What is Neptunium? Neptunium is a silvery metal of the actinide group of elements. The radioactive decay of uranium produces neptunium as a fission product, so neptunium is usually found in trace amounts associated with uranium ores. It is also produced as a by-product of nuclear fission reactions at nuclear power plants. It has no known biological role but is toxic and can accumulate in tissues o... »
What is Plutonium? Plutonium is a solid metal with a silvery gray appearance. It is a member of the actinide group of metals. Plutonium has no stable isotopes and is found in nature as a product of the radioactive decay of uranium. It is the heaviest element that exists in nature. When exposed to air, pure plutonium forms a surface layer of explosive oxides and hydrides. Plutonium has no known bio... »
What is Iron? Iron is a transition metal that is soft in its pure form but useful in making hard metal alloys. It is the most abundant element on Earth because it makes a large portion of the Earth’s core. Pure iron is very rare because it reacts easily with oxygen and water in the environment. This makes iron very susceptible to corrosion, forming a characteristic red rust. IIron is an intermedia... »
What is Strontium? Strontium is an alkaline earth metal. It is soft, silvery-yellow, and metallic in appearance. It is highly reactive and found on Earth combined with sulfate and carbonate minerals. Strontium is used in fireworks, toothpaste, x-ray filters, and geology research. Strontium is not an essential element for humans but it has properties similar to calcium, so it is incorporated into ... »
What is Copper? Copper is a transition metal that is soft, malleable, and ductile. In its pure form, it is metallic, shiny, and orange in appearance. It exists on Earth as a native metal, which means that it can be found in its pure forms. It has properties similar to silver and gold but is much more abundant, making it widely useful for electrical wires and cables, and alloys such as brass and br... »
What is Rhodium? Rhodium is a precious, transition metal that is hard and silvery in appearance. Precious metals are rare and valuable, and rhodium is one of the rarest elements on Earth. It is also known as a noble metal because it does not corrode or oxidize easily in air. It is used as a catalyst for chemical reactions with many industrial applications. As a precious metal, it is used in the fa... »
What is Indium? Indium is a post-transition metal that is soft, malleable, and silvery gray. It is so soft that it can be cut with a knife. It is commonly used to lower the melting point of alloys, to add transparent coating on glass that conducts electricity, and LCD displays. Indium’s Place in the Periodic Table Indium is a post-transition metal in group 13 and period 6. Post-transi... »
What is Polonium? Polonium is a post-transition metal in in group 16, period 6 of the periodic table. It is radioactive and very rare on Earth because it has no stable isotopes. However, the decay of uranium produces polonium, so polonium can be found in trace amounts in minerals that contain uranium. Polonium has few practical uses, though it has been used in atomic bombs, poison, and aerospace t... »
What is Neodymium? Neodymium is a soft, silvery metal within the lanthanide series of elements (elements 57-71). Therefore, it has similar chemical properties to lanthanides. It is a common element on Earth but is not found in its pure form. It is found in phosphate minerals that contain other lanthanides, including cerium, lanthanum, and samarium. It has five stable isotopes and two radioisotop... »
What is Cesium? Cesium is a soft, silvery-golden alkali metal that is liquid just above room temperature. It is rare on Earth and is usually found in minerals that contain other alkali metals. Like all alkali metals, it is very reactive, and so does not exist in nature in its pure form. It only has one stable isotope and one radioactive isotope that exist in nature. Cesium is used to separate soli... »