Researchers have lately advanced our understanding of "superatoms," clusters of normal atoms that change their chemical properties when grouped together. Aluminum atoms, for example, can in certain circumstances act like ruthenium or bromine—elements that currently sit far from aluminum in all versions of the periodic table. Which is to say that the march of science may soon necessitate another, more radical revision of Mendeleev's original creation.


Illustration courtesy D.E. Bergeron, P.J. Roach, A.W. Castleman, N.O. Jones, and S.N. Khanna of Penn State University.


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