May 1, 2015 (Vol. 35, No. 9)
Rating:
Strong Points: Easy to scroll through information, various table formats
Weak Points: Awkward to use on iPad due to screen rotation
Platform:
iPad/iPhone
Cost:
Free
Summary:
The Quick Periodic Table of the Elements app gives users a slightly different take on the periodic table. Instead of just presenting a single version that’s color-coded the traditional way (by chemical categories such as alkali metals and noble gases), this app also offers three alternatively color-coded tables for easy viewing, depending on what you’re looking for. The first color-codes based on metals, nonmetals and metalloids; the second is grouped by valence electron configuration; and the third color-codes based on the highest-energy occupied orbital. Within these different table views, users can select an element and scroll through four information tabs that correspond to an element’s chemical, atomic, mechanical, and physical properties. The app also includes an option to not browse the elements in a table format at all, but rather in a list that can be organized by name, atomic number, or symbol.
