Tom Lehrer wrote his Elements Song – to the tune of the Major General’s Song from The Pirates of Penzance – in 1959, when the periodic table contained just 102 elements. For 2019, the international year of the periodic table, we thought it was time to bring it up to date to include the 16 elements confirmed in the 60 years since.

Science presenter, comedian and ‘geek songstress’ Helen Arney updated the song for her stage show Festival of the Spoken Nerd, and we brought in the Waterbeach Brass Band to accompany her with a new arrangement by Alan Gout. Chemists in adademia and industry, science communicators and chemistry students at every level joined in to help bring the Elements Song to life. Can you see yourself, or anyone you know? Keep watching after the song for full credits.

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who sent in a video clip. Sadly we weren’t able to use them all, but the final video contains:

1 – H – Hydrogen Eva Wille
2 – He – Helium Sachiko Ishibashi, Atsuko Iono – JMP
3 – Li – Lithium Michael Farabaugh
4 – Be – Beryllium Year 6 – Andrews Memorial Primary School
5 – B – Boron Chemists at Springer Nature
6 – C – Carbon Christopher Dobson
7 – N – Nitrogen Jess Chen, Chuchu Chen, Clare Zhang, Xueli Fang, Wenluan Qiao, Candice Lin, Yuting Shi, Gina Xie – JMP
8 – O – Oxygen Jin–Quan Yu
9 – F – Fluorine Fiona Shortt de Hernandez, Stefanie Baumann, Kathrin Ulbrich, Tobias, Thorsten, Jo and Paul – Thieme Chemistry
10 – Ne – Neon Callum Davis, Lewis Steadman, Dean Bristow – Dove House School Academy
11 – Na – Sodium Saiful Islam and the Royal Institution
12 – Mg – Magnesium The Manchester Grammar School Chemistry Department
13 – A – Aluminium Deborah Schechner
14 – Si – Silicon Frances Arnold
15 – P – Phosphorus Pete Vale
16 – S – Sulfur Patrick Holder
17 – Cl – Chlorine The Dodani Lab at The University of Texas at Dallas
18 – Ar – Argon Miss McCaig’s & Mr Grant’s S1’s – Calderside Academy
19 – K – Potassium University of Glasgow Chemistry Outreach
20 – Ca – Calcium The Meyer Lab at the University of Rochester
21 – Sc – Scandium Mark Thomson
22 – Ti – Titanium Suze Kundu
23 – V – Vanadium Fernando Gomollon-bel
24 – Cr – Chromium Nano2D Lab
25 – Mn – Manganese Kristy Turner
26 – Fe – Iron Bert Weckhuysen
27 – Co – Cobalt Ana Apostolova, Marija Momiroska, Boro Kostevski, Vlado Damnjanovski – Johnson Matthey
28 – Ni – Nickel Cesar Urbina-Blanco group, Ghent University
29 – Cu – Copper Ben Feringa
30 – Zn – Zinc John Thomas
31 – Ga – Gallium Andy Brunning
32 – Ge – Germanium Laura Howes
33 – As – Arsenic Kathryn Harkup
34 – Se – Selenium Tom Welton
35 – Br – Bromine Mariam Al-Amoudi
36 – Kr – Krypton Antonio Rodriguez
37 – Rb – Rubidium Raychelle Burks
38 – Sr – Strontium National Physical Laboratory
39 – Y – Yttrium Mark Rosengarten
40 – Zr – Zirconium Jon Tan and Hollie Matthews
41 – Nb – Niobium Andy Extance
42 – Mo – Molybdenum Andres Tretiakov
43 – Tc – Technetium Richard Willis
44 – Ru – Ruthenium Seth Marder
45 – Rh – Rhodium Batteas Group at Texas A&M University
46 – Pd – Palladium Martina Stenzel
47 – Ag – Silver SuNS Group at the University of Barcelona
48 – Cd – Cadmium Tom Griffiths
49 – In – Indium Uday Maitra
50 – Sn – Tin Fun Man Fung and friends
51 – Sb – Antimony Alice Motion
52 – Te – Tellurium Jamie Gallagher
53 – I – Iodine Linda Wang and UV
54 – Xe – Xenon Olive Alforte and friends
55 – Cs – Cesium Stefanie Dehnen
56 – Ba – Barium Ginny Smith
57 – La – Lanthanum Danielle Schaper
58 – Ce – Cerium Sossina M. Haile
59 – Pr – Praseodymium Andrea Sella
60 – Nd – Neodymium Robert Parker
61 – Pm – Promethium Ulli Koester
62 – Sm – Samarium Bolton School Chemistry
63 – Eu – Europium Endon High School
64 – Gd – Gadolinium Tom Brown
65 – Tb – Terbium Trustees of the Royal Society of Chemistry
66 – Dy – Dysprosium The Manchester Grammar School Chemistry Department
67 – Ho – Holmium John Holman
68 – Er – Erbium Charlie Broadwith
69 – Tm – Thulium University of Sydney, School of Chemistry
70 – Yb – Ytterbium National Physical Laboratory
71 – Lu – Lutetium Nature Reviews Chemistry
72 – Hf – Hafnium Maria Escudero Escribano
73 – Ta – Tantalum Woodlands School
74 – W – Tungsten Wheeling High School
75 – Re – Rhenium Kit Chapman
76 – Os – Osmium Juris Meija
77 – Ir – Iridium Sebastian Sobottka
78 – Pt – Platinum Jane Patrick, Felicity Massingberd-Mundy, Octavia Blackburn, Aldo Lanza, Djamelia Bounechada, Roberta Villamaina, Alexander de Bruin, Ethan Leach, Peter Chigada, Koen Vandale, Giulia Mangione, Lexy Miles-Hobbs – Johnson Matthey
79 – Au – Gold Ryan de Witt, John Mosier, Amy Bullock, Alexa Colasurdo, Larry LaRusso – JMP
80 – Hg – Mercury Tharika Sivaraman
81 – Tl – Thallium Arnab Bhattacharya
82 – Pb – Lead Science and Industry Museum, Manchester
83 – Bi – Bismuth Chella Quint
84 – Po – Polonium Chemjobber and family
85 – At – Astatine Randall Munroe
86 – Rn – Radon Rebekah Norbury
87 – Fr – Francium Sebastian Vidal
88 – Ra – Radium Isabel Thomas
89 – Ac – Actinium Audrey Cameron
90 – Th – Thorium Gorden research group at Auburn University
91 – Pa – Protactinium Josh and Seb, Mahon Group at Durham University
92 – U – Uranium Melvin Clay
93 – Np – Neptunium Quincy Middle School
94 – Pu – Plutonium Benjamin Schroeder
95 – Am – Americium Chemistry and Engineering News
96 – Cm – Curium Kirkcaldy High School science
97 – Bk – Berkelium James Batteas
98 – Cf – Californium Paul Lewis
99 – Es – Einsteinium Elliot Peace
100 – Fm – Fermium 266th Toronto Girl Guide unit
101 – Md – Mendelevium Wilf Abbott
102 – No – Nobelium Haberdashers’ Aske’s Borough Academy
103 – Lr – Lawrencium Dorchester on Thames Abbey Choir
104 – Rf – Rutherfordium Sarah Masters
105 – Db – Dubnium Ben Valsler and Chris Pink, Chemistry World
106 – Sg – Seaborgium Philip Ball
107 – Bh – Bohrium Physics World
108 – Hs – Hassium Robin Ince
109 – Mt – Meitnerium Helen Pain
110 – Ds – Darmstadtium Philip Robinson, Ben Valsler, Adam Brownsell, Jamie Durrani, Chris Pink, Neil Withers, Patrick Walter, Jen Newton, Frances Addison, Katrina Kramer, Phillip Broadwith, Emma Pewsey – Chemistry World
111 – Rg – Roentgenium Swapna and Sandhya Mylabathula
112 – Cn – Copernicium This Week In Science podcast
113 – Nh – Nihonium Shaunak Sivaraman
114 – Fl – Flerovium Trizia Mae Magallano
115 – Mc – Moscovium Carol Robinson
115 – Mc – Moscovium Oakhill School
116 – Lv – Livermorium The Science Museum, London
116 – Lv – Livermorium Maren Hunsberger, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
117 – Ts – Tennessine Clarice Phelps
117 – Ts – Tennessine Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The University of the South
118 – Og – Oganesson Yuri Oganessian

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