Explore the period table from the comforts of your Linux computer’s desktop with the help of this simple app
What’s new in Elements 1.2.1:
- navigation with direction keys
- art small CSS changes
- hammer_and_pick fixed a small issue with hydrogen
The period table story is quite fascinating. Originally drew up by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869, today’s version of the periodic table is much more complex.
Nevertheless, the table is still a very valuable tool for students and scientists from all around the world for the same reasons why it was important when it was first invented.
It’s used to organize elements according to similar properties. This allows you to tell the characteristics of any element just by looking at its location on the table.
A quick search on the Internet will wield tons of results if you require to check the period table, and there are even some decent desktop apps out there.
A stylish and modern app for chemistry enthusiasts
Most period table apps are not something to write about, both in terms of functionality and look. However, Elements is a bit different.
Elements is an Electron-based app that brings the period table to your computer’s desktop via a very stylish GUI. In short, it’s a wrapper for the <chemical-element-visualisation> web app, and the results are quite good.
What can you expect?
For starters, there’s not a lot that Elements can do besides displaying the period element and each element’s properties on your desktop.
The Settings section allows you to choose the language, the temperature units (Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin), and one of two provided GUI themes (Light and Dark).
Click any element on the table, and the app instantly displays an atom animation (nucleus, neutrons, electrons, and protons), as well as the atomic number, the atomic weight, the electronegativity value, and boiling and melting points of the element in question.
Verdict
While not exactly the most advanced app out there, Elements is still very interesting. It looks good, and it does a good job of providing you with all the basic information about all the elements of the period table.
Better yet, it may be a lot handier to use since it doesn’t require you to use a web browser.
