ISLAMABAD              -         A staple in every science classroom is the periodic table of elements, and for many it is their first introduction to the vast mysteries of the natural world. Now physicists from Kyoto University have unveiled a new table that provides a different perspective on the building blocks of the universe. While the traditional table is based on the behavior of electrons in an atom, this new table is based on the protons in the nucleus. “The periodic table of the elements is one of the most significant achievements in science, and in its familiar form it is based on the shell structure of electron orbitals in atoms,” explains Yoshiteru Maeno, one of the co-developers of the new table.

“But atoms are comprised of two types of charged particles that designate each element: electrons orbiting the core and protons in the core itself.” The team’s new ‘Nucletouch’ table — also available as a 3D model — was announced recently in the journal Foundations of Chemistry.