List of the Chemical Elements - by Name of Element

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Chemical Elements List : Symbols and Names - Listed alphabetically by Name of Element

This is a chemical elements list alphabetically by name (in English) using British English spellings for names & descriptions.

To see this information listed in a different order, either numerically by Atomic Number (What is an Atomic Number?) or alphabetically by Chemical Symbol, use these links or click on the arrows below.

Atomic
Number

Chemical
Symbol

Name of Chemical
(in English)

Atomic Weight
(Mass Number)

Short Description

Actinium

227

Actinium is a silvery radioactive metal that glows (pale blue) in the dark due to radioactivity.

Aluminium

Aluminium is found naturally only combined with other elements as it is highly reactive. It is a soft, durable, lightweight, ductile and malleable metal whose appearance ranges from silvery to dull gray. It is non-magnetic, non-sparking and insoluble in alcohol. The free metal burns with a distinctive brilliant white light.

Americium

243

Americium is a radioactive metal with a silvery and white luster. At room temperature it slowly tarnishes in dry air.

Antimony

122

Antimony is a silvery lustrous grey metalloid that has two stable isotopes, one with 70 neutrons, the other with 72. It is found mainly as antimony sulfide, commonly known as stibnite.

Argon

Argon is a colourless odourless and non-toxic gas at room temp and pressure. It is inert under most conditions so forms no confirmed stable compounds.

Arsenic

Arsenic is a poisonous metalloid that has many forms incl. a yellow (molecular non-metallic) and several black and grey forms.

Astatine

210

Astatine is a highly radioactive halogen thought to be more metallic than iodine. Its most stable isotope has a half-life of around 8.3 hours. Astatine is the least reactive of the halogens (less reactive than iodine) and occurs naturally in three natural radioactive decay series but, due to its short half-life, is found only in tiny amounts.

Barium

137

Barium is a soft silvery metallic alkaline earth metal. The free element is not found in nature but in various minerals.

Berkelium

247

Berkelium is a radioactive metal produced by bombarding americum with alpha particles.

Beryllium

Beryllium is found naturally only combined with other elements e.g. in aquamarine, emerald and chrysoberyl. The free element beryllium is a steel-gray, strong, lightweight brittle "alkaline earth metal".

Bismuth

209

Bismuth is a heavy and brittle poor metal that has a silvery white colour with a pink tinge (due to surface oxide). It is the most naturally diamagnetic of all metals, and only mercury has a lower thermal conductivity. It is generally considered to be the last naturally occurring stable, non-radioactive element on the periodic table, though it is slightly radioactive

107

Bohrium

264

Bohrium is a rare, synthetic, highly radioactive element.

Boron

Boron exists as amorphous boron (a brown powder) and crystalline boron (black, very hard and a poor conductor at room temperature).

Bromine

Bromine is a halogen that is a brown liquid at room temperature. It's vapour is toxic and corrosive.

Cadmium

112

Cadmium is a soft bluish-white toxic metal.

Caesium

133

Caesium is a soft, silvery-gold alkali metal with a melting point of 28 °C. Although it has only mild chemical toxicity, the radioisotopes present are a risk in case of radiation leaks, hence caesium is considered hazardous.

Calcium

Calcium is a soft grey alkaline earth metal.

Californium

251

Californium is a radioactive metal produced by bombarding curium with alpha particles.

Carbon

Carbon exists as graphite, diamond, and amorphous carbon.

Cerium

140

Cerium is a soft, silvery, ductile metal that is found in certain minerals, incl. monazite and bastnasite.

Chlorine

35.5

Chlorine is a pale yellow-green, highly reactive, gas with a strong smell (of bleach) at room temperature.

Chromium

Chromium is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard metal with a high melting point. It is odourless, tasteless, and malleable.

Cobalt

Cobalt is a hard, lustrous, grey metal that occurs in metallic-lustered ores, e.g. cobaltite (CoAsS). Cobalt-based colours and pigments have been used for jewellry and paints for 1000s years.

Copper

Copper is a ductile metal with high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable. Freshly exposed copper surfaces are pinkish / peachy in colour.

Curium

247

Curium is a radioactive metal produced by bombarding plutonium with alpha particles (it does not occur naturally).

110

Darmstadtium

271

Darmstadtium is a rare, synthetic, highly radioactive element.

105

Dubnium

262

Dubnium is a rare, synthetic, highly radioactive element.

Dysprosium

162.5

Dysprosium is a rare earth metal with a bright silver luster. It is soft enough to be cut with a knife, and can be machined without sparking (when overheating is avoided). It has unusual yet important magnetic properties.

Einsteinium

254

Einsteinium is a highly radioactive element considered to be a metal but without any practical uses. It does not occur naturally in measureable quantities and is considered highly toxic.

Erbium

167

Erbium is a silvery-white solid rare earth metal. It does not occur as the free metal in nature but may be extracted from certain minerals e.g. gadolinite.

Europium

152

Europium is a ductile metal that becomes a superconductor when simultaneously at both high pressure (80 GPa) and at low temperature (1.8 Kelvin). It is the most reactive rare earth elements.

100

Fermium

253

Fermium is a highly radioactive element considered to be a metal and produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons. It is extremely rare and highly toxic.

Fluorine

Fluorine is a very reactive poisonous pale-yellowish brown gas.

Francium

223

Francium is an alkali metal and the most unstable of the naturally occurring elements. Its most stable isotope has a maximum half-life of only 22 minutes.

Gadolinium

157

Gadolinium is a silvery-white malleable and ductile rare-earth metal. It is strongly paramagnetic at room temperature, and has ferromagnetic properties below room temperature. It also has a magnetocaloric effect, i.e. its temperature increases when it enters a magnetic field and decreases when it leaves the magnetic field.

Gallium

Gallium is a soft silvery-coloured brittle solid at low temperatures. It is a poor metal and does not occur in elemental form in nature, but as the gallium(III) salt in very small amounts in bauxite and zinc ores.

Germanium

Germanium is a lustrous, hard, greyish-white metalloid that has five naturally occurring isotopes ranging in atomic mass number from 70 to 76.
It is an important semiconductor material used in transistors, electronics,fiber-optic systems, infrared optics and solar cells.

Gold

197

Gold is the most malleable and ductile metal. It is unaffected by air, moisture and most corrosive reagents, hence its popularity for use in coins and jewelry and as a protective coating on other, more reactive, metals - though it is not chemically inert. Pure gold is odourless, tasteless very dense.

Hafnium

178.5

Hafnium is a lustrous silvery-grey transition metal found in zirconium minerals.

108

Hassium

277

Hassium is a rare, synthetic, highly radioactive element.

Helium

Helium is a colourless odourless tasteless gas at room temperature.

Holmium

165

Holmium is a relatively soft and malleable silvery-white metal that is stable in dry air at room temperature. It occurs in the minerals monazite and gadolinite. Holmium has the highest magnetic strength of any element and therefore is used for the polepieces of the strongest static magnets. It is also used in nuclear control rods.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen is a colourless gas at room temperature. It is highly flammable.

Indium

115

Indium is a rare and very soft, malleable post-transition metal. It is named for the indigo blue line in its spectrum that was the first indication of its existence as a new and unknown element (in metal ores).

Iodine

127

Iodine is a halogen that is a bluish-black solid at room temperature and pressure. It may be seen apparently sublimating at standard temperatures into a violet-pink gas with an irritating smell.

Iridium

192

Iridium is a very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal, the second densest element and the most corrosion-resistant metal, even at high temperatures.

Iron

Iron and iron alloys (steels) are the most common metals and ferromagnetic materials in everyday use.

Krypton

Krypton is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere.

Lanthanum

139

Lanthanum is a silver- white, malleable, ductile, soft metal found in some rare-earth minerals, usually in combination with cerium and other rare earth elements. It may be extracted from the minerals monazite and bastnäsite.

103

Lawrencium

257

Lawrencium is so rare that its gross appearance (e.g. colour, form etc.) is unknown. It is thought likely to be a silvery-white or grey metal but if sufficient amounts of lawrencium were ever produced, it would pose a serious radiation hazard.

Lead

207

Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal that has a bluish-white colour after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull greyish color when exposed to air.

Lithium

Lithium is a soft silver-white metal classified as an "alkali metal" element.

Lutetium

175

Lutetium is a silvery white corrosion-resistant rare earths metal that has several radioactive isotopes e.g. 176Lu.

Magnesium

Magnesium is found naturally only combined with other elements as it is highly reactive. The free metal burns with a distinctive brilliant white light.

Manganese

Manganese is a silvery-grey hard metal, very brittle and difficult to fuse but easy to oxidize. Manganese metal and its common ions are paramagnetic.

109

Meitnerium

268

Meitnerium is a rare, synthetic, highly radioactive element.

101

Mendelevium

256

Mendelevium is a highly radioactive element usually synthesized by bombarding einsteinium with alpha particles. It has no known uses as only trace amounts have ever been produced.

Mercury

201

Mercury is a heavy silvery-white metal - the only metal that is liquid at room temperature and pressure. Compared to other metals, it is a poor conductor of heat, but a fair conductor of electricity.

Molybdenum

Molybdenum is a silvery metal that does not occur as the free metal in nature but may be extracted from certain minerals.

Neodymium

144

Neodymium is a rare earth metal that has a bright, silvery metallic luster - but oxidizes quickly in air.

Neon

Neon is a colourless inert noble gas that glows reddish-orange in discharge tubes and neon lamps.

Neptunium

237

Neptunium is a metal with a silvery appearance, that is chemically reactive and occurs in at least 3 allotropic forms: α-neptunium (orthorhombic), β-neptunium (above 280 °C, tetragonal), γ-neptunium (above 577 °C, cubic). Trace amounts of neptunium are found naturally as decay products from transmutation reactions in uranium ores.

Nickel

Nickel is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge.

Niobium

Niobium is a soft, grey, ductile transition metal found in the minerals pyrochlore and columbite..

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a colourless odorless tasteless and mostly inert gas at room temperature.

102

Nobelium

254

Nobelium was first announced in the late 1950s. Its physical appearance is unknown but it is thought likely to be silvery-white or grey and metallic. If sufficient amounts of nobelium were ever produced, it would pose a radiation hazard.

Osmium

190

Osmium is an extremely dense, blue-grey, hard, brittle, metal that remains lustrous even at high temperatures. It has 4th highest melting point of all elements and is considered to be the densest known element.

Oxygen

Oxygen occurs as a highly reactive colourless odourless tasteless gas.

Palladium

106

Palladium is a rare lustrous silvery-white transition metal. (It is relatively valuable due to its many industrial applications yet limited supply.)

Phosphorus

Phosphorus occurs in phosphate rocks. Elemental phosphorus exists in two forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus but - due to its high reactivity, phosphorus is never found as a free element in nature.

Platinum

195

Platinum is a silvery-white, lustrous, ductile, and malleable metal. Its resistance to wear and tarnish results in its popularity for making fine jewelry.

Plutonium

242

Plutonium is a silvery-white actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating of oxide. It occurs in at least 6 allotropes. It is also a radioactive poison that accumulates in bone marrow, hence handling plutonium is highly dangerous.

Polonium

210

Polonium is a rare and highly radioactive metalloid that occurs in uranium ores. It has 33 known isotopes (all radioactive) that have atomic masses ranging from 188 to 220.

Potassium

Potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water. It occurs in nature only as ionic salts, e.g. dissolved in seawater, and as part of minerals.

Praseodymium

141

Praseodymium is a soft, silvery, malleable and ductile metal. At low temperatures itis paramagnetic at any temperature above 1 Kelvin.

Promethium

147

Promethium is a radioactive element, only trace amounts of which can be found in naturally occurring ores. Its longest lived isotope 145Pm is a soft beta emitter with a half-life of 17.7 years. Pure promethium can exist in two allotropic forms. Promethium salts luminesce in the dark with a pale blue or greenish glow, due to high radioactivity.

Protactinium

231

Protactinium is a radioactive metal that has a bright metallic luster that it retains for some time in contact with air. It is superconductive at temperatures below 1.4 Kelvin.

Radium

226

Radium is pure white radioactive alkaline earth metal that occurs in trace amounts in uranium ores. On exposure to air it forms a black oxide.

Radon

222

Radon is a radioactive, colourless, odourless, tasteless noble gas, occurring naturally as the decay product of radium. It is one of the densest substances that remains a gas under normal conditions and is considered to be a health hazard due to its radioactivity.

Rhenium

186

Rhenium is a silvery-white metal that has one of the highest melting points of all elements (exceeded by W and C). It is one of the densest elements (exceeded by Pt, Ir and Os).

Rhodium

103

Rhodium is a rare, silvery-white, hard, inert transition metal.

111

Roentgenium

272

Roentgenium is a rare, synthetic, highly radioactive element.

Rubidium

85.5

Rubidium is a soft, silvery-white "alkali metal" element.

Ruthenium

101

Ruthenium is a rare transition metal that is inert to most other chemicals.

104

Rutherfordium

261

Rutherfordium is a rare, synthetic, highly radioactive element.

Samarium

150

Samarium is a rare earth metal with a bright silver luster. .

Scandium

Scandium is a silvery-white metallic transition metal.

106

Seaborgium

266

Seaborgium is a rare, synthetic, highly radioactive element.

Selenium

Selenium occurs in various forms, the most stable of which is a dense purplish-grey semiconductor. Non-conductive forms of selenium include a black glass-like allotrope and several red crystalline forms.

Silicon

Silicon rarely occurs in free element form in nature. It is found in dusts, sands, and forms of silicon dioxide (silica) or silicates.

Silver

108

Silver is a soft, white, lustrous transition metal. It is the element with the highest electrical conductivity and the metal of highest thermal conductivity.

Sodium

Sodium is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive "alkali metal" element.

Strontium

Strontium is a grey, silvery metal that is softer than calcium and highly reactive with water. It occurs naturally only in compounds with other elements, such as in the minerals strontianite and celestite.

Sulphur

Sulphur is a bright yellow crystalline solid. In nature, it can be found as the pure element and as sulfide and sulfate minerals.

Tantalum

181

Tantalum is a rare, hard, blue-gray, lustrous transition metal that occurs naturally in the mineral tantalite.

Technetium

Technetium is a silvery grey, crystalline transition. It is the lowest atomic number element without any stable isotopes. Most of technetium is produced synthetically but minute amounts have been found in nature. Naturally occurring technetium occurs as a spontaneous fission product in uranium ore or by neutron capture in molybdenum ores.

Tellurium

128

Tellurium is a brittle, mildly toxic, silver-white metalloid.

Terbium

159

Terbium is a silvery-white rare earth metal that is malleable, ductile and soft enough to be cut with a knife. It is not found as a free element in nature but is contained in many minerals.

Thallium

204

Thallium is soft, malleable, grey poor metal. It may be perserved by storage under oil. Thallium is known for its high and nonselective toxicity.

Thorium

232

Thorium is a naturally occurring, slightly radioactive metal.

Thulium

169

Thulium is a soft, malleable, ductile metal with silvery luster (when pure). It is ferromagnetic below 32 K, antiferromagnetic between 32 and 56 K and paramagnetic above 56 K.

Tin

119

Tin is a malleable, ductile, and highly crystalline silvery-white metal of low-toxicity. It was used widely during the "Bronze Age" to form bronze, an alloy of tin and copper.

Titanium

Titanium is a light (low-density) metal that is strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant and silver in colour.

Tungsten

184

Tungsten is a steel-grey metal that may seem brittle and difficult to work, but can be worked easily when pure. It has the lowest coefficient of thermal expansion of any pure metal.

Uranium

238

Uranium is a silvery-white radioactive metal that has 6 known isotopes It occurs naturally in low concentrations (a few parts per million) in soil, rock and water, and is commercially extracted from uranium-bearing minerals such as uraninite.Uranium decays slowly by emitting an alpha particle.

Vanadium

Vanadium is a soft, silvery gray, ductile transition metal.

Xenon

131

Xenon is a colourless, odourless, heavy, noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the Earth's atmosphere.

Ytterbium

173

Ytterbium is a soft, malleable, ductile rare earth metal with a bright silvery luster. It has 3 allotropes (called alpha, beta and gamma) and is paramagnetic at temperatures above 1 K.

Yttrium

Yttrium is a silvery-metallic transition metal that is nearly always found combined with the lanthanoids in rare earth minerals - as a free element.

Zinc

Zinc is a bluish-white, lustrous, diamagnetic, hard, brittle, transition metal.

Zirconium

Zirconium is a lustrous, grey-white, strong transition metal. It is not found in nature as a free element but may be obtained from the mineral zircon.

See also pages about the Periodic Table.

Note: This is one of a set of pages introducing basic chemistry to non-scientists. These pages include information about how how the huge subject of Chemistry may be divided into Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry. They also include introdctions to the Chemical Elements and the Periodic Table.



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