In chemistry, William Sheehan (1926-2008) was an American physical chemist noted for his 1970 relative abundance periodic table.

Overview
In 1970, Sheehan made a noted periodic table of elements according to relative abundance on the earth’s surface; however, further analysis demonstrates that there are major problems with its accuracy [2]. The colors suggest relative electronegativity—a concept first proposed by Linus Pauling in 1932 as a development of valence bond theory—those with more negative charge, i.e. able to attract electrons, shown in red, those with more positive charge, i.e. able to donate electrons, shown in blue: [1]

In 2013, the Sheehan periodic table was used as a conceptual model by American electrochemical engineer Libb Thims to make a hyperlinked periodic table of elements (see: hmolscience periodic table) according to the relative abundance in humans or human molecules:

Education
Sheehan attended Loyola University in Chicago before earning a PhD in chemistry in 1952 with a dissertation on “Studies in Molecular Structure and Valance State Energy” at the California Institute of Technology, where he studied under Linus Pauling. Sheehan taught at Santa Clara University from 1955 to 1991, wrote two widely used textbooks on physical chemistry, during which time he invented the notorious Periodic Table of the Elements with Emphasis. [3]

References
1. (a) Sheehan, William F. (1976). “Periodic Table of Elements with Emphasis”, Chemistry, 49(3):17-18; copyrighted by Sheehan in 1970.
(b) Elements According to Relative Abundance (1970) – Meta-Synthesis.com.
2. Burdette, Shawn C. (2014). "Periodic Table with {wildly inaccurate} EMPHASIS."

3. Anon. (2008). “In Memoriam: William Francis Sheehan, Jr.”, Santa Clara Magazine, Summer.

Further reading
● Sheehan, William F. (1964). Chemistry: a Physical Approach. Allyn and Bacon.
● Sheehan, William F. (1961). Physical Chemistry. Allyn and Bacon.

External links
● Sheehan, William Francis (1926-) – WorldCat Identities.