Secondary Chemical Elements: Names Flashcards
Learn the chemical element names beyond the main 77 elements by matching them to their letter-based symbols.
Name the element.
Rubidium is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal commonly used in atomic clocks.
Name the element.
Strontium compounds are commonly used in fireworks to produce red colors.
Name the element.
Yttrium is commonly used in aerospace alloys and is also found in many minerals, including gadolinite and xenotime.
Name the element.
Zirconium is commonly used in nuclear reactors, due to its inability to absorb neutrons, and also in the production of ceramics and alloys.
Name the element.
Niobium is commonly used in superconducting materials, such as MRI scanners, and also in the aerospace industry.
Name the element.
Molybdenum is commonly used as an alloying agent in steel and also in the production of electrical contacts.
Name the element.
Technetium is commonly used in medical imaging and is also found in some stars as a result of nuclear reactions.
Name the element.
Ruthenium is commonly used in electrical contacts and also in alloys with other metals, such as platinum.
Name the element.
Rhodium is commonly used in catalytic converters in automobiles and also in jewelry as a plating material.
Name the element.
Palladium is commonly used in catalytic converters in automobiles and also in jewelry as a lower-cost alternative to platinum.
Name the element.
Cadmium is commonly used in rechargeable batteries and also in the production of pigments and coatings.
Name the Element.
Indium is one of the least abundant minerals on Earth.
Name the element.
Tin is often used to coat other metals and prevent corrosion, such as tin-coated steel for cans.
Name the element.
Antimony is commonly used in the electronics industry for some semiconductor devices, such as infrared detectors and diodes.
Name the element.
Tellurium is commonly used in the production of semiconductors and also in some types of solar cells.
Name the element.
Xenon is a colorless, odorless noble gas commonly used in high-intensity discharge lamps and as an anesthetic.
Name the element.
Cesium is a soft, silvery-gold alkali metal commonly used in atomic clocks and as a catalyst in organic synthesis.
Name the element.
Barium is a soft, silvery alkaline earth metal commonly used in X-ray imaging and fireworks to produce green colors.
Name the element.
Lanthanum is a silvery-white, malleable rare earth metal that is sometimes incorporated in camera lenses to improve image clarity.
Name the element.
Cerium is a soft, silvery rare earth metal commonly used in catalytic converters and self-cleaning ovens as the compound cerium (III) oxide.
Name the element.
Praseodymium is a soft, silvery rare earth metal commonly used in magnets and as a coloring agent for ceramics.
Name the element.
Neodymium is a lustrous, silvery rare earth metal commonly used in magnets, which revolutionised technology such as allowing the miniaturisation of electronics like phones in the 1980s.
Name the element.
Promethium is commonly used for research purposes, but a small amount is used in specialised atomic batteries for items such as pacemakers, guided missiles and radios.
Name the element.
Samarium is a silvery-white rare earth metal commonly used in magnets and as a neutron absorber in nuclear reactors.
Name the element.
Europium is a silvery-white rare earth metal used in printing euro banknotes as a form of authentication due to it glowing red under UV light.
Name the element.
Gadolinium is a silvery-white rare earth metal commonly used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), especially in the diagnosis of cancerous tumours.
Name the element.
Terbium was used in the manufacturing of the first rewritable compact discs.
Name the element.
Dysprosium is a lustrous, silvery rare earth metal commonly used in magnets and as a neutron moderator in nuclear reactor control rods.
Name the element.
Holmium is a lustrous, silvery rare earth metal commonly used as a colorant in glass and cubic zirconia manufacturing.
Name the element.
Erbium is a silvery-white rare earth metal commonly used as a dopant in fiber optic amplifiers and as a pink coloring agent in glass.
Name the element.
Thulium is a silvery-gray rare earth metal commonly used in portable X-ray machines and as a dopant in solid-state lasers for medical purposes.
Name the element.
Ytterbium is a silvery-white rare earth metal commonly used in lasers and as a gamma-ray source in portable X-ray imaging, as well as a potential replacement to more toxic catalysts.
Name the element.
Lutetium is used as a catalyst in the cracking of hydrocarbons in oil refines.
Name the element.
Hafnium was named after the Latin name for Copenhagen, ‘Hafnia’.
Its high melting point and its resistance to corrosion makes it useful in various applications such as nuclear power and aerospace industries.
Name the element.
Tantalum is named after Tantalus, a Greek mythological character.
It causes no immune response in mammals, making it an excellent component for surgical implants.
Name the element.
Tungsten is also known as “wolfram” and was named after the mineral wolframite.
After, it adopted the Swedish term ‘tung sten’ meaning ‘heavy stone’.
Name the element.
Rhenium is named after the river Rhine.
It is one of the rarest elements in the Earth’s crust and is mainly obtained as a byproduct of molybdenum refinement.
Rhenium wire is used in mass spectrometers and ion gauges.
Name the element.
Osmium gets its name from the Greek word “osme,” meaning smell, due to the strong odor it produces when heated.
It is the densest naturally occurring element and is often alloyed with other metals to increase hardness.
Name the element.
Iridium is named after the Greek goddess Iris, the personification of the rainbow, due to the variety of colors observed in its compounds.
It is found in meteorites and has a role in the study of the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.
Name the element.
Platinum derives its name from the Spanish word “platina,” meaning “little silver.”
It has a high melting point and an important property of converting emissions from vehicles into less harmful byproducts.
Name the element.
Bismuth has a low thermal conductivity and expands as it solidifies, making it useful in certain alloys and as a component in some types of fire extinguishers.
It is also an essential ingredient in Pepto-Bismol, a popular over-the-counter medication for gastrointestinal discomfort.
Name the element.
Thallium was named after the Greek word “thallos,” meaning “green twig,” due to the emission of a bright green line in its spectrum.
It was once used in rat poisons but is now strictly regulated due to its toxicity.
Name the element.
Polonium has a high toxicity and radioactivity, with a half-life of only a few months.
It is an alpha particle emitter and its isotopes have been used in the production of static eliminators, neutron sources, and in some nuclear reactors, as well as a heat-source for space equipment.
Name the element.
Astatine is named after the Greek word ‘astatos’, meaning ‘unstable’.
It is the rarest naturally occurring element, and its synthesis is challenging due to its high radioactivity.
Astatine has no current uses beyond research purposes.
Name the element.
Radon is derived from the Latin word “radius,” reflecting its radioactive nature.
It is the heaviest known gas and is used in some medical treatments, such as the treatment of certain types of cancer, however safer treatments are now more commonly used.
Name the element.
Francium is named after France, the country of its discovery.
It is the second rarest naturally occurring element after astatine and is primarily used in scientific research to study the behavior of heavy, unstable nuclei.
Name the element.
Radium is obtained as a byproduct of uranium ore processing and has no significant commercial applications.
Due to its high radioactivity, it requires careful handling and storage.
It is sometimes used though to treat prostate cancer that has spread to cells of the bones, due to radium being of the same group as calcium.
Name the element.
Actinium derives its name from the Greek word “aktis,” meaning “ray,” due to its high radioactivity.
It is found in small amounts in uranium ores and undergoes decay into various isotopes of uranium.
Name the element.
Thorium is more abundant in the Earth’s crust than uranium and has potential as an alternative nuclear fuel.
Its radioactivity is lower than uranium’s, and it can be found in various minerals such as thorite.
Name the element.
Protactinium is derived from the Greek word “protos,” meaning “first,” because its radioactive decay results in actinium (Ac).
It is found in trace amounts in uranium ores and has practical uses in scientific research related to nuclear energy.
Name the element.
Uranium is named after the planet Uranus, which was discovered around the same time.
It has several isotopes, including U-235, which is used for nuclear fission reactions, and U-238, which has a longer half-life and is used in some radiometric dating.
Name the element.
Neptunium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding uranium with neutrons.
It has no significant commercial applications but is used in scientific research and the production of isotopes for medical use.
Name the element.
Plutonium is a transuranium element and is created by irradiating uranium in a nuclear reactor.
It has several isotopes, with Pu-239 being the most important for nuclear applications.
Plutonium is highly toxic due to its radioactivity and chemical properties.
Name the element.
Americium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons.
Its radioactive isotopes emit alpha particles, making it useful for smoke detection devices, and so is commonly used in household smoke detectors.
Name the element.
Curium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding plutonium with alpha particles.
It has several isotopes, with Cm-244 being the most stable and commonly used for scientific purposes.
Name the element.
Berkelium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding americium with alpha particles.
It has several isotopes, with Bk-247 being the most stable and commonly used for scientific purposes, with typically less than a gram being produced each year.
Name the element.
Californium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding curium with alpha particles or plutonium-239 with neutrons.
It has several isotopes, with Cf-252 being the most stable and commonly used in neutron sources and radiography devices.
Name the element.
Einsteinium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research and as sources of high-energy gamma rays.
Name the element.
Fermium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, particularly in the study of nuclear reactions.
Name the element.
Mendelevium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding einsteinium with helium ions (alpha particles).
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, particularly in the study of nuclear reactions.
Name the element.
Nobelium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding curium with carbon ions.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, particularly in the study of nuclear reactions.
Name the element.
Lawrencium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding californium with boron ions.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, particularly in the study of nuclear reactions.
Name the element.
Rutherfordium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding plutonium with neon, or californium with oxygen.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, particularly in the study of nuclear reactions.
Name the element.
Dubnium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding californium with nitrogen ions.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, particularly in the study of nuclear reactions.
Name the element.
Seaborgium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding californium with chromium or oxygen.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, particularly in the study of nuclear reactions.
Name the element.
Bohrium is a synthetic element that can be produced by the ‘cold fusion’ method, involving bombarding bismuth with chromium.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, particularly in the study of nuclear reactions, but only a few atoms of it have ever been made.
Name the element.
Hassium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding lead with iron ions.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, however it is unlikely it will ever be isolated in observable quantities.
Name the element.
Meitnerium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding bismuth with iron ions.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, however fewer than ten atoms have ever been produced!
Name the element.
Darmstadtium is a synthetic element that can be produced by fusing lead with nickel ions in a heavy ion accelerator.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, but only a few atoms have ever been produced.
Name the element.
Roentgenium is a synthetic element that can be produced by fusing bismuth with nickel ions in a heavy ion accelerator.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, but only a few atoms have ever been formed of it.
Name the element.
Copernicium is a synthetic element that can be produced by fusing lead with zinc ions in a heavy ion accelerator.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, with only a few atoms ever being produced though.
Name the element.
Nihonium is a synthetic element that was produced by fusing bismuth with zinc.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, but very few atoms of it have ever been produced.
Name the element.
Flerovium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding plutonium with calcium ions.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, but the most stable one (Fl-289) has only a half-life of 2.6 seconds.
Name the element.
Moscovium is a synthetic element that was produced by bombarding americium with calcium ions.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, however, very little has ever been produced.
Name the element.
Livermorium is a synthetic element that can be produced by bombarding curium with calcium.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, but very little has ever been produced.
Name the element.
Tennessine is a synthetic element that was produced by fusing berkelium with calcium.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, but only a few atoms have ever been synthesised.
Name the element.
Oganesson is a synthetic element that was produced by fusing califronium with calcium.
Its isotopes are highly radioactive and used for scientific research, but only a few atoms have ever been synthesised.
