Lanthanum, Chemical Element
Lanthanum is the third element in Row 6 of the periodic table. The periodic table is a chart that shows how chemical elements are related to each other.
Lead, Chemical Element
Lead is the heaviest member of the carbon family. The carbon family consists of the five elements in Group 14 (IVA) of the periodic table.
Lithium, Chemical Element
Lithium is the first member of the alkali metal family. The alkali metals are the elements that make up Group 1 (IA) of the periodic table.
Lutetium, Chemical Element
Lutetium is the heaviest, rarest, and most expensive lanthanide element. The lanthanide elements make up Row 6 of the periodic table.
Magnesium, Chemical Element
Compounds of magnesium have been used by humans for centuries. Yet, the element itself was not isolated until 1808.
Manganese, Chemical Element
Manganese is a transition metal. The transition metals are the large block of elements in the middle of the periodic table.
Mercury, Chemical Element
Mercury is a transition metal. A transition metal is one of the elements found between Groups 2 (IIA) and 13 (IIIA) on the periodic table.
Molybdenum, Chemical Element
Molybdenum was one of the first metals to be discovered by a modern chemist. It was found in 1781 by Swedish chemist Peter Jacob Hjelm (1746-1813).
Neodymium, Chemical Element
Neodymium was discovered in 1885 by Austrian chemist Carl Auer (Baron von Welsbach; 1858-1929). Auer found the new element in a mineral called didymia.
Neon, Chemical Element
Neon is a member of the noble gas family. Other elements in this family includes helium, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon.
Neptunium, Chemical Element
Scientists have now found about 18 isotopes of neptunium. They are all radioactive.
Nickel, Chemical Element
Nickel is the only element named after the devil. The name comes from the German word Kupfernickel, meaning "Old Nick's copper," a term used by German miners.
Niobium, Chemical Element
Niobium is a transition metal in Group 5 (VB) of the periodic table. The periodic table is a chart that shows how chemical elements relate to one another.
Nitrogen, Chemical Element
Nitrogen is one of the most interesting of all chemical elements. It is not a very active element.
Osmium, Chemical Element
Osmium is an element in Group 8 (VIIIB) of the periodic table. The periodic table is a chart showing how chemical elements are related to one another.
Oxygen, Chemical Element
Oxygen is the first element in Group 16 (VIA) of the periodic table. The periodic table is a chart that shows how chemical elements are related to each other.
Palladium, Chemical Element
Palladium is found in Row 5, Group 10 (VIIIB) of the periodic table. The periodic table is a chart that shows how chemical elements are related to each other.
Phosphorus, Chemical Element
Phosphorus was first discovered in 1669 by German physician Hennig Brand (ca. 1630-92).
Platinum, Chemical Element
Platinum is a transition metal in Group 10 (VIIIB) of the periodic table. The periodic table is a chart that shows how chemical elements are related to each other.
Plutonium, Chemical Element
Plutonium is a synthetic (artificial) element. It exists naturally only in the smallest imaginable amounts.
Polonium, Chemical Element
Polonium was discovered in 1898 by Polish-French physicist Marie Curie (1867-1934) and her husband, Pierre (1859-1906). They were looking for the source of radioactivity in a naturally occurring ore called pitchblende.
Potassium, Chemical Element
Potassium is one of the alkali metals. The alkali metals are the elements that make up Group 1 (IA) of the periodic table.