All 118 chemical elements
Every known element, from hydrogen (1) to oganesson (118), sorted into the ten families chemists use. Each page has the element's key numbers, a plain-language explanation of its structure and chemistry, and the interactive lab opened on that element.
Alkali metals (6)
- LiLithiumElement 3 · Lightest metal, soft enough to cut with a knife; powers rechargeable batteries.
- NaSodiumElement 11 · Soft, highly reactive metal; sodium chloride is table salt.
- KPotassiumElement 19 · Reactive alkali metal; vital for nerve signalling and plant growth.
- RbRubidiumElement 37 · Highly reactive soft metal used in atomic clocks and research.
- CsCaesiumElement 55 · Extremely reactive metal; its atoms define the length of the second.
- FrFranciumElement 87 · Extremely rare and unstable alkali metal (values estimated).
Alkaline earths (6)
- BeBerylliumElement 4 · Light, stiff and toxic metal used in aerospace parts and X-ray windows.
- MgMagnesiumElement 12 · Light structural metal that burns with a brilliant white flame; centre of chlorophyll.
- CaCalciumElement 20 · Builds bones, teeth and shells; used in cement and plaster.
- SrStrontiumElement 38 · Gives fireworks a crimson color; used in some magnets and glass.
- BaBariumElement 56 · Heavy metal; barium sulfate is used in X-ray imaging of the gut.
- RaRadiumElement 88 · Radioactive metal once used in glow-in-the-dark paint.
Transition metals (38)
- ScScandiumElement 21 · Light transition metal used in aerospace alloys and stadium lighting.
- TiTitaniumElement 22 · Strong, light, corrosion-proof metal for implants, aircraft and spacecraft.
- VVanadiumElement 23 · Hardens steel alloys; used in vanadium flow batteries.
- CrChromiumElement 24 · Hard, shiny metal behind stainless steel and chrome plating.
- MnManganeseElement 25 · Essential steel additive; also used in dry-cell batteries.
- FeIronElement 26 · Most-used metal; the core of steel and of Earth, and carries oxygen in hemoglobin.
- CoCobaltElement 27 · Magnetic metal used in superalloys, batteries and blue pigments.
- NiNickelElement 28 · Corrosion-resistant metal used in stainless steel, coins and batteries.
- CuCopperElement 29 · Excellent electrical and thermal conductor used in wiring and plumbing.
- ZnZincElement 30 · Galvanizes steel, forms brass and is vital for many enzymes.
- YYttriumElement 39 · Used in LED phosphors, lasers and superconducting ceramics.
- ZrZirconiumElement 40 · Corrosion-resistant metal used for nuclear reactor fuel cladding.
- NbNiobiumElement 41 · Superconducting alloy metal used in MRI magnets and jet engines.
- MoMolybdenumElement 42 · High-melting metal that strengthens steels and is key to some enzymes.
- TcTechnetiumElement 43 · Lightest element with no stable isotopes; widely used in medical imaging.
- RuRutheniumElement 44 · Hard platinum-group metal used in electrical contacts and catalysts.
- RhRhodiumElement 45 · Rare, highly reflective metal used in catalytic converters.
- PdPalladiumElement 46 · Catalytic converter metal that can absorb large amounts of hydrogen.
- AgSilverElement 47 · Best electrical conductor of all metals; used in jewelry, mirrors and electronics.
- CdCadmiumElement 48 · Toxic metal used in rechargeable batteries and pigments.
- HfHafniumElement 72 · Used in nuclear control rods and in microchip insulators.
- TaTantalumElement 73 · Corrosion-proof metal used in capacitors for phones and laptops.
- WTungstenElement 74 · Highest melting point of any metal; used in filaments and drill bits.
- ReRheniumElement 75 · Very dense metal used in jet-engine superalloys.
- OsOsmiumElement 76 · Densest naturally occurring element; used in pen tips and contacts.
- IrIridiumElement 77 · Extremely corrosion-resistant; used in spark plugs and crucibles.
- PtPlatinumElement 78 · Precious catalyst metal for converters, laboratory ware and jewelry.
- AuGoldElement 79 · Inert, malleable precious metal used in jewelry, coins and electronics.
- HgMercuryElement 80 · Only metal that is liquid at room temperature; highly toxic.
- RfRutherfordiumElement 104 · Synthetic superheavy element named for Ernest Rutherford.
- DbDubniumElement 105 · Synthetic superheavy element named for Dubna, Russia.
- SgSeaborgiumElement 106 · Named for Glenn Seaborg; made a few atoms at a time.
- BhBohriumElement 107 · Named for Niels Bohr; synthetic and short-lived.
- HsHassiumElement 108 · Named for the German state of Hesse; very short-lived.
- MtMeitneriumElement 109 · Named for Lise Meitner; only a few atoms ever observed.
- DsDarmstadtiumElement 110 · Named for Darmstadt, Germany; synthetic and unstable.
- RgRoentgeniumElement 111 · Named for Wilhelm Roentgen; synthetic and extremely short-lived.
- CnCoperniciumElement 112 · Named for Nicolaus Copernicus; synthetic.
Post-transition metals (12)
- AlAluminiumElement 13 · Light, corrosion-resistant metal; the most abundant metal in Earth's crust.
- GaGalliumElement 31 · Melts in your hand; used in LEDs and semiconductor chips.
- InIndiumElement 49 · Soft metal used in touchscreen coatings and low-melting solders.
- SnTinElement 50 · Used for solder and plating; bronze is a copper-tin alloy.
- TlThalliumElement 81 · Toxic soft metal once used as rat poison; now used in infrared optics.
- PbLeadElement 82 · Dense, soft metal used in batteries and radiation shielding; toxic.
- BiBismuthElement 83 · Least toxic heavy metal; used in cosmetics, medicines and low-melting alloys.
- PoPoloniumElement 84 · Intensely radioactive element discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie.
- NhNihoniumElement 113 · Named for Nihon (Japan); the first element discovered in Asia.
- FlFleroviumElement 114 · Named for the Flerov laboratory; predicted to be unusually volatile.
- McMoscoviumElement 115 · Named for Moscow; synthetic with a half-life under a second.
- LvLivermoriumElement 116 · Named for the Lawrence Livermore laboratory; synthetic.
Metalloids (6)
- BBoronElement 5 · Hard metalloid found in borosilicate glass, detergents and strong ceramics.
- SiSiliconElement 14 · Semiconductor behind modern electronics, also the main element in sand and glass.
- GeGermaniumElement 32 · Semiconductor used in fiber optics and infrared lenses.
- AsArsenicElement 33 · Notorious poison; also used in semiconductors such as gallium arsenide.
- SbAntimonyElement 51 · Metalloid used in flame retardants and hardened lead alloys.
- TeTelluriumElement 52 · Metalloid used in solar panels and thermoelectric devices.
Reactive nonmetals (7)
- HHydrogenElement 1 · Lightest and most abundant element; fuels stars and drives most of the universe's chemistry.
- CCarbonElement 6 · Backbone of organic life; forms graphite, diamond and graphene.
- NNitrogenElement 7 · Makes up 78% of Earth's air; essential for proteins, DNA and fertilizers.
- OOxygenElement 8 · Supports respiration and combustion; most abundant element in Earth's crust.
- PPhosphorusElement 15 · Essential in DNA, ATP and bones; used in fertilizers and matches.
- SSulfurElement 16 · Yellow nonmetal used for sulfuric acid, vulcanized rubber and gunpowder.
- SeSeleniumElement 34 · Photoconductive element; a trace nutrient used in glass and solar cells.
Halogens (6)
- FFluorineElement 9 · Most electronegative and most reactive element; found in toothpaste and Teflon.
- ClChlorineElement 17 · Toxic green gas used to disinfect water and to make plastics such as PVC.
- BrBromineElement 35 · Dense red-brown liquid used in flame retardants and photography.
- IIodineElement 53 · Essential for thyroid hormones; used as an antiseptic.
- AtAstatineElement 85 · Rarest naturally occurring element; extremely radioactive (values estimated).
- TsTennessineElement 117 · Named for Tennessee; second-heaviest known element.
Noble gass (7)
- HeHeliumElement 2 · Inert noble gas, second most abundant in the universe; used for cryogenics and balloons.
- NeNeonElement 10 · Inert gas that glows red-orange in discharge tubes.
- ArArgonElement 18 · Inert gas used as a welding shield and to fill light bulbs.
- KrKryptonElement 36 · Inert gas used in high-performance lighting and lasers.
- XeXenonElement 54 · Heavy noble gas used in flash lamps and spacecraft ion thrusters.
- RnRadonElement 86 · Radioactive noble gas that seeps out of rocks into basements.
- OgOganessonElement 118 · Heaviest known element; named for Yuri Oganessian.
Lanthanides (15)
- LaLanthanumElement 57 · First lanthanide; used in camera lenses and hybrid-car batteries.
- CeCeriumElement 58 · Most abundant rare earth; used in catalytic converters and glass polishing.
- PrPraseodymiumElement 59 · Rare earth used in strong magnets and yellow-green glass.
- NdNeodymiumElement 60 · Powers the strongest permanent magnets in motors and headphones.
- PmPromethiumElement 61 · Radioactive rare earth with no stable isotopes; once used in luminous paint.
- SmSamariumElement 62 · Used in samarium-cobalt magnets that work at high temperature.
- EuEuropiumElement 63 · Red and blue phosphor in screens; used in euro banknote security inks.
- GdGadoliniumElement 64 · Used as an MRI contrast agent and as a neutron absorber.
- TbTerbiumElement 65 · Green phosphors and magnetostrictive alloys.
- DyDysprosiumElement 66 · Improves the heat resistance of neodymium magnets.
- HoHolmiumElement 67 · Has the strongest magnetic moment of any element; used in lasers.
- ErErbiumElement 68 · Amplifies light signals in long-distance fiber-optic cables.
- TmThuliumElement 69 · Rarest stable lanthanide; used in portable X-ray sources.
- YbYtterbiumElement 70 · Used in extremely precise atomic clocks and infrared lasers.
- LuLutetiumElement 71 · Densest lanthanide; used in PET scanner detectors.
Actinides (15)
- AcActiniumElement 89 · Radioactive and glows blue in the dark; first of the actinides.
- ThThoriumElement 90 · Weakly radioactive metal studied as a nuclear fuel.
- PaProtactiniumElement 91 · Rare, radioactive and highly toxic actinide.
- UUraniumElement 92 · Heavy metal used as fuel in nuclear reactors.
- NpNeptuniumElement 93 · First transuranic element; produced in nuclear reactors.
- PuPlutoniumElement 94 · Fissile metal used in nuclear weapons and to power spacecraft.
- AmAmericiumElement 95 · Used in household smoke detectors.
- CmCuriumElement 96 · Named for Marie and Pierre Curie; powers some space probes.
- BkBerkeliumElement 97 · Synthetic actinide made in nuclear reactors for research.
- CfCaliforniumElement 98 · Intense neutron source used to start reactors and detect metals.
- EsEinsteiniumElement 99 · Discovered in the debris of the first hydrogen bomb test.
- FmFermiumElement 100 · Also found in hydrogen bomb debris; only tiny amounts have been made.
- MdMendeleviumElement 101 · Named for Mendeleev; made one atom at a time.
- NoNobeliumElement 102 · Named for Alfred Nobel; synthetic and short-lived.
- LrLawrenciumElement 103 · Last of the actinides; synthetic with a very short half-life.