Periodic Table of Elements: Real Life Uses of Every Element on the Periodic Table

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The elements on the periodic table are everywhere; in fact, they make up everything.

Understanding how to read a periodic table is one thing, but it doesn't tell you whether the element is useful, what it looks like, or even how it is used.

To answer some of these questions, we have put together this "quick look" guide to help give you an easy-to-read and navigate resource for some of the uses of every element in the periodic table.

All of the elements of the periodic table are included below and are arranged by atomic number from 1 to 118.

**Quick Tip: if you want to navigate to a specific element, use the find (CTRL + F) function on your browser to pinpoint what you're looking for quickly**

Unsplash / Vedrana Filipović

Each element header has its name, atomic number, atomic symbol, and color code to indicate the group it belongs to.

As an example, Hydrogen is green, so it belongs to the group "other nonmetals."

Use this guide to help you identify the group of each metal as you learn more about them.

Symbol: H

Atomic Weight: 1.008

Description: Hydrogen is an explosive gas and also the lightest element.

Where It's Used: Hydrogen makes up about 90 percent of the universe's atoms. The chemical is used heavily as both a gas and liquid fuel. Hydrogen was used as a main fuel for the Space Shuttle program by NASA and is currently used heavily by the petroleum and manufacturing industries.

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Symbol: He

Atomic Weight: 4.002602(2)

Description: Helium is an inert gas and the second-lightest element.

Where It's Used: Helium gas is commonly known to be lighter than air, which leads to its use in weather and party balloons. It is also used as an inert shield for arc welding and to pressurize liquid fuel tanks in rockets. Due to its wide recreational usage, natural sources of Helium are at risk of being completely depleted in the next decade, sparking fears for the scientific community.

Symbol: Li

Atomic Weight: 6.94

Description: Under standard conditions, Lithium is the lightest metal and is soft and reactive.

Where It's Used: Lithium is known most commonly to be used in batteries. It is also used in aluminum alloys to make cookware more durable and, most surprisingly, as a mood stabilizer in psychiatric medicines.

Symbol: Be

Atomic Weight: 9.012183(5)

Description: Beryllium is a lightweight metal.

Where It's Used: This element is most commonly used as an alloying agent for copper. When combined, the resultant metal, beryllium copper, is used for springs and a variety of electrical applications. Due to its lightweight metal properties, it is used structurally in the aerospace industry.

Symbol: B

Atomic Weight: 10.81

Description: Boron is a powdery, black solid.

Where It's Used: Boron is used in pyrotechnics. When burned, it gives off a green color in the flame. More common uses are in boric acid and borax. You can find boron in antiseptics, washing chemicals, ceramic glazes, and eye drops.

Symbol: C

Atomic Weight: 12.011

Description: There are a number of pure forms of this element, including graphite, diamond, fullerenes, and graphene. The nano-forms, fullerenes, and graphene appear black or dark brown, soot-like powders.

Where It's Used: Carbon is unique among the elements in its ability to form strongly bonded chains sealed off by hydrogen atoms. These hydrocarbons are mostly used as fuels and feedstock for producing polymers, fibers, paints, solvents, plastics, etc. Impure carbon in the form of charcoal (from wood) and coke (from coal) is used in metal smelting.

Graphite is used for pencils, crucibles, and electrodes. Pure diamond is also entirely made out of carbon atoms. The discovery of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and atom-thin sheets of graphene has led to general uses in the electronics industry and in nanotechnology.

Symbol: N

Atomic Weight: 14.007

Description: Nitrogen is a colorless gas.

Where It's Used: 78 percent of Earth's entire atmosphere is made up of nitrogen. The element is significant to the chemical industry as it is a key nutrient in fertilizers and a key component in nitric acid, nylon, and explosive materials. The Haber process is a well-known method of reacting nitrogen with hydrogen to create ammonia.

Symbol: O

Atomic Weight: 15.999

Description: Oxygen is a colorless gas.

Where It's Used: Many living things, including humans, use oxygen for respiration. Pure oxygen is used to treat breathing problems and make spacecraft livable. Oxygen in the industry is mainly used in manufacturing steel and other metal alloys. Large quantities are also used in the manufacture of chemicals such as nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide.

It is also used as an antifreeze and to make polyester and chloroethene, the precursor to PVC. Oxygen gas is used for oxy-acetylene welding. A growing use is in treating sewage and effluent from the industry.

Symbol: Fl

Atomic Weight: 18.998403163(6)

Description: Fluorine is a yellowish poison gas and the most reactive element.

Where It's Used: Fluorine is a common additive to drinking water and is used as a cleaning agent in toothpaste. In pop culture, hydrofluoric acid was used as a dissolving agent in the popular TV show "Breaking Bad." The chemical can dissolve glass and is used mainly as an etching compound.

It is also used to make uranium hexafluoride, used by the nuclear power industry to separate uranium isotopes and to make sulfur hexafluoride, the insulating gas for high-power electricity transformers.

Fluorine is also used in many solvents and high-temperature plastics, such as Teflon and Gore-Tex®.

Symbol: Ne

Atomic Weight: 20.1797(6)

Description: Neon is an inert gas.

Where It's Used: Neon is the fourth most abundant element in the entire universe. By far the most prominent use of the element today is used in advertising signs. When enticed with electricity, the glass glows, leading to its use in the sign industry and high-voltage indicators and lasers. Liquid neon is an important cryogenic refrigerant.

Diagram:

BruceBlaus/Wikimedia

Symbol: Na

Atomic Weight: 22.98976928(2)

Description: Sodium is a very reactive soft metal.

Where It's Used: Sodium is used in streetlights to produce yellow light as well as being a component in many compounds like table salt, soda ash, borax, and baking soda.

Symbol: Mg

Atomic Weight: 24.305

Description: Magnesium is a lightweight metal.

Where It's Used: Magnesium finds many of its uses in medicine as Epsom salts, milk of magnesia, chloride, and citrate. Magnesium is also essential to both animal and plant life. Because it is less dense than aluminum, it is often alloyed with aluminum for use in the plane and car constructions. It is also added to molten iron and steel to remove sulfur.

Magnesium ignites easily in the air and burns with a bright light, so it's used in flares, fireworks, and sparklers. Magnesium oxide is used to make heat-resistant bricks for fireplaces and furnaces. It is also added to cattle feed and fertilizers.

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Symbol: Al

Atomic Weight: 26.9815385

Description: Aluminum is a lightweight non-corroding metal.

Where It's Used: Aluminum is a soft and malleable metal used in cans and fouls, utensils, airplane and automotive parts, and other structural applications.

Symbol: Si

Atomic Weight: 28.085

Description: Silicon is a hard metalloid.

Where It's Used: Silicon is used extensively in the semiconductor industry in solid-state electronics. For such applications, the silicon has to be doped with boron, gallium, phosphorus, or arsenic.

Symbol: P

Atomic Weight: 30.973761998(5)

Description: Phosphorus is a glowing white waxy solid.

Where It's Used: White phosphorus is used in flares and incendiary devices, while red phosphorus is in the material stuck on the side of matchboxes. However, the largest use of phosphorus compounds is for fertilizers. Phosphorus is also important in the production of steel.

Symbol: S

Atomic Weight: 32.06

Description: Sulfur is a brittle yellow solid.

Where It's Used: Sulfur is used in gunpowder and other pyrotechnics, rubber manufacturing, and as an insecticide, fungicide, and fumigant. It can also treat skin diseases; however, its prime use is compound separation.

Symbol: Cl

Atomic Weight: 35.45

Description: Chlorine is a greenish poisonous gas.

Where It's Used: Chlorine is used in water treatment and as an antiseptic. Large amounts of chlorine are also used to produce paper, plastics, solvents, and textiles.

Symbol: Ar

Atomic Weight: 39.948(1)

Description: Argon is an inert gas.

Where It's Used: Argon is used in incandescent and fluorescent bulbs as a protective layer around the filament to keep oxygen from corroding it. It is also used as a protective shield in arc welding and semiconductor crystals.

Symbol: K

Atomic Weight: 39.0983

Description: Potassium is a soft metal and is reactive.

Where It's Used: Potassium is mainly used in compounds. It is combined with chlorine to produce potassium chloride, which is used in fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, and saline drips. Potassium hydroxide is also used in soaps and cleaners, while Potassium carbonate is used in the manufacturing of glass.

Symbol: Ca

Atomic Weight: 40.078(4)

Description: Calcium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: Calcium is used to prepare thorium and uranium as reducing agents. It is also used as an alloying agent in aluminum, copper, lead, and magnesium.

Symbol: Sc

Atomic Weight: 44.955908

Description: Scandium is a soft, lightweight metal.

Where It's Used: Used heavily in mercury vapor lamps, Scandium is a key element in stadium lights. Its radioactive isotope is also used as a tracing agent.

Symbol: Ti

Atomic Weight: 47.867(1)

Description: Titanium is the strongest lightweight metal and is heat-resistant.

Where It's Used: Titanium is an incredibly strong metal used in aluminum, iron, and other alloys. This strong metal is used in the aerospace industry and engines partly because of its ability to maintain its strength in thermal extremes.

Symbol: V

Atomic Weight: 50.9415(1)

Description: Vanadium is a hard metal.

Where It's Used: This element is used in jet engines and aircraft components. All of its uses require it to be combined with another metal or element, such as Vanadium-gallium tape used in magnets. About 80 percent of the vanadium produced is used as a steel additive to produce a tough alloy.

Diagram:

Stanford

Symbol: Cr

Atomic Weight: 51.9961(6)

Description: Chromium is a hard, shiny metal.

Where It's Used: Chromium is used in stainless steel as well as in the chrome plating process. Various chromium compounds are known for their vivid colors.

Symbol: Mn

Atomic Weight: 54.938044(3)

Description: Manganese is a hard metal.

Where It's Used: Manganese dioxide makes up about .14percent of Earth's crust. It is used in glass to remove the green color present in iron compounds. It is too brittle to be used on its own and is mainly used as an alloy.

Symbol: Fe

Atomic Weight: 55.845(2)

Description: Iron is a medium-hard metal and has magnetic properties.

Where It's Used: Iron's prime use is in making steel. When steel is combined with chromium, it produces stainless steel, which is resistant to corrosion.

Symbol: Co

Atomic Weight: 58.933194(4)

Description: Cobalt is a hard metal and is magnetic.

Where It's Used: Cobalt is used mostly as a cancer treatment and in radiotherapy. Cobalt metal is sometimes used in electroplating because of its attractive appearance, hardness, and resistance to corrosion.

Symbol: Ni

Atomic Weight: 58.6934(4)

Description: Nickel is a medium-hard metal and is magnetic.

Where It's Used: Nickel is used in stainless steel and other anti-corrosion metal alloys. Other prominent uses include piping and tubing production as well as in the desalination process.

Symbol: Cu

Atomic Weight: 63.546(3)

Description: Copper is a colored metal that conducts heat and electricity well.

Where It's Used: Copper is one of the best conductors of electricity, which leads to its use in electronics and motors. The metal is also very thermally conductive an is used in radiators, A/C units, and heating systems.

Symbol: Zn

Atomic Weight: 65.38(2)

Description: Zinc is a non-corroding metal.

Where It's Used: Zinc is used as an alloying agent in brass, nickel, silver, and aluminum. Paints, rubbers, cosmetics, batteries, textiles, and inks also significantly need the element.

Symbol: Ga

Atomic Weight: 69.723(1)

Description: Gallium is a soft metal that has a low melting point.

Where It's Used: Since gallium has a low melting point, it is often used in medical thermometers as a substitute for mercury. It is used in semiconductors, lasers, and solar panels when combined with arsenic. It can also be used in mirror manufacturing.

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Symbol: Ge

Atomic Weight: 72.630(8)

Description: Germanium is a brittle metalloid.

Where It's Used: Germanium finds its uses in the semiconductor industry. When it is doped with other elements, it makes highly efficient transistors. Continuing on with its electronic uses, it is also implemented in fluorescent lamps.

Symbol: As

Atomic Weight: 74.921595(6)

Description: Arsenic is a brittle metalloid.

Where It's Used: This element is used as a doping agent in transistors, primarily with Gallium. Many arsenic compounds are used as insecticides and poisons.

Symbol: Se

Atomic Weight: 78.971(8)

Description: Selenium is a brittle gray solid.

Where It's Used: Primary uses for selenium are in the glass industry. Its properties allow it to decolorize class and make red glass as well. It is used in solar and photocells. In film photography, it is also used as a photographic toner.

Symbol: Br

Atomic Weight: 79.904

Description: Bromine is a dark red liquid.

Where It's Used: Bromine is used as a flame-retarder in plastics and electronics. It can also be used to purify and disinfect water, leading to its use in swimming pools and hot tubs.

Symbol: Kr

Atomic Weight: 83.798(2)

Description: Krypton is an inert gas.

Where It's Used: About .0001percent of Earth's atmosphere is krypton, which makes obtaining it relatively difficult. The element is used for flashes in high-speed photography and as a conductive gas in fluorescent lights. Krypton fluoride is used in some lasers.

Symbol: Rb

Atomic Weight: 85.4678(3)

Description: Rubidium is a soft metal that is reactive.

Where It's Used: Rubidium is used in vacuum tubes to remove trace gases. It also is heavily used in photocells and specialized glasses. It can be ionized easily, so it is often used as a spacecraft propellant.

Diagram:

Ahazard/Wikimedia

Symbol: Sr

Atomic Weight: 87.62(1)

Description: Strontium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: Strontium is used in pyrotechnics to produce brilliant reds. It can also be used in ferrite magnet production and zinc refining.

Symbol: Y

Atomic Weight: 88.90584(2)

Description: Yttrium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: An oxide of yttrium is used to make red phosphorus television tubes. It is also used to increase the strength of aluminum and magnesium alloys.

Symbol: Zr

Atomic Weight: 91.224(2)

Description: Zirconium is a non-corroding neutron-resistant metal.

Where It's Used: Zirconium is used as an anti-corrosion compound in pumps and valves. It does not absorb neutrons, which is also widely used in nuclear reactors.

Symbol: Nb

Atomic Weight: 92.90637(2)

Description: Niobium is a non-corroding metal with a high melting point.

Where It's Used: Niobium is used in stainless steel alloys. Alloys produced with Niobium are very strong and are often used in pipelines and jet engines.

Symbol: Mo

Atomic Weight: 95.95(1)

Description: Molybdenum is a high-melting-point metal.

Where It's Used: Molybdenum is used to make alloys used in missile and aircraft parts, the nuclear power industry, and heating elements. It can be used to refine petroleum, but its main use is as an alloying agent to refine steel. Molybdenum disulfide is used as a lubricant additive.

Symbol: Tc

Atomic Weight: [98]

Description: Technetium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Technetium is a synthesized element that can be used as a radioactive tracer.

Symbol: Ru

Atomic Weight: 101.07(2)

Description: Ruthenium is a hard metal that is non-corrosive.

Where It's Used: Ruthenium is used as a catalyst to harden metals. It is also used in electrical contacts and to color glass.

Symbol: Rh

Atomic Weight: 102.90550(2)

Description: Rhodium is a non-corroding hard, shiny metal.

Where It's Used: Rhodium is used to manufacture electrical contacts. This use extends into catalytic converters, but its primary use is as an alloying agent. Alloys of rhodium can be used in furnaces, electrodes, and spark plugs.

Symbol: Pd

Atomic Weight: 106.42(1)

Description: Palladium is a non-corroding hard metal that readily absorbs hydrogen.

Where It's Used: Palladium is an important element of the catalytic conversion process. It is also used in jewelry and dental fillings.

Symbol: Ag

Atomic Weight: 107.8682(2)

Description: Silver is a soft, shiny metal that is the best electrical conductor.

Where It's Used: Silver is used in jewelry and tableware. It is the best reflector of visible light, although it does tarnish. It is used in soldering and brazing compounds as well as batteries. Silver paints are used for making printed circuits. Silver also has antibacterial properties, and recently, silver nanoparticles have been used in clothing to prevent bacteria from growing and creating unpleasant odors.

Symbol: Cd

Atomic Weight: 112.414(4)

Description: Cadmium is a non-corroding soft metal that is toxic.

Where It's Used: Cadmium is poisonous and has few practical uses. It can be used to prevent corrosion or to absorb neutrons in nuclear reactors. One of its more commercial uses is in rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries.

Symbol: In

Atomic Weight: 114.818(1)

Description: Indium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: Indium is primarily used as a doping agent for germanium in the transistor manufacturing process. It is also used to make highly reflective mirrors and low-melting-point alloys.

Symbol: Sn

Atomic Weight: 118.710(7)

Description: Tin is a non-corroding soft metal.

Where It's Used: Tin has the ability to be polished to a high degree and is not corrodible. It is mainly used to coat other metals or as an alloy in solder and pewter. Niobium-tin magnets are known for their superconducting abilities.

Symbol: Sb

Atomic Weight: 121.760(1)

Description: Antimony is a brittle metalloid.

Where It's Used: Antimony is mainly used in batteries, cable sheathing, and other metal products. It can be used to make flame-proof materials and paints. Ancient Egyptians used the element as black eye makeup.

Image:

Source: Mindat

Symbol: Te

Atomic Weight: 127.60(3)

Description: Tellurium is a brittle metalloid.

Where It's Used: Tellurium allows better copper and stainless steel machinability. It is used as a basic component of cast iron and blasting caps.

Symbol: I

Atomic Weight: 126.90447(3)

Description: Iodine is a violet-black solid.

Where It's Used: Iodine salts are used in photographic film and as an antiseptic for wounds. The radioactive isotope iodine-131 is used to treat thyroid cancer. It is often added in small amounts to table salt in order to avoid iodine deficiency.

Symbol: Xe

Atomic Weight: 131.293(6)

Description: Xenon is an inert gas.

Where It's Used: Xenon is used in photographic flashes and arc lamps for movie sets. When pressurized in an arc lamp, it can produce UV light. It is also used for radiation detection and in X-ray counters.

Symbol: Cs

Atomic Weight: 132.90545196(6)

Description: Caesium (Cesium) is a reactive soft metal withthe the largest stable atoms.

Where It's Used: Caesium is used in vacuum tubes to remove trace gasses. Its most common use is as a compound in drilling fluid. One of its most important uses is in the ‘caesium clock’ (atomic clock) and as a catalyst for the process of hydrogenation.

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Symbol: Ba

Atomic Weight: 137.327(7)

Description: Barium is a soft metal that absorbs X-rays.

Where It's Used: Barium is used to produce a green glow in pyrotechnics. It is also used to remove gases from vacuum tubes. Compounds of barium are used as a contrast medium in X-rays.

Symbol: La

Atomic Weight: 138.90547(7)

Description: Lanthanum is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: Lanthanum is used along with rare earth elements to make arc lights. It also makes up about 20 percent of mischmetal, an alloy used in the flint of cigarette lighters. A lanthanum-nickel alloy is used to store hydrogen gas for use in hydrogen-powered vehicles, and Lanthanum is also used in nickel metal hydride batteries.

Symbol: Ce

Atomic Weight: 140.116(1)

Description: Cerium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: Cerium is also used as a mischmetal component to produce lighters flint. It can be used as a catalyst to refine oil. Cerium oxide is also used as a component of walls in self-cleaning ovens.

Symbol: Pr

Atomic Weight: 140.90766(2)

Description: Praseodymium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: Praseodymium is used to make yellow glass goggles for welders. Praseodymium is also used in flint lighter products. Its main use, however, is to color glass and enamels.

Symbol: Nd

Atomic Weight: 144.242(3)

Description: Neodymium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: The most important use for neodymium is in an alloy with iron and boron to make strong permanent magnets. Neodymium is used to make flint for lighters and is a component of specialized welders' goggles. Neodymium glass is used to make lasers, while Neodymium oxide and nitrate are used as catalysts in polymerization reactions.

Symbol: Pm

Atomic Weight: [145]

Description: Promethium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Promethium is used mainly for research in radiation. It can be used in nuclear batteries and as a light source for signals. Researchers believe that it could soon be used in portable x-ray machines.

Symbol: Sm

Atomic Weight: 150.36(2)

Description: Samarium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: Samarium is used as a catalyst for the dehydration and dehydrogenation of ethanol fuels. It can also be used to absorb infrared light rays and in the treatment of cancer.

Symbol: Eu

Atomic Weight: 151.964(1)

Description: Europium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: Europium is a good absorber of neutrons, so it is often used in nuclear reactors. One of its compounds is also used in the production of red phosphorus in television sets.

Symbol: Gd

Atomic Weight: 157.25(3)

Description: Gadolinium is a soft metal that is the best neutron absorber and is magnetic.

Where It's Used: Gadolinium is often used in applications with microwaves. It can also be used in green phosphor television tubes. The element is magnetic, which has led to its use in MRI machines.

Diagram:

Greg Robson

Symbol: Tb

Atomic Weight: 158.92535(2)

Description: Terbium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: Terbium is used as a stabilizer of high-temperature fuel cells. Its alloys are also used in electronic devices and as magnetic field indicators.

Symbol: Dy

Atomic Weight: 162.500(1)

Description: Dysprosium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: When combined with rare earth elements, Dysprosium is used as a laser material. It can also be used in nuclear reactor rods.

Symbol: Ho

Atomic Weight: 164.93033(2)

Description: Holmium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: Holmium is used in the production of magnets as a flux concentrator. It is also used as a yellow or red color in cubic zirconia manufacturing.

Symbol: Er

Atomic Weight: 167.259(3)

Description: Erbium is a soft metal

Where It's Used: Erbium is a good neutron absorber, leading to its use in nuclear control rods. It can also be used to reduce the hardness of metals along with applications in amps and lasers.

Symbol: Tm

Atomic Weight: 168.93422(2)

Description: Thulium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: Thulium is the least naturally-occurring element on earth. When irradiated, thulium produces an isotope that emits x-rays and can be used to make a lightweight, portable x-ray machine. Thulium is also used in some surgical lasers.

Symbol: Yb

Atomic Weight: 173.045(10)

Description: Ytterbium is a soft metal.

Where It's Used: Ytterbium is believed to be useable in grain refinement within steel. It can also be used as an industrial catalyst.

Symbol: Lu

Atomic Weight: 174.9668(1)

Description: Lutetium is a soft metal and is the densest and hardest rare earth metal.

Where It's Used: Lutetium is very rare and high in price. When refined, it can be used in the petroleum cracking process. There are few other commercial applications.

Symbol: Hf

Atomic Weight: 178.49(2)

Description: Hafnium is a non-corroding metal that absorbs neutrons.

Where It's Used: Hafnium is a good neutron absorber, so it is used in nuclear control rods in nuclear submarines. Due to its high melting point, it is also used in plasma welding torches. Hafnium oxide is used in microchips.

Symbol: Ta

Atomic Weight: 180.94788(2)

Description: Tantalum is a high-melting-point non-corroding metal.

Where It's Used: Tantalum is used in the electronics industry for capacitors and resistors. It can be used to increase strength in metal alloys as well as increase corrosion resistance. The metal is also used in surgical instruments because it causes no immune response.

Symbol: W

Atomic Weight: 183.84(1)

Description: Tungsten is the highest-melting-point dense metal.

Where It's Used: Tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals, leading to its use as filaments in incandescent bulbs. It is also used in steel to impart strength.

Symbol: Re

Atomic Weight: 186.207(1)

Description: Rhenium is a high-melting-point dense metal.

Where It's Used: Rhenium is a common catalyst in the production of high-octane gasoline. It is also used in alloys for jet engines and as filaments for mass spectrographs.

Symbol: Os

Atomic Weight: 190.23(3)

Description: Osmium is a non-corroding high-melting-point hard metal and is the densest element.

Where It's Used: Osmium is mainly used to make hard metal alloys. You can find it in ballpoint pen tips, record needles, electrical contacts, and other metal components where friction needs to be mitigated.

Symbol: Ir

Atomic Weight: 192.217(3)

Description: Iridium is a non-corroding hard metal and is also the densest element (same as Os).

Where It's Used: Iridium is mostly used as a hardening agent for platinum. This element is also used as an alloy in fountain pen tips and compass bearings, and for the contacts in spark plugs.

Symbol: Pt

Atomic Weight: 195.084(9)

Description: Platinum is a non-corroding dense metal.

Where It's Used: Platinum is known for its corrosion-resistant properties and has long been used for jewelry. Its main use is in catalytic converters for automobiles.

Symbol: Au

Atomic Weight: 196.966569(5)

Description: Gold is the most malleable element, and is a dense non-tarnishing colored metal.

Where It's Used: Gold is one of the most coveted metals in the world, because it can be easily shaped and sculpted, conducts electricity well, and does not tarnish. Aside from its use in coinage and jewelry, it is used in gears for watches, artificial limb joints, and electrical connectors. Gold nanoparticles are used as industrial catalysts.

Symbol: Hg

Atomic Weight: 200.592(3)

Description: Mercury is a liquid metal and is toxic.

Where It's Used: Mercury is used to making thermometers, barometers, electrical switches, and other instruments. It is often used in streetlights and fluorescent lamps and in the chemical industry as a catalyst.

Symbol: Tl

Atomic Weight: 204.38

Description: Thallium is a toxic soft metal.

Where It's Used: Thallium is used to form low-melting-point glass. It was once used as rat poison, but it is now banned from household use.

Symbol: Pb

Atomic Weight: 207.2(1)

Description: Lead is a dense, soft, non-corroding toxic metal.

Where It's Used: Many previously common uses of Lead have now been banned due to its toxic effects. It is still widely used for car batteries, pigments, ammunition, cable sheathing, lead crystal glass, radiation protection, and some solders.

Symbol: Bi

Atomic Weight: 208.98040(1)

Description: Bismuth is a brittle metal with a low melting point.

Where It's Used: Bismuth is usually used in fire detectors and fire extinguishment systems due to its low melting point. This has also led to its use in electrical fuses.

Symbol: Po

Atomic Weight: [209]

Description: Polonium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Polonium is used as an atomic heat source for short-term use. It is also seen in anti-static brushes and in film.

Symbol: At

Atomic Weight: [210]

Description: Astatine is a radioactive element that is short-lived.

Where It's Used: Astatine is used as a radioactive tracer and in cancer treatment.

Symbol: Rn

Atomic Weight: [222]

Description: Radon is a radioactive gas that is short-lived.

Where It's Used: Radon is used to treat cancer. It was often produced in hospitals by pumping radon from radium and then sealing it into tubes.

Symbol: Fr

Atomic Weight: [223]

Description: Francium is a radioactive and short-lived element with atoms larger than cesium.

Where It's Used: The most stable isotope of francium, francium-223, has a half-life of 22 minutes. Due to its short lifespan, this element has no commercial uses.

Symbol: Ra

Atomic Weight: [226]

Description: Radium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Radium is used as a neutron source and is also used to produce radon. One gram of radium-226 will make .0001 mL of radon each day. The element is 1,000,000 times more active than uranium.

Symbol: Ac

Atomic Weight: [227]

Description: Actinium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Actinium is used in medicine for radio immunotherapy. It is only found in uranium ore, which makes it very expensive. One ton of uranium produces the equivalent of 1/10th of a gram of actinium.

Symbol: Th

Atomic Weight: 232.0377(4)

Description: Thorium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Thorium is used to coat filaments in incandescent bulbs. It can be used as nuclear fuel in Thorium reactors, although this technology is very new. Thorium is also an alloying agent in magnesium, and Thorium oxide is used as an industrial catalyst.

Symbol: Pa

Atomic Weight: 231.03588(2)

Description: Protactinium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: There are currently no commercial uses for protactinium due to its relative rarity.

Symbol: U

Atomic Weight: 238.02891(3)

Description: Uranium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Uranium is used as nuclear fuel for nuclear power reactors and produces the material needed for nuclear weapons. It is also used as a colorant for glass. It is also the major material from which other synthetic transuranium elements are made.

Symbol: Np

Atomic Weight: [237]

Description: Neptunium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Neptunium does not have any known commercial uses.

Symbol: Pu

Atomic Weight: [244]

Description: Plutonium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Plutonium is used as a nuclear fuel and in nuclear weapons.

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Symbol: Am

Atomic Weight: [243]

Description: Americium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Americium is used in smoke detectors and as a portable source of gamma rays.

Symbol: Cm

Atomic Weight: [247]

Description: Curium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Curium is mainly used for research, but it could produce more nuclear energy per gram in the future than plutonium.

Symbol: Bk

Atomic Weight: [247]

Description: Berkelium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Berkelium has no commercial uses due to its rarity.

Symbol: Cf

Atomic Weight: [251]

Description: Californium is a radioactive element that is long-lived.

Where It's Used: Californium is a strong neutron emitter. It is used in metal detectors for silver and gold. It also can be used to identify oil layers underground and detect metal fatigue in aerospace applications.

Symbol: Es

Atomic Weight: [252]

Description: Einsteinium is a radioactive element that is short-lived.