Playground

Welcome to the AsciiChem playground — where chemistry becomes games, music, and learning. Three interactive experiences teach the syntax from different angles.

Chemistry Quiz

Test your knowledge of elements, symbols, atomic numbers, and chemistry trivia. 10 random questions, immediate feedback with explanations, streak bonuses. No console needed — play right here.

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Chemistry Quiz

Test your knowledge of elements, symbols, atomic numbers, and chemistry trivia. 10 questions, immediate feedback, streak bonuses.

Molecule Builder Challenge

Learn AsciiChem syntax by solving real chemistry challenges. Each molecule teaches a different construct — subscripts, charges, isotopes, bonds, reactions, and more. 20 challenges across 5 difficulty tiers.

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Click Start!

Press the button to begin the AsciiChem challenge.

Chemistry Sound Player

Type a formula and press Play. Or click any preset. Each element maps to a musical note based on its atomic number, and each element family has its own waveform.

Press Play to hear the molecule

Metals = triangle Noble gases = sine Halogens = sawtooth Alkali = square

How it works

Each element maps to a musical note via a pentatonic scale — a five-note scale that sounds pleasant in any combination. The atomic number determines the note and octave:

Element	Atomic #	Note	Waveform	Why
H	1	C4	sine+harmonic	Nonmetal — organic, pure
He	2	D4	sine	Noble gas — smooth, ethereal
Li	3	E4	square	Alkali metal — sharp, reactive
C	6	A4	sine+harmonic	Nonmetal — the basis of life
N	7	C5	sine+harmonic	Nonmetal — like H, an octave up
O	8	D5	sine+harmonic	Nonmetal — bright
Ne	10	G4	sine	Noble gas — calm
Na	11	A4	square	Alkali — like lithium’s cousin
Fe	26	E5	triangle	Transition metal — warm, metallic
Au	79	D6	triangle	Transition metal — precious, bright

Because each family has its own waveform, you can hear the chemistry. A molecule full of noble gases sounds calm and flowing. An alkali-halogen reaction sounds sharp and energetic.

Try these

Caffeine

C_8H_10N_4O_2 — a long, layered melody. Eight carbons, four nitrogens, two oxygens.

Ethanol

C_2H_6O — the sound of a party. Two carbons and an oxygen.

Glucose

C_6H_12O_6 — 24 atoms = a full phrase.

Haber process

N_2 + 3H_2 <=>[Fe] 2NH_3 — nitrogen and hydrogen becoming ammonia. The melody shifts when it crosses the arrow.

Easter eggs that teach syntax

The site responds to AsciiChem syntax typed anywhere. Each trigger fires a themed effect AND shows a discovery card explaining what the syntax means. Experiment to learn:

Type this…	…to learn this	Effect
`H_2O`	Subscripts (`_2` = ×2)	🌧️ Rain
`Au`	Element symbols (Au = gold)	🥇 Gold rush
`Ne`	Noble gases	💡 Neon glow
`^14C`	Prefix isotopes	☢️ Discovery card
`Ca^2+`	Charges (number-then-sign)	⚡ Discovery card
`Fe^(II)`	Oxidation states	🔬 Discovery card
`<=>`	Equilibrium arrows	⚖️ Discovery card
`2H_2 + O_2`	Stoichiometry + reactions	💥 Explosion
`caffeine`	Caffeine formula `C_8H_10N_4O_2`	☕ Hyper focus
`bond`	Bond types (`-` `=` `#`)	🔗 Discovery card
Konami code	(just for fun)	🎉 Party mode

Open the developer console (F12) and type help() for the full command list:

help()                    // Lists ALL commands + syntax triggers
asciichem.compose("H_2O") // Play any molecule — shows what atoms are playing
asciichem.fact("Au")      // Random fact about gold + its tone
asciichem.weight("H_2O")  // Molecular weight: 18.015 g/mol
asciichem.sing()          // Periodic table melody
asciichem.achievements()  // Your badge collection (12 to unlock)

Click any atom in a rendered example to hear its tone.
The 🎮 button in the bottom-right corner links here from any page.
12 achievements to unlock — check with asciichem.achievements().

Technical notes

The sound engine uses the Web Audio API exclusively — no audio files, no dependencies. Every tone is synthesised live from an oscillator node with an ADSR envelope.

The element → frequency mapping uses a pentatonic scale (C, D, E, G, A) cycling through octaves. This ensures every combination sounds consonant — there are no dissonant intervals in a pentatonic scale.

The waveform per element family:

Family	Waveform	Character
Noble gases	sine	Smooth, calm
Nonmetals (H, C, N, O)	sine + octave harmonic	Organic, pure
Alkali metals	square	Sharp, energetic
Alkaline earth	triangle	Warm, steady
Halogens	sawtooth	Bright, aggressive
Transition metals	triangle	Metallic, warm

Sound is off by default for new visitors and can be toggled via the speaker icon in the header. Your preference is saved to localStorage.