| H | He | ||||||||||||||||
| Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||
| Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||
| K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr |
| Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe |
| Cs | Ba | Lu | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn |
| Fr | Ra | Lr | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Uut | Fl | Uup | Lv | Uus | Uuo |
| La | Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | ||||
| Ac | Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | ||||
List of Elements
Actinium
Aluminum
Americium
Antimony
Argon is the most common noble gas found in air, making up about 1% of our atmosphere, with only oxygen and nitrogen being more common. It was the first noble gas discovered when Ramsay and Raleigh realized that nitrogen isolated from air weighed more than nitrogen isolated from heating ammonia (the former contained argon, the latter did not). Argon is commonly used for lasers and welding, and geologic dating. Although reluctant to form compounds with other elements, scientists have combined it to form HArF.
Rasanen, Markku. "Argon out of thin air." Nature chemistry 6.1 (2014): 82-82.
Arsenic
Astatine
Barium is well-known in the medical world for being used as an oral (and rectal) contrast agent, in its insoluble sulfate form. Its increased density makes it stand out on X-ray, lighting up the GI tract. It is used in many other industries, including oil (increased drilling fluid density), automobile coatings (corrosion resistance), and rat poison (its soluble carbonate form). Barium poisoning affects calcium/potassium metabolism and can lead to cardiac abnormalities and paralysis. It also provides a pigment in ceramics and can be used in fireworks. In physics, it helped with the discovery of nuclear fission after it was found after uranium bombardment.
Fromm, Katharina M. "Barium bright and heavy." Nature chemistry 5.2 (2013): 146-146.
Berkelium
Beryllium
Bismuth
Bohrium
Boron
Bromine
Cadmium
Calcium
Californium
Carbon
Cerium
Cesium
Chlorine
Chromium
Cobalt
Copernicium
Copper
Curium
Darmstadtium
Dubnium
Dysprosium
Einsteinium
Erbium
Europium
Fermium
Flerovium
Fluorine
Francium
Gadolinium
Germanium
Gold
Hafnium
Hassium
The second lightest element, helium is commonly used to inflate balloons. Because it is so light, there is very little in the atmosphere as it can't be held by Earth's gravity. It only becomes liquid at 2 Kelvin, at which point it lacks viscosity and is used to cool superconducting magnets to remove electrical resistance. In order to prevent the buildup of nitrogen in divers' bodies, helium is used in the gas mix for extremely deep dives. Helium is used in different industries for lasers as well as pressurizing rocket fuel tanks. As a noble gas, it does not readily form compounds with other elements but scientists have been able to create very short lived compounds with some heavier elements.
Herman, Christine. "Cool as helium." Nature chemistry 4.2 (2012): 140-140.
Holmium
Hydrogen
Indium
Iodine is well known in medicine for a couple reasons. It is used as an intravenous contrast agent, to illuminate organs and vessels. However, it can cause kidney damage in susceptible patients so it must be used cautiously. It is also a necessary element for production of thyroid hormone; iodine deficiency can lead to an enlarged thyroid gland, known as a goiter. Iodine is also used frequently in both organic and inorganic chemistry, in ways that I could not do justice in describing.
Metrangolo, Pierangelo, and Giuseppe Resnati. "Tracing iodine." Nature chemistry 3.3 (2011): 260-260.
Iridium
Iron
Krypton was once infamous for defining the meter as 1,650,763.73 wavelengths of the 605nm emission line. It is used in calorimeters which hold approximately 30 tons of liquid Krypton, which is the largest known concentration of the gas. It is combined to form KrF2, which is then used to form other more difficult compounds. In 1938 its name was borrowed by Siegel and Schuster as the planet of origin of Superman.
Lozinsek, Matic, and Gary J. Schrobilgen. "The world of krypton revisited." Nature Chemistry 8.7 (2016): 732-732.
Lanthanum
Lawrencium
Lead
Lithium
Livermorium
Lutetium
Magnesium
Manganese
Meitnerium
Mendelevium
Mercury
Molybdenum
Neodymium
Neon is recognized as the element which gives neon signs their red/orange glow. Considered by some to be the lightest of the noble gases, because they move helium to a new seat above beryllium. Evidence shows that neon compounds are much more unstable than helium compounds. It is combined with helium for lasers which are used for scanning barcodes and reading CDs.
Grandinetti, Felice. "Neon behind the signs." Nature chemistry 5.5 (2013): 438-438.
Neptunium
Nickel
Niobium
Nitrogen
Nobelium
Osmium
Oxygen
You may remember the Wacker process from organic chemistry, which involves use of a palladium catalyst to convert a carbon-carbon double bond to an aldehyde group. Palladium has a specific electron conformation, making it an excellent catalyst (and better than platinum and nickel, the runner-ups).
Hartings, Matthew. "Reactions coupled to palladium." Nature chemistry 4.9 (2012): 764-764.
Phosphorus
Platinum
Plutonium
Polonium
Potassium
Praseodymium
Promethium
Protactinium
Radium
Radon was discovered unofficially in 1899 by the Curies and officially in 1900 by Friedrich Dorn. However, the name radon was not made official until 1957, before which each isotope was referred to by its own name. The 222Rn isotope is infamous for entering homes through the basement and causing lung cancer. Radon detectors are used in homes to test for increased levels, though special detectors are needed for isotope 220Rn (aka Thoron), though it does not travel far from its source before decaying.
Thornton, Brett F., and Shawn C. Burdette. "Recalling radon's recognition." Nature chemistry 5.9 (2013): 804-804.
Rhenium
Rhodium
Roentgenium
Rubidium
Ruthenium
Rutherfordium
Samarium
Scandium
Named after Glenn Seaborg (discovered many of the heavier elements), it was discovered in 1974. Although only a few atoms are made at a time via particle bombardment, it is the heaviest element to be made into a carbonyl compound.
Düllmann, Christoph E. "Seaborgium's complex studies." Nature chemistry 7.9 (2015): 760.
Selenium
Silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth's crust, forming rocks, sand, and glass with the help of oxygen. Pure silicon is used in the tech industry as an effective semiconductor, and "nanopores" can be created to massively increase the surface area, allowing for miniturization of electronics. When combined with oxygen and carbon, it can be used as insulation (aerogel), industrial greases, and even concrete. Many organisms in nature, including diatoms and radiolarians, use silica to create shells. Recently, an experiment created a form of silicon that is able to absorb light and will have applications for solar energy.
Jaroniec, Mietek. "Silicon beyond the valley." Nature chemistry 1.2 (2009): 166-166.
Silver
Sodium
Strontium
Sulfur
Tantalum
There are 92 elements (hydrogen through uranium) that are considered to be naturally occuring. Technetium, discovered in 1936, was the last element on this list. It is a radioactive element and has a shorter half-life than the life of the earth, but extremely small amounts have been found in natural "nuclear reactors" existing in Africa. It has since been synthesized in large amounts due to its importance to the medical field. It's radioactivity and short half-life make it perfect for injecting into patients and looking for increased uptake in certain organs, including bone.
Tellurium
Terbium
Thallium, unlike most other members of group 13, prefers the 1+ oxidative state, not the 3+ state. This allows it to mimic potassium and be taken up by our bodies, damaging the neurologic and GI systems and causing hair loss. However, if caught early, it can be treated with Prussian Blue. Thallium's existence as a colorless, tasteless element makes it appealing for murderers in both fact and fiction (The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie). Unfortunately, no other uses have been developed...yet.
Lennartson, Anders. "Toxic thallium." Nature chemistry 7.7 (2015): 610.
Thorium
Thulium
Tin
Titanium
Tungsten
Ununoctium
Ununpentium
Ununseptium
Ununtrium
Uranium
Vanadium
Xenon is one of the heaviest noble gases but is much rarer than the lighter elements (one would expect them to be more likely to escape in the atmosphere). It has been shown that xenon can bond with oxygen instead of silicon in rocks, and this is possibly where all the missing xenon exists. Xenon was compounded with fluoride in 1962, the first noble gas to do so. It is used for silicon etching for semiconductors as well as an anesthetic (LENOXe) due to its hydrophobic properties. It is also ionized to provide thrust to interstellar space probes.
Dmochowski, Ivan. "Xenon out of its shell." Nature chemistry 1.3 (2009): 250-250.
Ytterbium
Yttrium
Zinc
Zirconium