The periodic table is an arrangement of the chemical elements, organized on the basis of their atomic numbers, electron configurations and recurring chemical properties. Elements are presented in order of increasing atomic number. The standard form of the table consists of a grid of elements with rows called periods and columns called groups.

The history of the periodic table reflects over a century of growth in the understanding of chemical properties. The most important point in its history occurred in 1869 when the table was published by Dmitri Mendeleev who built upon earlier discoveries by scientists such as Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier and John Newlands but who is generally given sole credit for its development.