Current location:

Collection Storage Facility

Provenance:

National Research Council Canada

Technical history:

This artifact is a 3-D representation of the periodic table of elements. Alternative periodic tables, like this model, are developed to highlight or emphasize different chemical or physical properties of the elements that are not as apparent in traditional periodic tables. According to its designer, Dr. Don Stedman, this arrangement has the advantage of separating each type of element without ambiguity.

History:

Dr. Don Stedman from the National Research Council Canada designed this 3-D periodic table in the 1940s. Stedman considered many factors and characteristics of the elements as he designed his models. While in this model all the usual groups of elements are found, changes from one group to another are also represented, and their origins are more easily understood. Stedman believed that his model gave more insight into “the orderly development and classification of the elements.”

Interactive 3D Model: