The Periodic Table Song has become one of the most successful and enduring pieces of educational pop culture, transforming the daunting task of memorizing 118 chemical elements into a viral, earworm-worthy experience. As of today, December 10, 2025, the most relevant and comprehensive version is the 2018 update by the YouTube channel AsapSCIENCE, which managed to incorporate all the newly named elements, providing a complete and current resource for students and science enthusiasts worldwide.
The success of the song highlights a profound truth about human learning: music is a powerful mnemonic device. From the original 1959 classic by Tom Lehrer to the modern, fast-paced rap of AsapSCIENCE, these tunes leverage musical memory to help us retain complex information like atomic numbers, chemical symbols, and element names that would otherwise be difficult to recall. This article provides the complete, updated lyrics and delves into the history and educational impact of this chemical masterpiece.
The Masterminds of Modern Science Music: Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown (AsapSCIENCE)
The duo behind the viral sensation, AsapSCIENCE, has revolutionized how millions of people consume complex scientific information. Their engaging, whiteboard-animated videos simplify everything from quantum mechanics to the science of hangovers, making them pioneers in digital science education.
- Mitchell Moffit: Born March 27, 1988, Mitchell is a Canadian YouTuber and co-creator of AsapSCIENCE. He has always been driven to understand the world and is the primary vocalist for many of their popular songs.
- Gregory Brown: Born September 25, 1988, Gregory is the other half of the Canadian duo. He is a queer science teacher, social media star, and co-creator, focusing on the educational structure and scriptwriting for their content.
- Channel Launch: AsapSCIENCE was launched in 2012 and quickly grew to over 10 million subscribers, becoming a global phenomenon in science communication.
- The Song's Evolution: The original AsapSCIENCE Periodic Table Song was released years before the 2018 version. The 2018 Update was necessary to include the four officially named elements—Nihonium (Nh), Moscovium (Mc), Tennessine (Ts), and Oganesson (Og)—that completed the seventh row of the periodic table, bringing the total to 118 elements.
The Complete Periodic Table Song Lyrics (AsapSCIENCE 2018 Update)
This version is the most current and comprehensive musical list of the chemical elements, covering all 118 elements from Hydrogen (H) to Oganesson (Og). The song’s rapid-fire delivery and clear rhythmic structure are what make it such an effective mnemonic tool for chemistry students.
(And now AsapSCIENCE presents: The Elements of the Periodic Table!)
Hydrogen and Helium
Then Lithium, Beryllium
Boron, Carbon everywhere
Nitrogen all through the air
With Oxygen so you can breathe
And Fluorine for your pretty teeth
Neon to light up the signs
Sodium for salty times
Magnesium to help you grow
Aluminum, Silicon
Phosphorus and Sulfur
Chlorine and Argon
Potassium and Calcium so you will grow up strong
Scandium, Titanium, Vanadium and Chromium and Manganese
This is the Periodic Table
Noble Gas is stable
Halogens and Alkali Metals react aggressively
Each period will see new outer shells
While electrons are added moving to the right
Iron is the twenty-six
Then Cobalt, Nickel, coins you get
Copper, Zinc and Gallium
Germanium and Arsenic
Selenium to light the way
Bromine helps you get away
Krypton helps to light your room
Rubidium and Strontium then Yttrium, Zirconium
Niobium, Molybdenum, Technetium
Ruthenium, Rhodium, Palladium
Silver-ware then Cadmium and Indium
Tin-cans, Antimony then Tellurium and Iodine and Xenon and then Caesium and...
Barium is fifty-six, and this is where the table splits
Where Lanthanides have just begun
Lanthanum, Cerium, Praseodymium
Neodymium, Promethium, Samarium, Europium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, Lutetium
Hafnium, Tantalum, Tungsten then we're on
Rhenium, Osmium, Iridium
Platinum, Gold to make you rich
Mercury to tell you when it's hot
Thallium and Lead then Bismuth for your tummy
Polonium, Astatine would not make you feel yummy
Radon, Francium will last a little while
Radium then Actinides at ninety-one
Actinium, Thorium, Protactinium, Uranium, Neptunium, Plutonium, Americium, Curium, Berkelium, Californium, Einsteinium, Fermium, Mendelevium, Nobelium, Lawrencium
Rutherfordium, Dubnium, Seaborgium, Bohrium, Hassium, Meitnerium, Darmstadtium, Roentgenium, Copernicium
Ununtrium, Flerovium, Ununpentium, Livermorium, Ununseptium, Ununoctium
And then we're done!
*2018 Update Final Verse: The Newest Elements*
The final six elements have now been named officially:
Nihonium, Flerovium, Moscovium, Livermorium, Tennessine, Oganesson!
The Enduring Legacy: From Tom Lehrer to Modern Mnemonic Devices
While AsapSCIENCE created the most up-to-date version, the tradition of setting the elements to music began decades earlier with the legendary musical satirist and mathematician, Tom Lehrer.
The Original Classic: Tom Lehrer's "The Elements" (1959)
In 1959, Tom Lehrer composed his song, "The Elements," which quickly became a staple in chemistry classrooms. His genius lay in setting the names of the elements known at the time (up to element 102, Nobelium) to the tune of the fast-paced "Major-General's Song" from Gilbert and Sullivan's opera, The Pirates of Penzance.
Lehrer's version lists 102 elements in a rapid-fire recitation, focusing purely on the names rather than their properties. It is a testament to the power of musical structure, proving that even a list of seemingly random names can be retained when paired with a catchy, complex melody.
The Educational Impact: Science Education Through Music
The popularity of both Lehrer's classic and the AsapSCIENCE update underscores the significant role of music in science education and knowledge retention. This phenomenon is rooted in several psychological principles:
- Musical Memory: The brain processes music in a way that is distinct from language, creating stronger, more durable memory traces.
- Rhythm and Rhyme: The rhythmic structure and the rhymes used (e.g., "Hydrogen and Helium, then Lithium, Beryllium") provide natural stopping points and cues, making the sequence easier to follow than a simple list.
- Engagement and Curiosity: Science songs transform a dry subject like the periodic table trends or element classification into an entertaining challenge, increasing student engagement and stimulating a positive learning effect.
The modern AsapSCIENCE version goes a step further than the original by adding simple, descriptive phrases about the elements (e.g., "Boron, Carbon everywhere," "Fluorine for your pretty teeth"). This addition of contextual keywords and brief facts helps students connect the element name to a real-world application, greatly enhancing long-term memorization and topical authority on the subject.
Whether you are a chemistry student struggling with the lanthanides, a teacher looking for a new teaching aid, or just a science enthusiast, the Periodic Table Song in its various forms remains one of the most effective and enjoyable tools for mastering the building blocks of the universe.
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