Elements

All matter is composed of fundamental substances called elements. Depending on the combination of elements, the result is a different material, with different characteristics. And while some elements are naturally occurring, others are only now being realized as they are created inside particle accelerators. Here are all the latest discoveries and developments to help you keep up with the fascinating world of elements.

Related Topics: Magnetism, Chemical Reactions, Physics

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An illustration showing the atomic structure of the chemical element einsteinium, which has 99 electrons in its shells.

Chemists create and capture einsteinium, the elusive 99th element

By Harry Baker

Scientists have finally uncovered some of the basic chemical properties of einsteinium — one of the hardest elements to study.

These towers of cosmic dust and gas make up part of the Eagle Nebula.

'Missing' Interstellar Iron May Just Be Good at Hiding

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Interstellar space should be filled with gaseous iron. But until now, astronomers couldn't find it.

Periodic table of elements

How Many Chemical Elements Can You Name? 1 in 5 Americans Can't Name One.

By Stephanie Pappas

One in 5 Americans can't name a single element on the Periodic Table.

neutron stars

Scientists Think They've Found the Ancient Neutron Star Crash That Showered Our Solar System in Gold

By Brandon Specktor

A nearby neutron star collision may have rained bling on our solar system when it was a baby.

Melting clock

Is It Solid? Or Is It Liquid? New Kind of Matter Is Both.

By Mindy Weisberger

Solid and liquid intertwine at the atomic level.

Chemically, Earth Is Basically a Less Volatile Version of the Sun

By Mindy Weisberger

The elemental composition of Earth and sun are unexpectedly similar.

An illustration of a supernova

Physicists Think They've Figured Out the Most Extreme Chemical Factories in the Universe

By Rafi Letzter

Our world is full of chemicals that shouldn't exist. New research could explain why they exist anyway.

Infographic: the chemical elements organized according to the number of protons in each nucleus

How Are Elements Grouped in the Periodic Table?

By Charlie Wood

Don't worry, the periodic table of elements isn't as confusing as it looks.

Mendeleev’s first periodic table of elements was released on Feb. 17, 1869.

Mendeleev's Periodic Table Draft Is Virtually Unrecognizable — But It Changed Science Forever

By Brandon Specktor

Back in 1869, the periodic table of elements had just 63 elements and was scribbled in ink.

periodic table euchems

Europe's 'New' Periodic Table Predicts Which Elements Will Disappear in the Next 100 Years

By Brandon Specktor

Oxygen can breathe easy, but the party may be over for helium balloons.

periodic table, oldest periodic table

World’s Oldest Periodic Table Poster Turns Up in Scottish Storeroom

By Brandon Specktor

The world's oldest classroom poster of the periodic table of elements, dating to 1885, has turned up in Scotland.

Radioactive sign

Polonium: A Rare and Highly Volatile Radioactive Element

By Traci Pedersen

Polonium was a critical ingredient in the first atomic bomb and it's a suspected poison in more than one high-profile death.

Lithium batteries

What Is Lithium?

By Stephanie Pappas

Lithium is a metal used in manufacturing, electronics and mental health.

copper

Facts About Copper

By Stephanie Pappas

How much do you know about this red mineral?

gold, diamonds

Which Is Rarer: Gold or Diamonds?

By Joanna Fantozzi

Diamonds are forever, and gold is precious, but which is rarer? And does that rarity have anything to do with the price we see at a jewelry store?

radon

Facts About Radon

By Traci Pedersen

Properties, sources and uses of the element radon.

chlorine

Facts About Chlorine

By Agata Blaszczak-Boxe

Properties, sources and uses of the element chlorine.

Californium

Facts About Californium

By Traci Pedersen

Properties, sources and uses of the element californium.

Star 'DNA' Survey Could Reunite the Sun with Its Long-Lost Siblings

By Mindy Weisberger

Is the sun due for a cosmic family reunion?

hafnium

Facts About Hafnium

By Traci Pedersen

Properties, sources and uses of the element hafnium.