Period 1 element lithium and fluorine (appearing twice), or left floating above the other elements and not assigned to any group in the periodic table. Helium is almost always placed above neon (which is in the p-block) in the periodic table as a noble gas, although it is occasionally placed above beryllium due to their similar electron configuration. Hydrogen (H) is the chemical element with atomic number 1. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly flammable diatomic gas with the molecular formula H. With an atomic mass of 1.00794 amu, hydrogen is the lightest element. Hydrogen is
Period (periodic table) across periods. Seven periods of elements occur naturally on Earth. For period 8, which includes elements which may be synthesized after 2016, see the extended periodic table. A group in chemistry means a family of objects with similarities like different families. There are 7 periods, going horizontally across the periodic table. The first period contains the least elements than any other, with only two, hydrogen and helium. They therefore do not follow the octet rule. Chemically, helium behaves like a noble gas, and thus is taken to be part of the group 18 elements. However, in terms of its nuclear