Scientific Elements

Elements got these factoids from a textbook and a dictionary. I added some things I that I knew to be true also about some of the elements. Visit Maricopa Community College, Web Elements, Oak Ridge National Lab Index of Isotopes, and Los Alamos National Lab for more details about these elements.

Element [name] Symbol Atomic number About element(s)
Actinium Ac 89 It is a decay product of uranium-235 and a beta emitter with a 21.6-year half-life. Also found in pitch-blende. Ac-225 is a radioactive tracer. Its principal decay products are thorium-227 (18.5-day half-life) and radium-223 (11.4-day half-life). It is used as an alpha particle source and in neutron production.
Aluminum Al 13 light and unrustable. For electrical wiring of compounds used in medicine, photography. Chief ore is bauxite and it resembles silver.
Americium Am 95 It came as a the result of successive neutron capture reactions by plutonium isotopes in a nuclear reactor i.e. neutron bombardment of plutonium. For radiography and research. Discovered by Seaborg and all in 1944.
Antimony Sb 51 brittle and blueish-white metal. For hardening alloys and in industries. Chiefly found as sulfide. Visit NIST for technical details.
Arsenic As 33 From realgar and orpiment & arsenates. For fireworks, insecticides, bronzing and solar batteries. Soft grey metal and powerful poison.
Astatine At 85 Got by bombarding bismuth with alpha particles. Their concentrates are in thyroid gland. Artificially radioactive non-metal.
Argon Ar 18 From radioactive decay of potassium-40. Used in refining, shield in arc-welding and specialized light bulbs. Used as a blanket for the production of titanium and other reactive elements, and as a protective atmosphere for growing silicon and germanium crystals.
Barium Ba 56 Silverwhite metal. Used in medicine, glass making, bleaching and ingredient in fireworks, fillers, insecticides, etc. Found in baryta. The soluble salts of barium, an alkaline earth metal, are toxic in mammalian systems.
Berkelium Bk 97 Initially produced by cyclotron bombardment of mg amounts of 241Am with Helium ions. Also produced by neutron capture on curium-248
Beryllium Be 4 Discovered in the oxide form by Vauquelin in both beryl and emeralds in 1798. From beryl, phenakite and chrysobery. Used as a moderator in nuclear reactors and industrially to harden alloys, in x-ray technology and in neutron absorption of nuclear reactors.
Bismuth Bi 83 Bismuth is the most diamagnetic of all metals. By-product of lead smelting or proton irradiation of natural lead targets. For treatment of syphilis and compounds used in medicine an solar cells, fuses and sprinklers.
Boron B 5 The isotope boron-10 is used as a control for nuclear reactors, as a shield for nuclear radiation, and in instruments used for detecting neutrons. Read about Boron Toxicity.
Bromine Br 35 Bromine is the only nonmetallic liquid element. Bromine is used in making fumigants, flameproofing agents, water purification compounds, in medicine and photography.
Cadmium Cd 48 Non-metal found in greenockite (CdS), zinc ores such as sphalerite (ZnS), copper and lead ores. For vapor lamps, dyes, electroplating and medicine. Blueish white like tin.
Caesium Cs 55 Found in leadolite, pollucite. As Oxygen remover in vacuum tubes, possible fuel in proposed plasma jet engines. Used in photoelectrical cells. It’s soft and alkaline.
Calcium Ca 20 Is prepared by electrolysis of fused chloride and calcium fluoride. Found in gypsum, limestone and chalk. Used in deodorizing, bleaching and production of acetylene gas. Found in teeth, bones. Often greyish white.
Californium Cf 98 It was gotten by bombarding mg quantities of 242Cm with 35 MeV Helium ions in the Berkeley 60-inch cyclotron.
Carbon C 6 Non-metal and occurs as graphite or diamond. Used in jewelry, fuels, printing ink, radioactive tracers for carbon dating, pencils, cutting equipment, etc
Cerium Ce 58 It is found in a number of minerals including allanite (also known as orthite), monazite, bastnasite, cerite, and samarskite. It’s a catalyst and alloy for jet engines. Its derivatives are used in analysis. Most abundant so-called rare-earth Metal
Chlorine Cl 17 Greenish-yellow non-metal. It’s poisonous and used in sterilizing water. For electrolysis or oxidation of compounds, bleaching, antiseptics, pesticides, refridgerant, paint, plastic, etc
Chromium Cr 24 From chrome iron ore. Used in alloys and prevents paints from rusting. Also for hardening steel, as catalyst in stainless steel and plating. Chromium(VI) and chromium(III) are used for chrome plating, dyes and pigments, leather tanning, and wood preserving.
Cobalt Co 27 Occurs in the minerals: cobaltite, smaltite, and erythrite. For machine tools, dies, surgical instruments. Used in alloys, radioactive forms for cancer therapy and medical diagnostics.
Copper Cu 29 Found in many minerals such as cuprite, malachite, azurite, chalcopyrite, and bornite. In blood of certain molluscs. Used in compounds for water purification, alloys, piping and plumbing.
Curium Cm 96 Curium was first produced in 1944 by bombarding plutonium-239 with alpha particles in a cyclotron or successive neutron captures and beta decays of plutonium-242. Hard, brittle, silvery metal that tarnishes slowly in dry air at room temperature. For thermoelectric power generation for instrumental operations. It’s radioactive, inert and gaseous.
Dyprosium Dy 66 Rare earth element from granite or permatite veins. Found by Lecoq Boisbadran and most important sources are from monaziate and bastnasite. Dysprosium can be prepared by reduction of the trifluoride with calcium.
Einsteinium Es 99 From nuclear fusion reactions and irradiation of plutonium (239Pu to 242Pu). Discovered by A. Ghiorso in debris of H-bomb attack in 1952.
Erbium Er 68 Rare metal fond in gadolinite, granite and pegmatite veins. For room temperature lasers. Found by C. Mosander in 1843
Europium Eu 63 Rare earth discovered spectroscopically. It has been produced historically at Hanford by the N Reactor through neutron activation of samarium oxide marbles used in the reactor’s safety system. Used in making of lasers and color. Found by Dermarcay in 1896.
Fermium Fm 100 From nuclear fusion reactors and neutron irradiation of plutonium. From debris of H-bomb explosion at Eniwetok.
Fluorine F 9 Pale yellow, corrosive and poisonous. Most electronegative and reactive of all elements. From fluospar and cryolite. Prevents tooth decay if added to drinking water and as oxidizer in rocket fuel.
Francium Fr 87 Result of an alpha disintegration of actinium. It can also be made by artificially bombarding thorium with protons
Gadolinium Gd 64 Rare earth from gadolinite. Prepared by the reduction of the anhydrous fluoride with metallic calcium
Gallium Ga 31 Often found as a trace element in zinc blendes, diaspore, sphalerite, germanite, bauxite, and coalSoft gray metal of great fusibility. Used in high temperature thermometers and semi-conductors.
Germanium Ge 32 Found in argyrodite (a sulfide of germanium and silver), germanite, zinc ores, coal, etc. Used in diodes, transistors and rectifiers for its properties as a semiconductor.
Gold Au 79 Yellow, precious shining metal. Used in art, coating, dentistry, jewelry. Used in compounds for photography. Read about the Gold Rush.
Hafnium Hf 72 Metal resembling zirconium. Originally separated from zirconium by repeated recrystallization of the double ammonium or potassium fluorides From all zirconium minerals. Used in electrodes, lightbulb filaments, control rods and in water-cooled nuclear reactors.
Hahnium Ha 102 Radioactive metal discovered in 1970 by A. Ghiorso and associates. Made by bombarding a target of 249Cf with a beam of 84 MeV nitrogen nuclei in the Heavy Ion Linear Accelerator (HILA). IUPAC recommended that Hahnium be named to Dubnium (Db).
Helium He 67 Most abundant element found in the universe. Gaseous and non-flammable. From natural gases. For inflating balloons, chromatography, in airships, in liquid forms as super conductor.
Holmium Ho 67 Occurs in gadolinite, monazite, and in other rare-earth minerals
Hydrogen H 1 From electrolysis of water. Colorless and light. Used in welding, metallurgy, hydrogenation of fats, reduction of ores, ammonia production and rocket fuel.
Indium In 49 In zinc blendes. Soft white metal used in transistors, as radiation detectors and dentistry.
Iodine I 53 From brines in old salt wells, old sea deposits, and sea weed. Non-metal used in medicine to prevent goitre.
Iridium Ir 77 hard, white metal of platinum group. Found free and alloyed with platinum for standard weight measures and compass bearings. For high temperature equipment. Iridium is named after the Latin word for rainbow because its salts are highly colored.
Iron Fe 26 hard, silver white metal for computer memory cores. Used in compounds for dyes, pigments, etc. Capable of magnetization.
Krypton Kr 35 Found with xenon in mineral springs. Inert, colorless, odorless, tasteles gas element about three times heavier than air. For lasers, incandescent bulbs, high speed photography, etc.
Lanthanum La 57 Lanthanum is commonly found in ores, cerite, orthite and monazite. Found in rare-earth minerals such as cerite, monazite, allanite, and bastnasite. Used in glass making, certain alloys. For rock propellants.
Lawrencium Lr 103 From bombardment of californium with boron nuclei. It is an alpha emitter. Member of the 5f transition elements (actinide series) Found in 1961 by A. Ghiorso.
Lead Pb 82 Soft heavy bluish grey metal used for water pipes in roofing, as radiation shield and in alloys. Poisonous when ingested.
Lithium Li 3 Soft silver white metal similar to sodium. One of the lightest alkaline metals used in alloys and certain fuels. Lepidolite, spodumene, petalite, and amblygonite are the more important minerals containing it.
Lutetium Lu 71 From euocerite, xenotime and separated from ytterbium. Also occurs in very small amounts in nearly all minerals containing yttrium, and is present in monazite. Used in nuclear technology. Stable lutetium nuclide, which emit pure beta radiation after thermal neutron activation, can be used as catalysts in cracking, alkylation, hydrogenation, and polymerization
Magnesium Mg 12 Silver white metal used to make alloys used in architecture, aviation, flares. Used in flash photography and fireworks. Fourth most abundant mineral in the body
Manganese Mn 25 Trace element with its name derived from magnetic properties of pyrolusite. found in pyrolusite. Brittle, light grey metal used in making steel, glass. Used in compounds for making antiseptics, and quantitative analysis. It gives color to glass.
Mendelevium Md 101 Discovered from bombardment of the isotope 253Einsteinium (Es) with helium ions (i.e. alpha particles) in the Berkeley 60-inch cyclotron. Named after Russian Dmitri I. Mendeleev who formed the periodic table. Ninth transuranium element of the actinide series
Mercury Hg 80 Heavy silver colored metal. Liquid at ordinary temperature. Used in laboratory research, atomic piles, boilers, barometers, vacuum pumps and thermometers. The nervous system is very sensitive to all forms of mercury
Molybdenum Mo 42 Rare hard silver white metal used in alloy for making high speed tools. Recovered as a by-product of copper and tungsten mining operations. Got from wulferite. Used for making radio grids, dyeing glass, dyeing hair, boiler plates, etc.
Neodymium Nd 60 Soft, malleable, yellowish metal from cerite that tarnishes easily. Coloring agent for glass and used in laser and astronomical lenses. Chief component of once supposed element, didymium.
Neon ne 10 Inert constituent gas of atmosphere. Got by air liquefaction. Used in illuminated signs and cryogenic research. For electric signs and beacons.
Neptunium Np 93 first synthetic transuranium element of the actinide series discovered (Radioactive element). By-product of plutonium-239 production or by neutron capture reactions by uranium. First discovered by bombarding uranium-238 with high-energy neutrons. For neutron detecting instruments. From decomposition of uranium-239.
Nickel Ni 28 Silver white magnetic, malleable and ductile metallic element. It occurs in minerals such as garnierite, millerite, niccolite, pentlandite, and pyrrhotite, with the latter two being the principal ores. Also emitted from volcanoes, in meteorites and on the ocean floor. Used in plating, coinage, kitchenware, jewelry and electrical conductivity.
Niobium Nb 41 rare steel gray metal found in niobite (or columbite), niobite-tantalite, parochlore, and euxenite. In nuclear reactors and cryogenic research. Alloys of niobium are used in steel making.
Nitrogen N 7 colorless, odorless, gaseous non-metal. Used in compounds for making explosives, fertilizers, anaesthetics, solvents and in steel hardening.
Nobelium No 102 From fusion of heavy isotope of carbon with an atom of curium (result of bombarding 244Cm with 13C nuclei). Made at Nobel Institute of Physics in 1957 by A. Ghiorso and associates.
Osmium Os 76 Rare earth metal whose tetroxide has a horrible smell. For pen tips and maching bearings. From osmiridium.
Oxygen O 8 gaseous element used in welding. Liquid form (LOX) is a rocket fuel and explosive for gas manufacture. Important for respiration.
Palladium Pd 46 metal resembling platinum that occluds hydrogen, olea and stearate. Used in anti-magnetic watches, surgical instruments and as a hydrogenation catalyst. Named after the asteroid Pallas (after Gk goddess)
Phosphorus P 15 pale yellow wax-like poisonous substance that glows in the dark and catches fire easily. Used in compounds for making glasses, chinaware, water softeners, as a radioactive tracer, etc
Platinum Pt 78 Steel gray, ductile, malleable, valuable,noble metal. Chief present day source is Sperrylite, occurring with the nickel-bearing deposits of Sudbury, Ontario (a niakellferrous pyrrhotite ore). By-product of electrolysis of nickel ores. Used as catalyst, in high temperature processes, textile machinery, etc.
Plutonium Pu 94 2nd transuranium element of the actinide series. From bombardment of uranium with deuterions. Artificial radioactive metal used in nuclear reactors and weapons with high atomic weight. Also a dangerous radiological hazard.
Polonium Po 84 From neutron bombardment of bismuth and occurs naturally in the uranium-radium decay chain. First element discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. A source of nuclear power and is used mainly in static eliminators.
Potassium K 19 soft shiny silvery white metal. Occurs in rocks and in form of mineral salts and essential for life. Sylvite, carnallite, langbeinite, and polyhalite are found in ancient lake and sea beds and form rather extensive deposits from which potassium and its salts can readily be obtained.
Praseodymium Pr 59 Metal with green salts separated from element, didymium. Core material for carbon arcs, used in lasers and masers and coloring agent in glass. Misch metal, used in making cigarette lighters, contains about 5% praseodymium metal.
Promethium Pm 61 From fission of uranium and neutron bombardment of neodymium. It is a soft beta emitter and has been identified in the spectrum of the star HR465 in Andromeda. For nuclear power batteries and special semi conductor batteries.
Protactinium Pa 91 27-day protactinium-233 is produced from neutron irradiation of thorium-230. Malleable, shiny, silver-gray radioactive metal; Occurs in pitchblende. Yields actinium upon disintegration. Useful as tracer and parent of fissile uranium-233.
Radium Ra 88 Shiny white radioactive metal used in treatment of diseases (cancer). It is a neutron source when combined with beryllium. Found in pitchblende or uraninite of North Bohemia. Component of the luminous paints used for watch and clock dials; Forms when isotopes of uranium or thorium decay
Radon Rn 86 cancer-causing radioactive gas produced by decay of radium. As tracer in leak detection, radiography and flow rate measurements and medicine.
Rhenium Re 75 Discovered by X-ray spectroscopy. Obtained from molybdenum roaster-flue dusts obtained from copper-sulfide ores For high temperature thermocouples, ingniters for flashbulbs, refractory metals and catalysts; Filaments for mass spectrographs and ion gauges.
Rubidium Rb 37 Soft silvery white metal found in sea water, lepidolite and pollucite. Used in photocells, vacuum tubes, engines of space vehicles, catalysts, etc.
Ruthenium R 44 hard, white metal of platinum group. Has several isotopes. Found in the Ural mounts and used in electroplating, dental and medical instruments. Used as experimental nitrogen fixer.
Rutherfordium (or Kurchatovium) Rf 104 First transactinide element and Radioactive metal discovered by A. Ghiorso and associates in 1969. Name (Kurchatovium) was suggested by Dubna scientists in Russia in honor of Igor Vasilevich Kurchatov (1903—1960), late Head of Soviet Nuclear Research. Accepted name (Rutherfordium) was picked in honor of Ernest Rutherford, New Zealand physicist.
Samarium Sm 62 metal found in samarskite (radioactive ore) of rare earth metal group; very hard, silvery-white metal & a member of the lanthanide series. As neutron absorber for laser crystals and permanent magnet research.
Scandium Sc 21 metal discovered in Scandinavian mineral, euxenite in 1879 and occurs as a principal component in the rare mineral, thortveitite.
Selenium Se 34 non-metal allied to sulphur and tellurium. Found in a few rare minerals such as crooksite and clausthalite. Used in glass, ceramic industries and as catalyst. Power to conduct increases as light intensity on it increases. Radioactive selenium is used in diagnostic medicine.
Silicon Si 14 non-metal found combined with oxygen in sandstone, quartz, etc. Diatoms in both fresh and salt water extract Silica from the water to build their cell walls.
Silver Ag 47 Shiny, white precious metal used for coins, jewelry, utensils, in kitchen, dentistry, photography, tableware, solder, foils, etc.
Sodium Na 11 silver white alkaline metal from feldspars which floats on water; Used in glass making, papermaking, cooking, etc
Strontium Sr 38 soft silver white metal found chiefly as celestite and strontianite; Used in glass making, sugar manufacture, oxygen eliminator in electron tubes. Used in compounds as fluorescent tubes, steel making, etc. Strontium-90 is used as a radioactive tracer in medical and agricultural studies
Sulphur S 16 pale yello non-metal that burns with a bright flame and strong smell; Found in meteorites. Used in medicine, as bleach, solvent, in papermaking, and in industry.
Tantalum Ta 73 Found in columbite or tantalit. Used for pen point, cutting tools. Named for its ability to absorb water. Used as a filament for evaporating metals such as aluminum
Technetium Tc 43 Silvery-gray metal that tarnishes slowly in moist air; Bombarding molybdenum with deuterons, a form of hydrogen with a neutron in the nucleus. For tracer studies and is very good corrosion inhibitor for steel. Its discovery is controversial.
Tellurium Te 52 Metallic element found in pure form & found as the telluride of gold (calaverite). It’s a coloring agent in glass and in certain alloys to give high electrical resistance.
Terbium Tb 65 From deduction of chloride with calcium. Discovered by Mosander in 1843 and found in cerite, gadolinite, and other minerals along with other rare earth metals. It is a phosphor activator.
Thallium Tl 81 blueish-white soft metal; Occurs in crooksite, lorandite, and hutchinsonite; By-product from the smelting of metals such as pyrites, zinc, blende, and hematite.. Used in alloys, photoelectric cells and rodenticides. Ingestion of toxic amounts of thallium might cause gastrointestinal signs and symptoms, most commonly abdominal pain
Thorium Th 90 soft, silvery white radioactive metal resembling aluminum. Named after Norse god, Thor. From thorite, thorianite and commercially from monazite. Used to make ceramics, gas lantern mantles, and metals used in the aerospace industry and in nuclear reactions.
Thulium Tm 69 radioactive metallic element found in euxenite, xenotime. As X-ray source. Named for Thule, the earliest name for Scandinavia and discovered in 1879.
Tin Sn 50 Found chiefly in cassiterite (SnO2). soft white malleable metal used in alloys for coating iron, steel, in foil, piping, glass making, plating, etc. Can interfere with the way the brain and nervous system work
Titanium Ti 22 rare stainless metal of great strength and rust-resistance. Occurs in the minerals rutile, ilmenite, and sphene, and is present in titanates and in many iron ores Used in making steel alloys, oxides, and white pigments.
Tungsten W 74 grayish white lustrous metal used in cutting tools, munitions, armour plates, abrasives, filments of electric light bulbs, in steel alloys, etc. Used in wear-resistant cement carbides. Has the highest melting point of all metals
Uranium U 92 heavy greyish white metal with radioactive isotopes; Used for chemical analysis, nuclear fuel, source of nuclear energy. From pitchblende. Used in photography.
Vanadium V 23 Hard whitish metal from carnotite, roscoelite, vanadinite, and patronite. Named in honor of the Scandinavian goddess, Vanadis. Used in steel alloys and target material for X-rays.
Xenon Xe 54 colorless, odorless gas. It is a fission product and inert element. For high speed photography and vacuum tubes. Used in making electron tubes, stoboscopic lamps, bactericidal lamps;
Ytterbium Yb 70 rare earth metal. Used in lasers as an X-ray source. Has three allotropic forms.
Yttrium Y 39 rare earth element (discovered by Gadolin in 1794) found in all rare earth minerals. Used in nuclear technology and metal alloys. Principal uses were in phosphors used in color televisions and computer monitors, trichromatic fluorescent lights, temperature sensors, and X-ray intensifying screens. High-energy beta emissions from 90Y can present a substantial skin and eye dose hazard.
Zinc Zn 30 blueish white metal used in alloys, as phosphors, in paint, metallurgy and to cover iron sheets as a rust protector and is an an essential mineral for the body.
Zirconium Zr 40 occurs as zircon. Found in abundance in S-type stars; corrosion-resistant grey metal whose oxides are used in paints, lacquers, and abrasives. Alloys used in steel manufacture.