Most chemistry courses expect you to know the first 20 elements by heart: their names, symbols and atomic numbers. You also need the main groups and the charges their ions form. The 28 cards below cover both. Element data matches the IUPAC periodic table.
Look at the symbol and say the name and atomic number before you read the answer. Then do it the other way: from the name, write the symbol.
H
Hydrogen, atomic number 1
He
Helium, atomic number 2
Li
Lithium, atomic number 3
Be
Beryllium, atomic number 4
B
Boron, atomic number 5
C
Carbon, atomic number 6
N
Nitrogen, atomic number 7
O
Oxygen, atomic number 8
F
Fluorine, atomic number 9
Ne
Neon, atomic number 10
Na
Sodium, atomic number 11
Mg
Magnesium, atomic number 12
Al
Aluminium (aluminum in US English), atomic number 13
Si
Silicon, atomic number 14
P
Phosphorus, atomic number 15
S
Sulfur, atomic number 16
Cl
Chlorine, atomic number 17
Ar
Argon, atomic number 18
K
Potassium, atomic number 19
Ca
Calcium, atomic number 20
A group is a column. Elements in the same group have the same number of outer electrons, so they react in similar ways and form ions with the same charge.
Group 1
The alkali metals: lithium, sodium, potassium and the rest below hydrogen. They form ions with a 1+ charge.
Group 2
The alkaline earth metals: beryllium, magnesium, calcium and so on. They form ions with a 2+ charge.
Group 17
The halogens: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine. They form ions with a 1- charge.
Group 18
The noble gases: helium, neon, argon and so on. They have full outer shells and almost never react.
Groups 3 to 12
The transition metals, such as iron, copper and zinc. Many of them can form ions with more than one charge.
Which charge do group 13, 15 and 16 elements usually form?
Group 13 (such as aluminium) forms 3+ ions. Group 15 (such as nitrogen) forms 3- ions. Group 16 (such as oxygen) forms 2- ions.
What does a period on the periodic table tell you?
A period is a row. Elements in the same period have the same number of electron shells.
What does the atomic number tell you?
The number of protons in the nucleus. It is what makes an element that element.
Two of the first 20 have symbols from their Latin names: Na for sodium (natrium) and K for potassium (kalium). Give those two cards extra reviews. Beyond the first 20, Fe (iron), Cu (copper), Ag (silver), Au (gold) and Pb (lead) work the same way.
Learn 5 elements a day, in order, and review all the earlier ones each time. In 4 days you have all 20. Keep reviewing for a couple of weeks after that, less often each time, until you get every card right without thinking. A spaced repetition app like Anki handles the timing for you.
Learn the groups after the elements, because the charge cards only make sense once you know where each element sits.
Your syllabus will add more: ions, formulas, reactions. StudyCards AI turns your chemistry notes or slides into flashcards in about a minute, and you can export them to Anki.