Primary Chemical Elements: Names Flashcards
Become comfortable with matching the names of the first 36 elements including gold, silver, mercury, lead, and iodine to their letter-based chemical symbols.
Name the element.
Hydrogen is a very important element in compounds of living systems, but is rarely found in its molecular gas form (H2) naturally.
Name the element.
Most helium on Earth is generated by radioactive decay of other elements like thorium or uranium.
Name the element.
Lithium derives from the Greek word for stone, ‘lithos’ as it was discovered from a mineral, unlike its other alkali metal counterparts.
Name the element.
Beryllium is commonly used in gears and cogs, especially in aviation.
Name the element.
Boron in its pure form is a dark, amorphous powder.
Name the element.
Carbon is essential to life on Earth, due to its capacity to form a wide variety of chains and bonded structures.
Name the element.
Nitrogen comes from the Greek ‘nitron’ and ‘genes’ to altogether mean ‘nitre forming’.
Name the element.
Oxygen gets its name from ‘oxy genes’, the Greek for ‘acid forming’.
Name the element.
Fluorine is a pale yellow-green gas.
Name the element.
Neon comes from the Greek ‘neos’ meaning ‘new’.
Name the element.
Sodium in its ionic form is essential for biological processes such as signal transmission between neurons (brain cells).
Name the element.
Magnesium in its ionic form acts as an important cofactor for many enzymes (biochemical catalysts).
Name the element.
Aluminum gets its name from the latin ‘alumen’ meaning ‘bitter salt’.
Name the element.
Silicon is a metalloid that is widely used in the production of computer microchips.
Name the element.
Phosphorus comes from the very similar Greek word ‘phosphoros’, translating to ‘bringer of light’.
Name the element.
The most common allotrope of sulfur appears as yellow crystals or powder.
Name the element.
Chlorine was once used to produce an anaesthetic called chloroform, but due to its damaging side effects its use was discontinued.
Name the element.
It comes from the Greek ‘argos’ which translates to ‘idle’.
Name the element.
Potassium is an essential element for the functioning of many organs, including the heart, kidneys, and muscles.
Name the element.
The average human is made up of about 1kg of calcium.
Name the element.
Scandium is a rare earth element that is used in the production of alloys.
Name the element.
Titanium oxide is a common ingredient of suncreen as it protects skin from UV light rays.
Name the element.
Vanadium comes from the old Norse name for the Goddess Freyja, ‘Vanadis’.
Name the element.
Chromium is an essential trace mineral for humans, however only in small trace amounts - above this is toxic.
Name the element.
Manganese is an important cofactor of some enzymes and helps us utilise vitamin B1.
Name the element.
In the Earth’s crust, iron is the fourth most abundant element by mass.
Name the element.
‘Cobalt’ comes from the German word ‘kobold’, meaning ‘goblin’, which were believed to lead miners in their quest for tin astray.
Name the element.
Nickel is an efficient catalyst for hydrogenation reactions.
Name the element.
Genetic disorders such as Menkes’ and Wilson’s disease can disrupt the body’s ability to utilise copper.
Name the element.
Zinc sulfide is used in x-ray screens.
Name the element.
Gallium is mainly produced as a byproduct of zinc refining.
Name the element.
Due to being non-toxic to mammals in small amounts but shown to be effective against some bacteria, Germanium is studied for potential uses by some scientists in the pharmaceutical field.
Name the element.
Arsenic bonds to atoms of the hair, and so samples can be studied for suspected arsenic poisoning or exposure.
Name the element.
The Greek goddess of the moon, Selene, inspired the name for this element.
Name the element.
Bromine comes from the Greek for ‘stench’, which is ‘bromos’.
Name the element.
Krypton only reacts with fluorine gas.
Name the element.
Silver is a soft, white, lustrous transition metal with the highest electrical conductivity of any element.
Name the element.
Iodine deficiency can lead to goitre (swelling of the thyroid gland).
Name the element.
Early alchemy was fixated on attempting to turn other elements into gold - especially lead.
Name the element.
Mercury is a silver-colored, heavy, liquid metal that is toxic to humans and animals.
Name the element.
Lead can be used to store corrosive substances.
