Reciting the Elements

notes
Reciting the elements in under 2 minutes.
Author

Stephen J. Mildenhall

Published

2025-09-05

Modified

2025-09-05

I can haltingly “recite” the elements in about 5 minutes. Tom Lehrer sings them in under 50 seconds—up to Lawrencium 103. Rhythm and chunking help fluency. This post contains all the elements forced into quatrains and highlights some tricky transitions.

Transitions

Halogens, noble gasses, alkali metals
and alkaline earth metals

Fluorine and Neon, Sodium, Magnesium.

Chlorine and Argon, Potassium and Calcium.

Bromine and Krypton, Rubidium, Strontium.

Iodine, Xenon, Cesium and Barium.

Astatine, Radon, Francium and Radium.

Semi-metals or poor-metals
and non-metals

Boron and Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen.

Aluminum, Silicon, Phosphorus and Sulfur.

Gallium, Germanium, Arsenic, Selenium.

Indium, Tin, Antimony, Tellurium.

Thallium, Lead, Bismuth, Polonium.

Full Table

Hydrogen,
Helium,
Lithium,
Beryllium,

Boron and,
Carbon,
Nitrogen,
Oxygen,

Fluorine and,
Neon,
Sodium,
Magnesium,

Aluminum,
Silicon,
Phosphorus and,
Sulfur,

Chlorine and,
Argon,
Potassium and,
Calcium,

Scandium,
Titanium,
Vanadium and,
Chromium,

Manganese,
Iron,
and malty,
Cobalt,

Nickel then,
Copper, and
in a blink,
Zinc.

Gallium,
Germanium,
Arsenic,
Selenium,

Bromine and,
Krypton,
Rubidium,
Stron-tium,

Yttrium,
Zirconium,
Niobium,
Molybdenum,

Technetium,
Ruthenium,
Rhodium, and
Palladium,

a premium in,
Silver and,
Cadmium,
colorful,

Indium,
Tin,
Antimony,
Tellurium,

Iodine,
Xenon,
Cesium and,
Barium,

Lanthanum,
Cerium,
Praseodymium,
Neodymium,

Promethium,
Samarium,
Europium,
Gadolinium,

Terbium,
Dysprosium,
Holmium and,
Erbium,

Thulium,
Ytterbium,
and next there’s,
Lutetium,

Hafnium,
Tantalum,
Tungsten and,
Rhenium,

Osmium,
Iridium,
Platinum and,
Gold,

then comes,
Mercury,
and others,
unsavory,

Thallium,
Lead,
Bismuth,
Polonium,

Astatine,
Radon,
Francium and,
Radium,

Actinium,
Thorium,
Protactinium,
Uranium,

Neptunium,
Plutonium,
Americium and,
Curium,

Berkelium,
Californium,
Einsteinium and,
Fermium,

Mendelevium,
Nobelium,
and Ernest,
Lawrencium,

Rutherfordium,
Dubnium,
Seaborgium,
agreed,

from Germany,
Bohrium,
Hassium and,
Meitnerium,

along with,
Darmstadtium,
Roentgenium and,
Copernicium,

from Japan hail
Nihonium,
all on its
own-ium,

Flerovium,
Moscovium,
Livermorium,
Tennessine,

when finally,
Oganesson,
ends the lesson.