Stretching the Periodic Table

Our student affiliates chapter of the American Chemical Society recently constructed an extended (or long) version of the periodic table on a large empty wall in the department. The f-block elements were incorporated into their “rightful place,” giving rise to an “atomically correct” periodic table. The completed periodic table required over 2 academic years of work and is nearly 27-feet-long and almost 9-feet-tall. Planning, logistics, and procedures as well as pitfalls to be avoided are described in detail in an attempt to give direction and spur other such student-centered clubs to pursue similar projects.