Robert W. Harrison
Independent Researcher, Sydney, Australia
Status: Preprint (not peer reviewed) • February 2026
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Plain-English Overview
This paper presents the spiral periodic table as a complementary way of visualising chemical periodicity. Rather than replacing the conventional table, it is intended to make continuity, recurrence, and structural layering easier to see.
The central idea is that the periodic table can be read not only as a classification system, but also as a process — a recurring sequence of stable electronic configurations as shells and subshells fill.
What This Paper Contributes
- Reframes the periodic table as a continuous structural process rather than only a static grid
- Highlights the layered relationship between main-group, transition, and inner-transition elements
- Preserves the historical Deming insight linking Group VIIIB and noble-gas stability patterns
- Offers a spiral layout intended to make periodic recurrence and shell structure easier to visualise
What It Does Not Claim
This paper does not claim to replace the conventional periodic table or the practical framework of standard chemistry. It offers an alternative visual and conceptual interpretation intended to highlight relationships that the standard layout can make less obvious.
Position Within the Research
Within the broader body of work, this paper extends the same interest in continuity, structure, and process into the domain of chemistry. It sits alongside the wider framework while also standing on its own as a proposal about the visualisation of periodicity.
Suggested Citation
Harrison, R. W. (2026). The Spiral Periodic Table – Why Process Reveals What Classification Obscures. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18078776