Period 2

Period 2

Eight elements from lithium to neon: the fundamental building blocks of organic chemistry.

Element count
8
First element
Z = 3
Last element
Z = 10

Period 2 fills the 2s and 2p subshells. It contains carbon, nitrogen and oxygen — the pillars of the chemistry of life — along with light elements whose properties sometimes deviate from the rest of their group (the so-called second-period anomaly).

Filling subshells
2s2p

8 elements