Argon
Saturday, November 1, 2008
- Argon, symbol Ar, inert gaseous element that is the third most prevalent gas in Earth's atmosphere. In group 18 (or VIIIa) of the periodic table , argon is one of the noble gases. The atomic number of argon is 18. The element’s name comes from the Greek word argos, "inactive," because argon does not easily react with other elements.
- Argon was discovered in 1894 by the British scientists Sir William Ramsay and Baron John William Strutt Rayleigh. They were led to this discovery by a discrepancy between the density of supposedly pure nitrogen, prepared from air, and actually pure nitrogen, prepared from ammonium nitrate. Argon is composed of monatomic molecules and is colorless and odorless. It constitutes 0.93 percent of the atmosphere. Argon melts at -189.3°C (-308.2°F) and boils at -185.86°C (-302.55°F). The atomic weight of argon is 39.948.
- In recent years chemists have been able to force most of the noble gases to form compounds. Researchers at the University of Helsinki achieved this feat with argon in 2000. They created argon fluorohydride (HArF) by shining ultraviolet light on frozen argon containing a small amount of hydrogen fluoride.
- Argon is produced commercially by the fractional distillation of liquid air. It is used in large quantities to fill electric light bulbs. If air is left in incandescent bulbs, the filament burns; if the bulb is evacuated, as was formerly done, the tungsten filament tends to evaporate, blackening the inside of the bulb. To prevent this evaporation, the bulb can be filled with nitrogen, which is the least expensive gas for the purpose, or argon, which is better, as it is a poorer conductor of heat and so cools the filament less.
- Argon is also used in one type of neon lamp. Whereas pure neon gives a red light, argon gives a blue light. Argon tubes require a lower voltage than neon tubes, and for this reason small amounts of argon are sometimes mixed with neon. Argon is also used in electric-arc technology, in gas lasers, and in arc welding.
Elements of the Periodic Table
Elements Sorted by Name
| Name | Symbol | Atomic Number | Atomic Weight | Group | Date Discovered | Discovered By |
| Actinium | Ac | 89 | (227) | Actinide series | 1899 | André Debierne |
| Aluminum | Al | 13 | 26.9815 | Other metals | 1824 | Hans Oersted (also attributed to Friedrich Wöhler 1827) |
| Americium | Am | 95 | 243 | Actinide series | 1944 | Glenn Seaborg, Ralph James, Leon Morgan, and Albert Ghiorso |
| Antimony | Sb | 51 | 121.760 | Other metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Argon | Ar | 18 | 39.948 | Noble gases | 1894 | John Rayleigh and William Ramsay |
| Arsenic | As | 33 | 74.9216 | Nonmetals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Astatine | At | 85 | (210) | Halogens | 1940 | Dale R. Corson, K. R. MacKenzie, and Emilio Segrè |
| Barium | Ba | 56 | 137.328 | Alkaline earth metals | 1808 | Humphry Davy |
| Berkelium | Bk | 97 | (247) | Actinide series | 1949 | Glenn Seaborg, Stanley Thompson, and Albert Ghiorso |
| Beryllium | Be | 4 | 9.0122 | Alkaline earth metals | 1798 | Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin (isolated by Friedrich Wöhler and Antoine-Alexandre-Brutus Bussy 1828) |
| Bismuth | Bi | 83 | 208.9804 | Other metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Bohrium | Bh | 107 | (262) | Transition metals | 1976 | Georgii Flerov and Yuri Oganessian (confirmed by German scientist Peter Armbruster and coworkers) |
| Boron | B | 5 | 10.81 | Nonmetals | 1808 | Humphry Davy, and independently by Joseph Gay-Lussac and Louis-Jacques Thénard |
| Bromine | Br | 35 | 79.904 | Halogens | 1826 | Antoine-Jérôme Balard |
| Cadmium | Cd | 48 | 112.412 | Transition metals | 1817 | Friedrich Strohmeyer |
| Calcium | Ca | 20 | 40.078 | Alkaline earth metals | 1808 | Humphry Davy |
| Californium | Cf | 98 | (251) | Actinide series | 1950 | Glenn Seaborg, Stanley Thompson, Kenneth Street, Jr., and Albert Ghiorso |
| Carbon | C | 6 | 12.011 | Nonmetals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Cerium | Ce | 58 | 140.115 | Lanthanide series | 1804 | Jöns Berzelius and Wilhelm Hisinger, and independently by Martin Klaproth |
| Cesium | Cs | 55 | 132.9054 | Alkali metals | 1860 | Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff |
| Chlorine | Cl | 17 | 35.4528 | Halogens | 1774 | Karl Scheele |
| Chromium | Cr | 24 | 51.9962 | Transition metals | 1797 | Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin |
| Cobalt | Co | 27 | 58.9332 | Transition metals | 1730 | Georg Brandt |
| Copper | Cu | 29 | 63.546 | Transition metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Curium | Cm | 96 | (247) | Actinide series | 1944 | Glenn Seaborg, Ralph James, and Albert Ghiorso |
| Darmstadtium | Ds | 110 | (271) | Transition metals | 1994 | team at the Heavy-Ion Research Laboratory, Darmstadt, Germany |
| Dubnium | Db | 105 | (262) | Transition metals | 1970 | claimed by Albert Ghiorso and coworkers (disputed by Soviet workers) |
| Dysprosium | Dy | 66 | 162.500 | Lanthanide series | 1886 | Paul Lecoq de Boisbaudran |
| Einsteinium | Es | 99 | (252) | Actinide series | 1952 | Albert Ghiorso and coworkers |
| Erbium | Er | 68 | 167.26 | Lanthanide series | 1843 | Carl Mosander |
| Europium | Eu | 63 | 151.966 | Lanthanide series | 1901 | Eugène Demarçay |
| Fermium | Fm | 100 | (257) | Actinide series | 1955 | Albert Ghiorso and coworkers |
| Fluorine | F | 9 | 18.9984 | Halogens | 1771 | Karl Scheele (isolated by Henri Moissan 1886) |
| Francium | Fr | 87 | (223) | Alkali metals | 1939 | Marguérite Perey |
| Gadolinium | Gd | 64 | 157.25 | Lanthanide series | 1886 | Paul Lecoq de Boisbaudran |
| Gallium | Ga | 31 | 69.723 | Other metals | 1875 | Paul Lecoq de Boisbaudran |
| Germanium | Ge | 32 | 72.61 | Other metals | 1886 | Clemens Winkler |
| Gold | Au | 79 | 196.9665 | Transition metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Hafnium | Hf | 72 | 178.49 | Transition metals | 1913 | Dirk Coster and Georg von Hevesy |
| Hassium | Hs | 108 | (263) | Transition metals | 1984 | Peter Armbruster and coworkers |
| Helium | He | 2 | 4.0026 | Noble gases | 1868 | Pierre Janssen |
| Holmium | Ho | 67 | 164.9303 | Lanthanide series | 1879 | Per Cleve |
| Hydrogen | H | 1 | 1.0079 | Nonmetals | 1766 | Henry Cavendish |
| Indium | In | 49 | 114.818 | Other metals | 1863 | Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymus Richter |
| Iodine | I | 53 | 126.9045 | Halogens | 1811 | Bernard Courtois |
| Iridium | Ir | 77 | 192.217 | Transition metals | 1804 | Smithson Tennant |
| Iron | Fe | 26 | 55.845 | Transition metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Krypton | Kr | 36 | 83.798 | Noble gases | 1898 | William Ramsay and Morris Travers |
| Lanthanum | La | 57 | 138.9055 | Lanthanide series | 1839 | Carl Mosander |
| Lawrencium | Lr | 103 | (260) | Transition metals | 1961 | Albert Ghiorso, Torbjørn Sikkeland, Almon Larsh, and Robert Latimer |
| Lead | Pb | 82 | 207.2 | Other metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Lithium | Li | 3 | 6.941 | Alkali metals | 1817 | Johan Arfwedson |
| Lutetium | Lu | 71 | 174.967 | Transition metals | 1907 | Georges Urbain and Carl von Welsbach, independently of each other |
| Magnesium | Mg | 12 | 24.3051 | Alkaline earth metals | 1755 | Joseph Black (oxide isolated by Humphry Davy 1808; pure form isolated by Antoine-Alexandre-Brutus Bussy 1828) |
| Manganese | Mn | 25 | 54.938 | Transition metals | 1774 | Johann Gottlieb Gahn |
| Meitnerium | Mt | 109 | (268) | Transition metals | 1982 | Peter Armbruster and coworkers |
| Mendelevium | Md | 101 | (258) | Actinide series | 1955 | Albert Ghiorso, Bernard G. Harvey, Gregory Choppin, Stanley Thompson, and Glenn Seaborg |
| Mercury | Hg | 80 | 200.59 | Transition metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Molybdenum | Mo | 42 | 95.94 | Transition metals | 1781 | named by Karl Scheele (isolated by Peter Jacob Hjelm 1782) |
| Neodymium | Nd | 60 | 144.24 | Lanthanide series | 1885 | Carl von Welsbach |
| Neon | Ne | 10 | 20.1798 | Noble gases | 1898 | William Ramsay and Morris Travers |
| Neptunium | Np | 93 | (237) | Actinide series | 1940 | Edwin McMillan and Philip Abelson |
| Nickel | Ni | 28 | 58.6934 | Transition metals | 1751 | Axel Cronstedt |
| Niobium | Nb | 41 | 92.9064 | Transition metals | 1801 | Charles Hatchett |
| Nitrogen | N | 7 | 14.0067 | Nonmetals | 1772 | Daniel Rutherford |
| Nobelium | No | 102 | (259) | Actinide series | 1958 | Albert Ghiorso, Torbjørn Sikkeland, J. R. Walton, and Glenn Seaborg |
| Osmium | Os | 76 | 190.23 | Transition metals | 1804 | Smithson Tennant |
| Oxygen | O | 8 | 15.9994 | Nonmetals | 1774 | Joseph Priestley and Karl Scheele, independently of each other |
| Palladium | Pd | 46 | 106.42 | Transition metals | 1804 | William Wollaston |
| Phosphorus | P | 15 | 30.9738 | Nonmetals | 1674 | Hennig Brand |
| Platinum | Pt | 78 | 195.08 | Transition metals | 1557 | Julius Scaliger |
| Plutonium | Pu | 94 | (244) | Actinide series | 1940 | Glenn Seaborg, Edwin McMillan, Joseph Kennedy, and Arthur Wahl |
| Polonium | Po | 84 | (209) | Other metals | 1898 | Marie and Pierre Curie |
| Potassium | K | 19 | 39.0983 | Alkali metals | 1807 | Humphry Davy |
| Praseodymium | Pr | 59 | 140.908 | Lanthanide series | 1885 | Carl von Welsbach |
| Promethium | Pm | 61 | (145) | Lanthanide series | 1945 | J. A. Marinsky, Lawrence Glendenin, and Charles Coryell |
| Protactinium | Pa | 91 | 231.036 | Actinide series | 1913 | Kasimir Fajans and O. Göhring |
| Radium | Ra | 88 | (226) | Alkaline earth metals | 1898 | Marie Curie |
| Radon | Rn | 86 | (222) | Noble gases | 1900 | Friedrich Dorn |
| Rhenium | Re | 75 | 186.207 | Transition metals | 1925 | Walter Noddack, Ida Tacke, and Otto Berg |
| Rhodium | Rh | 45 | 102.9055 | Transition metals | 1804 | William Wollaston |
| Rubidium | Rb | 37 | 85.4678 | Alkali metals | 1861 | Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff |
| Ruthenium | Ru | 44 | 101.07 | Transition metals | 1827 | G. W. Osann (isolated by Karl Klaus 1844) |
| Rutherfordium | Rf | 104 | (261) | Transition metals | 1969 | claimed by U.S. scientist Albert Ghiorso and coworkers (disputed by Soviet workers) |
| Samarium | Sm | 62 | 150.36 | Lanthanide series | 1879 | Paul Lecoq de Boisbaudran |
| Scandium | Sc | 21 | 44.9559 | Transition metals | 1876 | Lars Nilson |
| Seaborgium | Sg | 106 | (266) | Transition metals | 1974 | claimed by Georgii Flerov and coworkers, and independently by Albert Ghiorso and coworkers |
| Selenium | Se | 34 | 78.96 | Nonmetals | 1817 | Jöns Berzelius |
| Silicon | Si | 14 | 28.0855 | Nonmetals | 1823 | Johan Arfwedson |
| Silver | Ag | 47 | 107.8682 | Transition metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Sodium | Na | 11 | 22.9898 | Alkali metals | 1807 | Humphry Davy |
| Strontium | Sr | 38 | 87.62 | Alkaline earth metals | 1808 | Humphry Davy |
| Sulfur | S | 16 | 32.067 | Nonmetals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Tantalum | Ta | 73 | 180.948 | Transition metals | 1802 | Anders Ekeberg |
| Technetium | Tc | 43 | (98) | Transition metals | 1937 | Carlo Perrier and Emilio Segrè |
| Tellurium | Te | 52 | 127.60 | Nonmetals | 1782 | Franz Müller |
| Terbium | Tb | 65 | 158.9253 | Lanthanide series | 1843 | Carl Mosander |
| Thallium | Tl | 81 | 204.3833 | Other metals | 1861 | William Crookes (isolated by William Crookes and Claude August Lamy, independently of each other, in 1862) |
| Thorium | Th | 90 | 232.0381 | Actinide series | 1828 | Jöns Berzelius |
| Thulium | Tm | 69 | 168.9342 | Lanthanide series | 1879 | Per Cleve |
| Tin | Sn | 50 | 118.711 | Other metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Titanium | Ti | 22 | 47.867 | Transition metals | 1790 | William Gregor |
| Tungsten | W | 74 | 183.84 | Transition metals | 1783 | isolated by Juan José Elhuyar and Fausto Elhuyar |
| Ununbium | Uub | 112 | (277) | Transition metals | 1996 | team at the Heavy-Ion Research Laboratory, Darmstadt, Germany |
| Ununhexium | Uuh | 116 | (292) | Other metals | 2000 | team at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia |
| Ununquadium | Uuq | 114 | (285) | Other metals | 1998 | team at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia |
| Roentgenium | Rg | 111 | (272) | Transition metals | 1994 | team at the Heavy-Ion Research Laboratory, Darmstadt, Germany |
| Uranium | U | 92 | 238.0289 | Actinide series | 1789 | Martin Klaproth (isolated by Eugène Péligot 1841) |
| Vanadium | V | 23 | 50.9415 | Transition metals | 1801 | Andrés del Rio (disputed), or Nils Sefström 1830 |
| Xenon | Xe | 54 | 131.29 | Noble gases | 1898 | William Ramsay and Morris Travers |
| Ytterbium | Yb | 70 | 173.04 | Lanthanide series | 1878 | Jean Charles de Marignac |
| Yttrium | Y | 39 | 88.906 | Transition metals | 1794 | Johan Gadolin |
| Zinc | Zn | 30 | 65.409 | Transition metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| Zirconium | Zr | 40 | 91.224 | Transition metals | 1789 | Martin Klaproth |
Elements Sorted by Atomic Number
| Atomic Number | Name | Symbol | Atomic Weight | Group | Date Discovered | Discovered By |
| 1 | Hydrogen | H | 1.0079 | Nonmetals | 1766 | Henry Cavendish |
| 2 | Helium | He | 4.0026 | Noble gases | 1868 | Pierre Janssen |
| 3 | Lithium | Li | 6.941 | Alkali metals | 1817 | Johan Arfwedson |
| 4 | Beryllium | Be | 9.0122 | Alkaline earth metals | 1798 | Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin (isolated by Friedrich Wöhler and Antoine-Alexandre-Brutus Bussy 1828) |
| 5 | Boron | B | 10.81 | Nonmetals | 1808 | Humphry Davy, and independently by Joseph Gay-Lussac and Louis-Jacques Thénard |
| 6 | Carbon | C | 12.011 | Nonmetals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 7 | Nitrogen | N | 14.0067 | Nonmetals | 1772 | Daniel Rutherford |
| 8 | Oxygen | O | 15.9994 | Nonmetals | 1774 | Joseph Priestley and Karl Scheele, independently of each other |
| 9 | Fluorine | F | 18.9984 | Halogens | 1771 | Karl Scheele (isolated by Henri Moissan 1886) |
| 10 | Neon | Ne | 20.1798 | Noble gases | 1898 | William Ramsay and Morris Travers |
| 11 | Sodium | Na | 22.9898 | Alkali metals | 1807 | Humphry Davy |
| 12 | Magnesium | Mg | 24.3051 | Alkaline earth metals | 1755 | Joseph Black (oxide isolated by Humphry Davy 1808; pure form isolated by Antoine-Alexandre-Brutus Bussy 1828) |
| 13 | Aluminum | Al | 26.9815 | Other metals | 1824 | Hans Oersted (also attributed to Friedrich Wöhler 1827) |
| 14 | Silicon | Si | 28.0855 | Nonmetals | 1823 | Johan Arfwedson |
| 15 | Phosphorus | P | 30.9738 | Nonmetals | 1674 | Hennig Brand |
| 16 | Sulfur | S | 32.067 | Nonmetals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 17 | Chlorine | Cl | 35.4528 | Halogens | 1774 | Karl Scheele |
| 18 | Argon | Ar | 39.948 | Noble gases | 1894 | John Rayleigh and William Ramsay |
| 19 | Potassium | K | 39.0983 | Alkali metals | 1807 | Humphry Davy |
| 20 | Calcium | Ca | 40.078 | Alkaline earth metals | 1808 | Humphry Davy |
| 21 | Scandium | Sc | 44.9559 | Transition metals | 1876 | Lars Nilson |
| 22 | Titanium | Ti | 47.867 | Transition metals | 1790 | William Gregor |
| 23 | Vanadium | V | 50.9415 | Transition metals | 1801 | Andrés del Rio (disputed), or Nils Sefström 1830 |
| 24 | Chromium | Cr | 51.9962 | Transition metals | 1797 | Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin |
| 25 | Manganese | Mn | 54.938 | Transition metals | 1774 | Johann Gottlieb Gahn |
| 26 | Iron | Fe | 55.845 | Transition metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 27 | Cobalt | Co | 58.9332 | Transition metals | 1730 | Georg Brandt |
| 28 | Nickel | Ni | 58.6934 | Transition metals | 1751 | Axel Cronstedt |
| 29 | Copper | Cu | 63.546 | Transition metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 30 | Zinc | Zn | 65.409 | Transition metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 31 | Gallium | Ga | 69.723 | Other metals | 1875 | Paul Lecoq de Boisbaudran |
| 32 | Germanium | Ge | 72.61 | Other metals | 1886 | Clemens Winkler |
| 33 | Arsenic | As | 74.9216 | Nonmetals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 34 | Selenium | Se | 78.96 | Nonmetals | 1817 | Jöns Berzelius |
| 35 | Bromine | Br | 79.904 | Halogens | 1826 | Antoine-Jérôme Balard |
| 36 | Krypton | Kr | 83.798 | Noble gases | 1898 | William Ramsay and Morris Travers |
| 37 | Rubidium | Rb | 85.4678 | Alkali metals | 1861 | Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff |
| 38 | Strontium | Sr | 87.62 | Alkaline earth metals | 1808 | Humphry Davy |
| 39 | Yttrium | Y | 88.906 | Transition metals | 1794 | Johan Gadolin |
| 40 | Zirconium | Zr | 91.224 | Transition metals | 1789 | Martin Klaproth |
| 41 | Niobium | Nb | 92.9064 | Transition metals | 1801 | Charles Hatchett |
| 42 | Molybdenum | Mo | 95.94 | Transition metals | 1781 | named by Karl Scheele (isolated by Peter Jacob Hjelm 1782) |
| 43 | Technetium | Tc | (98) | Transition metals | 1937 | Carlo Perrier and Emilio Segrè |
| 44 | Ruthenium | Ru | 101.07 | Transition metals | 1827 | G. W. Osann (isolated by Karl Klaus 1844) |
| 45 | Rhodium | Rh | 102.9055 | Transition metals | 1804 | William Wollaston |
| 46 | Palladium | Pd | 106.42 | Transition metals | 1804 | William Wollaston |
| 47 | Silver | Ag | 107.8682 | Transition metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 48 | Cadmium | Cd | 112.412 | Transition metals | 1817 | Friedrich Strohmeyer |
| 49 | Indium | In | 114.818 | Other metals | 1863 | Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymus Richter |
| 50 | Tin | Sn | 118.711 | Other metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 51 | Antimony | Sb | 121.760 | Other metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 52 | Tellurium | Te | 127.60 | Nonmetals | 1782 | Franz Müller |
| 53 | Iodine | I | 126.9045 | Halogens | 1811 | Bernard Courtois |
| 54 | Xenon | Xe | 131.29 | Noble gases | 1898 | William Ramsay and Morris Travers |
| 55 | Cesium | Cs | 132.9054 | Alkali metals | 1860 | Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff |
| 56 | Barium | Ba | 137.328 | Alkaline earth metals | 1808 | Humphry Davy |
| 57 | Lanthanum | La | 138.9055 | Lanthanide series | 1839 | Carl Mosander |
| 58 | Cerium | Ce | 140.115 | Lanthanide series | 1804 | Jöns Berzelius and Wilhelm Hisinger, and independently by Martin Klaproth |
| 59 | Praseodymium | Pr | 140.908 | Lanthanide series | 1885 | Carl von Welsbach |
| 60 | Neodymium | Nd | 144.24 | Lanthanide series | 1885 | Carl von Welsbach |
| 61 | Promethium | Pm | (145) | Lanthanide series | 1945 | J. A. Marinsky, Lawrence Glendenin, and Charles Coryell |
| 62 | Samarium | Sm | 150.36 | Lanthanide series | 1879 | Paul Lecoq de Boisbaudran |
| 63 | Europium | Eu | 151.966 | Lanthanide series | 1901 | Eugène Demarçay |
| 64 | Gadolinium | Gd | 157.25 | Lanthanide series | 1886 | Paul Lecoq de Boisbaudran |
| 65 | Terbium | Tb | 158.9253 | Lanthanide series | 1843 | Carl Mosander |
| 66 | Dysprosium | Dy | 162.500 | Lanthanide series | 1886 | Paul Lecoq de Boisbaudran |
| 67 | Holmium | Ho | 164.9303 | Lanthanide series | 1879 | Per Cleve |
| 68 | Erbium | Er | 167.26 | Lanthanide series | 1843 | Carl Mosander |
| 69 | Thulium | Tm | 168.9342 | Lanthanide series | 1879 | Per Cleve |
| 70 | Ytterbium | Yb | 173.04 | Lanthanide series | 1878 | Jean Charles de Marignac |
| 71 | Lutetium | Lu | 174.967 | Transition metals | 1907 | Georges Urbain and Carl von Welsbach, independently of each other |
| 72 | Hafnium | Hf | 178.49 | Transition metals | 1913 | Dirk Coster and Georg von Hevesy |
| 73 | Tantalum | Ta | 180.948 | Transition metals | 1802 | Anders Ekeberg |
| 74 | Tungsten | W | 183.84 | Transition metals | 1783 | isolated by Juan José Elhuyar and Fausto Elhuyar |
| 75 | Rhenium | Re | 186.207 | Transition metals | 1925 | Walter Noddack, Ida Tacke, and Otto Berg |
| 76 | Osmium | Os | 190.23 | Transition metals | 1804 | Smithson Tennant |
| 77 | Iridium | Ir | 192.217 | Transition metals | 1804 | Smithson Tennant |
| 78 | Platinum | Pt | 195.08 | Transition metals | 1557 | Julius Scaliger |
| 79 | Gold | Au | 196.9665 | Transition metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 80 | Mercury | Hg | 200.59 | Transition metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 81 | Thallium | Tl | 204.3833 | Other metals | 1861 | William Crookes (isolated by William Crookes and Claude August Lamy, independently of each other, in 1862) |
| 82 | Lead | Pb | 207.2 | Other metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 83 | Bismuth | Bi | 208.9804 | Other metals | prehistoric | unknown |
| 84 | Polonium | Po | (209) | Other metals | 1898 | Marie and Pierre Curie |
| 85 | Astatine | At | (210) | Halogens | 1940 | Dale R. Corson, K. R. MacKenzie, and Emilio Segrè |
| 86 | Radon | Rn | (222) | Noble gases | 1900 | Friedrich Dorn |
| 87 | Francium | Fr | (223) | Alkali metals | 1939 | Marguérite Perey |
| 88 | Radium | Ra | (226) | Alkaline earth metals | 1898 | Marie Curie |
| 89 | Actinium | Ac | (227) | Actinide series | 1899 | André Debierne |
| 90 | Thorium | Th | 232.0381 | Actinide series | 1828 | Jöns Berzelius |
| 91 | Protactinium | Pa | 231.036 | Actinide series | 1913 | Kasimir Fajans and O. Göhring |
| 92 | Uranium | U | 238.0289 | Actinide series | 1789 | Martin Klaproth (isolated by Eugène Péligot 1841) |
| 93 | Neptunium | Np | (237) | Actinide series | 1940 | Edwin McMillan and Philip Abelson |
| 94 | Plutonium | Pu | (244) | Actinide series | 1940 | Glenn Seaborg, Edwin McMillan, Joseph Kennedy, and Arthur Wahl |
| 95 | Americium | Am | 243 | Actinide series | 1944 | Glenn Seaborg, Ralph James, Leon Morgan, and Albert Ghiorso |
| 96 | Curium | Cm | (247) | Actinide series | 1944 | Glenn Seaborg, Ralph James, and Albert Ghiorso |
| 97 | Berkelium | Bk | (247) | Actinide series | 1949 | Glenn Seaborg, Stanley Thompson, and Albert Ghiorso |
| 98 | Californium | Cf | (251) | Actinide series | 1950 | Glenn Seaborg, Stanley Thompson, Kenneth Street, Jr., and Albert Ghiorso |
| 99 | Einsteinium | Es | (252) | Actinide series | 1952 | Albert Ghiorso and coworkers |
| 100 | Fermium | Fm | (257) | Actinide series | 1955 | Albert Ghiorso and coworkers |
| 101 | Mendelevium | Md | (258) | Actinide series | 1955 | Albert Ghiorso, Bernard G. Harvey, Gregory Choppin, Stanley Thompson, and Glenn Seaborg |
| 102 | Nobelium | No | (259) | Actinide series | 1958 | Albert Ghiorso, Torbjørn Sikkeland, J. R. Walton, and Glenn Seaborg |
| 103 | Lawrencium | Lr | (260) | Transition metals | 1961 | Albert Ghiorso, Torbjørn Sikkeland, Almon Larsh, and Robert Latimer |
| 104 | Rutherfordium | Rf | (261) | Transition metals | 1969 | claimed by U.S. scientist Albert Ghiorso and coworkers (disputed by Soviet workers) |
| 105 | Dubnium | Db | (262) | Transition metals | 1970 | claimed by Albert Ghiorso and coworkers (disputed by Soviet workers) |
| 106 | Seaborgium | Sg | (266) | Transition metals | 1974 | claimed by Georgii Flerov and coworkers, and independently by Albert Ghiorso and coworkers |
| 107 | Bohrium | Bh | (262) | Transition metals | 1976 | Georgii Flerov and Yuri Oganessian (confirmed by German scientist Peter Armbruster and coworkers) |
| 108 | Hassium | Hs | (263) | Transition metals | 1984 | Peter Armbruster and coworkers |
| 109 | Meitnerium | Mt | (268) | Transition metals | 1982 | Peter Armbruster and coworkers |
| 110 | Darmstadtium | Ds | (271) | Transition metals | 1994 | team at the Heavy-Ion Research Laboratory, Darmstadt, Germany |
| 111 | Roentgenium | Rg | (272) | Transition metals | 1994 | team at the Heavy-Ion Research Laboratory, Darmstadt, Germany |
| 112 | Ununbium | Uub | (277) | Transition metals | 1996 | team at the Heavy-Ion Research Laboratory, Darmstadt, Germany |
| 114 | Ununquadium | Uuq | (285) | Other metals | 1998 | team at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia |
| 116 | Ununhexium | Uuh | (292) | Other metals | 2000 | team at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia |
