A metal is a solid material (an element, compound, or alloy) that is typically hard, opaque, shiny, and features good electrical and thermal conductivity. Metals are generally malleable—that is, they can be hammered or pressed permanently out of shape without breaking or cracking—as well as fusible (able to be fused or melted) and ductile (able to be drawn out into a thin wire).
Currently, 91 out of the 118 total elements on the periodic table are classified as metals.
Moscovium is a synthetic element with the atomic number 115. It was first created in 2003 by scientists in Russia and the United States, and it is named after the Moscow region, where part of the discovery took place. Because it doesn’t exist naturally and breaks down very quickly—within milliseconds—Moscovium can only be studied in … Read more
Livermorium, element 116, exists at the edge of the periodic table, a synthetic element formed through the collision of lighter nuclei in a laboratory setting. It is highly unstable, with a lifetime measured in milliseconds, and cannot be found in nature. Positioned in group 16, beneath polonium, Livermorium is expected to show metallic properties, but … Read more
Copernicium, element 112, is a synthetic superheavy element named in honour of Nicolaus Copernicus, whose model of the solar system redefined our place in the universe. In a way, Copernicium does something similar for chemistry, it exists in a region of the periodic table where the known laws of atomic behaviour begin to stretch. Positioned … Read more
Roentgenium is a synthetic chemical element with the atomic number 111 in the periodic table. It’s a synthetically produced transuranium element that cannot be found in Earth’s crust. As a member of the transition metals family of periodic table elements, this noble metal has three valence electrons and is currently used only in scientific research. … Read more
Ununtrium (or Nihonium – Nh) is a radioactive chemical element with the atomic number 113 in the periodic table. There is insufficient evidence of the chemical properties of this synthetically produced substance classified in the boron family of the periodic table. Since there are only a few atoms produced, this extremely radioactive and rapidly decaying … Read more
Flerovium, element 114, represents an extraordinary achievement in nuclear chemistry that demonstrates the remarkable limits of atomic stability. Named after the distinguished Soviet physicist Georgy Flyorov, Flerovium occupies a position in the theoretical “island of stability” – a region where super-heavy elements can briefly exist despite conventional expectations. These atoms are synthesized through the collision … Read more
Meitnerium is a radioactive chemical element with the atomic number 109 in the periodic table. Since it’s synthetically produced, meitnerium cannot be found in Earth’s crust. Being a member of the transition metals family of the periodic table, the element 109 is assumed to be the heaviest metal of group 9, after iridium, rhodium, and … Read more
Gold is a chemical element with an atomic number of 79 in the periodic table of elements. It’s a precious metal found in its free elemental form in the beds of streams, alluvial deposits, and rock veins. Being a member of the transition metals family of periodic table elements, gold has one valence electron that … Read more
Platinum is a chemical element with the atomic number 78 in the periodic table. It’s an extremely rare metal with an abundance in Earth’s crust of about a millionth of 1 percent. Known since ancient times, this transition metal has strong anti-corrosive properties and makes for an excellent conductor of electricity. Being a member of … Read more
Silver is a chemical element with the atomic number 47 in the periodic table. It constitutes 0.05 part per million of Earth’s crust and ranks as the 68th most abundant chemical element. The properties of this noble metal have been known even to the ancient civilizations. As a member of the transition metals family of … Read more