number: 22
Symbol: Ti
Memory sentence: Titanic. The Titanic had ~2200 passengers when it hit an iceberg and sank.

Name: Vanadium
Number: 23
Symbol: V
Memory sentence: Chev Van. 23-passenger van made with vanadium steel.

Name: Chromium
Number: 24
Symbol: Cr
Memory sentence: Chrome-plated Creamer. 24-oz. pitcher of cream.

Name: Manganese
Number: 25
Symbol: Mn
Memory sentence: Autumn Mangos. 25 of them.

Name: Iron
Number: 26
Symbol: Fe
Memory sentence: Ferris Wheel. 26-seats and made of iron. Sounds like "ferrous", which refers to iron.

Name: Cobalt
Number: 27
Symbol: Co
Memory sentence: Cobblestone. It is a 3" cube, so it has a volume of 27 cubic inches.

Name: Nickel
Number: 28
Symbol: Ni
Memory sentence: Nickel. In 1928, the year before the Great Depression, people had more money (a nickel) than in the next year ('29). The U.S. coin called a "nickel" is (partly) made of nickel.

Name: Copper
Number: 29
Symbol: Cu
Memory sentence: Copper Penny. The Currency during the Great Depression, which began in '29.

Name: Zinc
Number: 30
Symbol: Zn
Memory sentence: Brazen and zinc sink. Made of galvanized iron (iron coated with zinc), with $30 brass (brazen means brass) faucet. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Sink sounds like zinc.

Name: Gallium
Number: 31
Symbol: Ga
Memory sentence: Galleon. The old Spanish galleons had three masts, each of which looked like a "1", to remind us of 31.

Name: Germanium
Number: 32
Symbol: Ge
Memory sentence: German beer. A quart stein (32 fl. oz.) of German beer. Germanium was named for Germany.

Name: Arsenic
Number: 33
Symbol: As
Memory sentence: A skull & crossbones. Rat poison is arsenic trioxide, commonly called simply "arsenic". In other forms, such as is found in apples, arsenic is nutritious. Arsenic has three natural varieties: black, gray, and yellow, as shown by the three colors in the icon.

Name: Selenium
Number: 34
Symbol: Se
Memory sentence: Sensitive solar cell leaning. Leaning at a 34° angle off vertical. Sounds like selenium. Solar cells often contain selenium.

Name: Bromine
Number: 35
Symbol: Br
Memory sentence: Broom. 35 Bristles (seven rows of five). In the periodic table, note that all the elements in this column are cleaners.

Name: Krypton
Number: 36
Symbol: Kr
Memory sentence: Krypton Yardstick. One yard is 36 inches. Krypton gas was used (until 1983) to define the scientific unit of length, the meter, which is about a yard long.

Name: Rubidium
Number: 37
Symbol: Rb
Memory sentence: Superb ruby. Red ruby, 37-carat.

Name: Strontium
Number: 38
Symbol: Sr
Memory sentence: Israeli Strongbox. Bright red because the red in most fireworks is from strontium. It weighs 38 pounds.

Name: Yttrium
Number: 39
Symbol: Y
Memory sentence: A Tree. Y-shaped, with a "39" carved in it. Sounds like yttrium.

Name: Zirconium
Number: 40
Symbol: Zr
Memory sentence: Ezra's Zircon Ring. Only cost $40.

Name: Niobium
Number: 41
Symbol: Nb
Memory sentence: Unbearable Onion. "For one" person only. Sounds like Niobium and like "4,1". In Greek mythology, Niobe wept for the loss of her children, like an onion makes you weep.

Name: Molybdenum
Number: 42
Symbol: Mo
Memory sentence: Molly's Denims. 42" waist. Sounds like Molybdenum.

Name: Technetium
Number: 43
Symbol: Tc
Memory sentence: Dutch Technician. 43 years old. Technetium was made synthetically; it is not stable enough to be found in nature.

Name: Ruthenium
Number: 44
Symbol: Ru
Memory sentence: Ruth's hen. Its feet look like 44 and "Ruth's hen" sounds like Ruthenium. It is also by the wren and ostrich in the periodic table.

Name: Rhodium
Number: 45
Symbol: Rh
Memory sentence: Road in Rhode Island. Speed limit 45 mph.

Name: Palladium
Number: 46
Symbol: Pd
Memory sentence: Top dog Palace. The sultan has 46 wives in its 46 towers, which look like "46".

Name: Silver
Number: 47
Symbol: Ag
Memory sentence: Agnes's Silver Dime. '47 was A Good year after WWII. (Silver is "argentum" in Latin).

Name: Cadmium
Number: 48
Symbol: Cd
Memory sentence: CD Caddy. The caddy holds 4 dozen (48) CDs.

Name: Indium
Number: 49
Symbol: In
Memory sentence: India Ink. 49-cent bottle.

Name: Tin
Number: 50
Symbol: Sn
Memory sentence: Tin Can. Contains 50 Snails. Tin cans are made of steel sometimes covered with a thin layer of tin.

Name: Antimony
Number: 51
Symbol: Sb
Memory sentence: Ant money. Taking small bills ($5 and $1) to its passbook account.

Name: Tellurium
Number: 52
Symbol: Te
Memory sentence: Deck of 52 Cards. "Tell your" fortune (sounds like Tellurium).

Name: Iodine
Number: 53
Symbol: I
Memory sentence: Iodine. Bottle costs 53 cents.

Name: Xenon
Number: 54
Symbol: Xe
Memory sentence: Zenith television, watching "Xena". On channel 54; a TV tube contains xenon gas.

Name: Cesium
Number: 55
Symbol: Cs
Memory sentence: Cesium Standard Clock. A physics clock. It reads 5:05; time to go home.

Name: Barium
Number: 56
Symbol: Ba
Memory sentence: Bad Berries. Poisonous. About 5/6 of all white berries are poisonous (really). Black are usually edible.

Name: Lanthanum
Number: 57
Symbol: La
Memory sentence: Lantern. 57 candlepower.

Name: Cerium
Number: 58
Symbol: Ce
Memory sentence: Cereal bowl. Has 58 nutrients.

Name: Praseodymium
Number: 59
Symbol: Pr
Memory sentence: Praying mantis. Eats 59 bugs.

Name: Neodymium
Number: 60
Symbol: Nd
Memory sentence: No Dim Lights. Triangular sign has 60° angles. Bright lights can blind.

Name: Promethium
Number: 61
Symbol: Pm
Memory sentence: Prominent fire. Fire is needed after 6:10 p.m. Prometheus brought fire to mankind. The flames look like 61.

Name: Samarium
Number: 62
Symbol: Sm
Memory sentence: Small samurai sword. 62 generations of use.

Name: Europium
Number: 63
Symbol: Eu
Memory sentence: European rope (63 feet long).

Name: Gadolinium
Number: 64
Symbol: Gd
Memory sentence: Magdalene's Cattle. "Cattle" sounds like "gadol"inium. Checkerboard pattern (a checkerboard has 8x8 = 64 squares).

Name: Terbium
Number: 65
Symbol: Tb
Memory sentence: Bright blue turban. 65" long.

Name: Dysprosium
Number: 66
Symbol: Dy
Memory sentence: Dandy disposal. Disposes garbage in 6.6 seconds.

Name: Holmium
Number: 67
Symbol: Ho
Memory sentence: Home. This home has room for 6 or 7 children.

Name: Erbium
Number: 68
Symbol: Er
Memory sentence: Herb (Erbium Er). The stems and leaves form a hidden 68 in the picture.

Name: Thulium
Number: 69
Symbol: Tm
Memory sentence: Christmas Tulip. Red and green for Christmas. 69 kinds.

Name: Ytterbium
Number: 70
Symbol: Yb
Memory sentence: Ladybug Litterbag. A litterbag (small portable trash bag), which sounds like Ytterbium, with a ladybug picture on it with 70 spots. Litterbags were popular in the '70s.

Name: Lutetium
Number: 71
Symbol: Lu
Memory sentence: Lute (Lutetium Lu). 7 Strings on 1 Lute (71).

Name: Hafnium
Number: 72
Symbol: Hf
Memory sentence: Faithful Half Dollar. 72 is half a gross (of 144). Also, there are 72 ounces of silver in $100 of silver halves (or quarters or dimes). The ones dated 1964 or earlier are silver.

Name: Tantalum
Number: 73
Symbol: Ta
Memory sentence: Tan Tall Man. He is 7'3" tall basketball player.

Name: Tungsten
Number: 74
Symbol: W
Memory sentence: Westinghouse light bulb. 74 Watt, with tungsten filament. Another name for tungsten is Wolfram, which explains the abbreviation.

Name: Rhenium
Number: 75
Symbol: Re
Memory sentence: Wren. Visualize 75 of them on a telephone line.

Name: Osmium
Number: 76
Symbol: Os
Memory sentence: Ostrich. 7'6" Tall. Also, its neck & head look like a "7" and its body like a "6".

Name: Iridium
Number: 77
Symbol: Ir
Memory sentence: Iridescent Rainbow. 7 Colors in a rainbow (77). Iris was the Greek goddess of the rainbow.

Name: Platinum
Number: 78
Symbol: Pt
Memory sentence: Platinum Record. The old kind that rotated at a speed of 78 rpm. Recorded by "The Egyptians". A platinum recording sold more copies than a gold, and platinum is worth more than gold.

Name: Gold
Number: 79
Symbol: Au
Memory sentence: Gold Coin. A '79 A.U. (Almost Uncirculated). The Latin word for gold is "aurum".

Name: Mercury
Number: 80
Symbol: Hg
Memory sentence: High-grade Thermometer. Showing 80 degrees.

Name: Thallium
Number: 81
Symbol: Tl
Memory sentence: Tallow Candle. 81. Looks like a "1" and sounds like "tallow". Used in castles.

Name: Lead
Number: 82
Symbol: Pb
Memory sentence: Lead Plumbing. Under the cupboard. 82% lead. The Latin word for lead is "plumbum".

Name: Bismuth
Number: 83
Symbol: Bi
Memory sentence: Pepto Bismol. I "ate 3" teaspoons of Pepto Bismol (sounds like "83"). Pepto Bismol contains bismuth subsalicylate.

Name: Polonium
Number: 84
Symbol: Po
Memory sentence: Polo Stick. 7 dozen (84) polo sticks.

Name: Astatine
Number: 85
Symbol: At
Memory sentence: A tall Aster (85 petals). The flowers, stem, and leaf form an "85".

Name: Radon
Number: 86
Symbol: Rn
Memory sentence: Radar warning. Protection for 86 miles.

Name: Francium
Number: 87
Symbol: Fr
Memory sentence: France's Eiffel Tower construction started in 1887 and finished for the World's Fair to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution.

Name: Radium
Number: 88
Symbol: Ra
Memory sentence: Radio. Piano music (88 keys) on FM 88.

Name: Actinium
Number: 89
Symbol: Ac
Memory sentence: Actor. He won 89 Oscars.

Name: Thorium
Number: 90
Symbol: Th
Memory sentence: Thorn. Thorns stick out at 90° angle.

Name: Protactinium
Number: 91
Symbol: Pa
Memory sentence: Paper protractor. Measuring 91°, one degree more than a right angle. Use it to measure the angle of the thorns next to it.

Name: Uranium
Number: 92
Symbol: U
Memory sentence: Uranium A-Bomb. 92 kilotons. Memorize Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (the planets in a row) for 92, 93, 94.

Name: Neptunium
Number: 93
Symbol: Np
Memory sentence: Neptunian pitchfork. Neptune's trident is 9' long with 3 prongs. Memorize Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (the planets in a row) for 92, 93, 94.

Name: Plutonium
Number: 94
Symbol: Pu
Memory sentence: Pluto the Pup. Mickey Mouse's dog. Memorize Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (the planets in a row) for 92, 93, 94, and remember that Pluto's ears look like a "94".

Name: Americium
Number: 95
Symbol: Am
Memory sentence: American flag. Cost $95.

Name: Curium
Number: 96
Symbol: Cm
Memory sentence: Acme's curious curtains. For a standard 8-foot tall room (96").

Name: Berkelium
Number: 97
Symbol: Bk
Memory sentence: Rib knit Beret. '97 style. Named for Berkeley, California, where berets have been seen.

Name: Californium
Number: 98
Symbol: Cf
Memory sentence: Cauli-flower. Remember Berkeley, California, are consecutive and that there is a 98 hidden in the cauliflower. California produces a lot of cauliflower.

Name: Einsteinium
Number: 99
Symbol: Es
Memory sentence: Einstein's esoteric earrings. The hidden meaning is that his theory predicts you can only go 99.999...% of the speed of light.

Name: Fermium
Number: 100
Symbol: Fm
Memory sentence: Fur mink. "Fur" sounds like fermium. It cost 100 thousand dollars and is 100% real fur from mink.

Name: Mendelevium
Number: 101
Symbol: Md
Memory sentence: Mental M.D.. They work on brains. Mental MDs all took Psychology 101.

Name: Nobelium
Number: 102
Symbol: No
Memory sentence: No Bell. The red bar divides the picture into two parts, to remember 102.

Name: Lawrencium
Number: 103
Symbol: Lr
Memory sentence: Laurel Wreath. It has 103 leaves, and this one was also made with bulrushes.

Name: Rutherfordium
Number: 104
Symbol: Rf
Memory sentence: Ruth's perfect Ford. It has 4 wheels and Ford sounds like"four" to remember 104. The Model T was so "perfect" that is was popular for many years.

Name: Dubnium
Number: 105
Symbol: Db
Memory sentence: 105 decibels dubstep music. The sound level in concert halls reaches 105 decibels. Dubstep sounds like dubnium, and the musical notes looks like a "d" and a "b".

Name: Seaborgium
Number: 106
Symbol: Sg
Memory sentence: Scary cyborg (sounds like seaborgium). Its hexagonal eye reminds of the six in 106; its blue eye reminds of the sea.

Name: Bohrium
Number: 107
Symbol: Bh
Memory sentence: Niels Bohr went to heaven (rhymes with 107). He got an award from the Royal Danish Academy in 1907. Clouds are the border to heaven.

Name: Nihonium
Number: 113
Symbol: Nh
Memory sentence: The Americans were pretty unlucky that the Japanese discovered this element before them. 13 is said to be an unlucky number and Nihon is another word for Japan.