Early Modern
25 elements
Lithium
The lightest metal and least dense solid element. Crucial for rechargeable batte...
Boron
Essential for plant growth and used in fiberglass. Boron nitride is harder than ...
Sodium
Highly reactive metal that explodes in water. Combined with chlorine it forms ta...
Aluminum
The most abundant metal in Earths crust. Was once more valuable than gold. Napol...
Silicon
The second most abundant element in Earths crust after oxygen. The foundation of...
Potassium
Essential for heart function, muscle contraction, and nerve signals. Reacts viol...
Calcium
The fifth most abundant element in Earths crust. Forms the mineral portion of bo...
Vanadium
Used to make steel alloys stronger and lighter. Vanadium redox flow batteries st...
Selenium
Essential trace element important for thyroid function and antioxidant defense. ...
Bromine
One of only two elements liquid at room temperature, the other being mercury. Re...
Niobium
Named after Niobe, daughter of Tantalus in Greek mythology. Superconducting at 9...
Ruthenium
Named after Ruthenia, the Latin name for Russia. Used to make platinum harder fo...
Rhodium
The most expensive precious metal, often 10 times the price of gold. Used in cat...
Palladium
Named after the asteroid Pallas, discovered around the same time. Crucial for ca...
Cadmium
Highly toxic and a known carcinogen. Used in rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteri...
Iodine
Essential for thyroid hormone production. Iodine deficiency causes goiter and is...
Barium
Barium sulfate is used in barium meals to image the digestive tract. Barium comp...
Lanthanum
The first of the lanthanide series. Used in camera and telescope lenses for high...
Cerium
The most abundant rare earth element. Used in catalytic converters to reduce emi...
Terbium
One of four elements named after Ytterby, a single quarry village in Sweden. Ter...
Erbium
Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers boost the light signals in the undersea cables tha...
Tantalum
Named after Tantalus of Greek myth, punished with water he could never drink, be...
Osmium
The densest naturally occurring element, twice as dense as lead. Osmium tetroxid...
Iridium
The most corrosion resistant metal known: no acid attacks it. A thin worldwide l...
Thorium
Named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Thorium oxide glowed white in gas la...