- Types:
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heavy metal
a metal of relatively high density (specific gravity greater than about 5) or of high relative atomic weight (especially one that is poisonous like mercury or lead)
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base metal
a metal that is common and not considered precious
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noble metal
any metal that is resistant to corrosion or oxidation
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Al, aluminium, aluminum, atomic number 13
a silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite
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Am, americium, atomic number 95
a radioactive transuranic metallic element; discovered by bombarding uranium with helium atoms
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Sb, antimony, atomic number 51
a metallic element having four allotropic forms; used in a wide variety of alloys; found in stibnite
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Ba, atomic number 56, barium
a soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group; found in barite
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Bk, atomic number 97, berkelium
a radioactive transuranic element; discovered by bombarding americium with helium
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Be, atomic number 4, beryllium, glucinium
a light strong brittle grey toxic bivalent metallic element
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Bi, atomic number 83, bismuth
a heavy brittle diamagnetic trivalent metallic element (resembles arsenic and antimony chemically); usually recovered as a by-product from ores of other metals
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Cd, atomic number 48, cadmium
a soft bluish-white ductile malleable toxic bivalent metallic element; occurs in association with zinc ores
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Ca, atomic number 20, calcium
a white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light; the fifth most abundant element in the earth's crust; an important component of most plants and animals
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Cf, atomic number 98, californium
a radioactive transuranic element; discovered by bombarding curium with alpha particles
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Ce, atomic number 58, cerium
a ductile grey metallic element of the lanthanide series; used in lighter flints; the most abundant of the rare-earth group
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Cs, atomic number 55, caesium, cesium
a soft silver-white ductile metallic element (liquid at normal temperatures); the most electropositive and alkaline metal
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Cr, atomic number 24, chromium
a hard brittle multivalent metallic element; resistant to corrosion and tarnishing
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Co, atomic number 27, cobalt
a hard ferromagnetic silver-white bivalent or trivalent metallic element; a trace element in plant and animal nutrition
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Cu, atomic number 29, copper
a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element; occurs in various minerals but is the only metal that occurs abundantly in large masses; used as an electrical and thermal conductor
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Cm, atomic number 96, curium
a radioactive transuranic metallic element; produced by bombarding plutonium with helium nuclei
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Dy, atomic number 66, dysprosium
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; forms compounds that are highly magnetic
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E, Es, atomic number 99, einsteinium
a radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons
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Er, atomic number 68, erbium
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs with yttrium
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Eu, atomic number 63, europium
a bivalent and trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group
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Fm, atomic number 100, fermium
a radioactive transuranic metallic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons
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Fr, atomic number 87, francium
a radioactive element of the alkali-metal group discovered as a disintegration product of actinium
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Gd, atomic number 64, gadolinium
a ductile silvery-white ductile ferromagnetic trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group
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Ga, atomic number 31, gallium
a rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic element; brittle at low temperatures but liquid above room temperature; occurs in trace amounts in bauxite and zinc ores
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Hf, atomic number 72, hafnium
a grey tetravalent metallic element that resembles zirconium chemically and is found in zirconium minerals; used in filaments for its ready emission of electrons
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Ho, atomic number 67, holmium
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs together with yttrium; forms highly magnetic compounds
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In, atomic number 49, indium
a rare soft silvery metallic element; occurs in small quantities in sphalerite
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Ir, atomic number 77, iridium
a heavy brittle metallic element of the platinum group; used in alloys; occurs in natural alloys with platinum or osmium
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Fe, atomic number 26, iron
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
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La, atomic number 57, lanthanum
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
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Pb, atomic number 82, lead
a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull grey
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Li, atomic number 3, lithium
a soft silver-white univalent element of the alkali metal group; the lightest metal known; occurs in several minerals
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Lu, atomic number 71, lutecium, lutetium
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; usually occurs in association with yttrium
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Mg, atomic number 12, magnesium
a light silver-white ductile bivalent metallic element; in pure form it burns with brilliant white flame; occurs naturally only in combination (as in magnesite and dolomite and carnallite and spinel and olivine)
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Mn, atomic number 25, manganese
a hard brittle grey polyvalent metallic element that resembles iron but is not magnetic; used in making steel; occurs in many minerals
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Hg, atomic number 80, hydrargyrum, mercury, quicksilver
a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures
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Mo, atomic number 42, molybdenum
a polyvalent metallic element that resembles chromium and tungsten in its properties; used to strengthen and harden steel
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Nd, atomic number 60, neodymium
a yellow trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs in monazite and bastnasite in association with cerium and lanthanum and praseodymium
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Np, atomic number 93, neptunium
a radioactive transuranic metallic element; found in trace amounts in uranium ores; a by-product of the production of plutonium
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Ni, atomic number 28, nickel
a hard malleable ductile silvery metallic element that is resistant to corrosion; used in alloys; occurs in pentlandite and smaltite and garnierite and millerite
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Nb, atomic number 41, niobium
a soft grey ductile metallic element used in alloys; occurs in niobite; formerly called columbium
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Os, atomic number 76, osmium
a hard brittle blue-grey or blue-black metallic element that is one of the platinum metals; the heaviest metal known
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Pd, atomic number 46, palladium
a silver-white metallic element of the platinum group that resembles platinum; occurs in some copper and nickel ores; does not tarnish at ordinary temperatures and is used (alloyed with gold) in jewelry
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Po, atomic number 84, polonium
a radioactive metallic element that is similar to tellurium and bismuth; occurs in uranium ores but can be produced by bombarding bismuth with neutrons in a nuclear reactor
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K, atomic number 19, potassium
a light soft silver-white metallic element of the alkali metal group; oxidizes rapidly in air and reacts violently with water; is abundant in nature in combined forms occurring in sea water and in carnallite and kainite and sylvite
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Pr, atomic number 59, praseodymium
a soft yellowish-white trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; can be recovered from bastnasite or monazite by an ion-exchange process
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Pm, atomic number 61, promethium
a soft silvery metallic element of the rare earth group having no stable isotope; was discovered in radioactive form as a fission product of uranium
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Pa, atomic number 91, protactinium, protoactinium
a short-lived radioactive metallic element formed from uranium and disintegrating into actinium and then into lead
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Ra, atomic number 88, radium
an intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores
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Re, atomic number 75, rhenium
a rare heavy polyvalent metallic element that resembles manganese chemically and is used in some alloys; is obtained as a by-product in refining molybdenum
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Rh, atomic number 45, rhodium
a white hard metallic element that is one of the platinum group and is found in platinum ores; used in alloys with platinum
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Rb, atomic number 37, rubidium
a soft silvery metallic element of the alkali metal group; burns in air and reacts violently in water; occurs in carnallite and lepidolite and pollucite
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Ru, atomic number 44, ruthenium
a rare polyvalent metallic element of the platinum group; it is found associated with platinum
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Sm, atomic number 62, samarium
a grey lustrous metallic element of the rare earth group; is used in special alloys; occurs in monazite and bastnasite
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Sc, atomic number 21, scandium
a white trivalent metallic element; sometimes classified in the rare earth group; occurs in the Scandinavian mineral thortveitite
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Na, atomic number 11, sodium
a silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group; occurs abundantly in natural compounds (especially in salt water); burns with a yellow flame and reacts violently in water; occurs in sea water and in the mineral halite (rock salt)
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Sr, atomic number 38, strontium
a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element of the alkali metal group; turns yellow in air; occurs in celestite and strontianite
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Ta, atomic number 73, tantalum
a hard grey lustrous metallic element that is highly resistant to corrosion; occurs in niobite and fergusonite and tantalite
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Tc, atomic number 43, technetium
a crystalline metallic element not found in nature; occurs as one of the fission products of uranium
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Tb, atomic number 65, terbium
a metallic element of the rare earth group; used in lasers; occurs in apatite and monazite and xenotime and ytterbite
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Tl, atomic number 81, thallium
a soft grey malleable metallic element that resembles tin but discolors on exposure to air; it is highly toxic and is used in rodent and insect poisons; occurs in zinc blende and some iron ores
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Th, atomic number 90, thorium
a soft silvery-white tetravalent radioactive metallic element; isotope 232 is used as a power source in nuclear reactors; occurs in thorite and in monazite sands
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Tm, atomic number 69, thulium
a soft silvery metallic element of the rare earth group; isotope 170 emits X-rays and is used in small portable X-ray machines; it occurs in monazite and apatite and xenotime
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Sn, atomic number 50, tin
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
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Ti, atomic number 22, titanium
a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
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W, atomic number 74, tungsten, wolfram
a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite
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U, atomic number 92, uranium
a heavy toxic silvery-white radioactive metallic element; occurs in many isotopes; used for nuclear fuels and nuclear weapons
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V, atomic number 23, vanadium
a soft silvery white toxic metallic element used in steel alloys; it occurs in several complex minerals including carnotite and vanadinite
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Yb, atomic number 70, ytterbium
a soft silvery metallic element; a rare earth of the lanthanide series; it occurs in gadolinite and monazite and xenotime
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Y, atomic number 39, yttrium
a silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys
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Zn, atomic number 30, zinc
a bluish-white lustrous metallic element; brittle at ordinary temperatures but malleable when heated; used in a wide variety of alloys and in galvanizing iron; it occurs naturally as zinc sulphide in zinc blende
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Zr, atomic number 40, zirconium
a lustrous grey strong metallic element resembling titanium; it is used in nuclear reactors as a neutron absorber; it occurs in baddeleyite but is obtained chiefly from zircon
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alkali metal, alkaline metal
any of the monovalent metals of group I of the periodic table (lithium or sodium or potassium or rubidium or cesium or francium)
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alkaline earth, alkaline-earth metal
any of the bivalent metals of group II of the periodic table (calcium or strontium or barium or magnesium or beryllium)
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alum, potash alum, potassium alum
a white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the potassium double sulfate of aluminum
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alum, ammonia alum, ammonium alum
a white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the ammonium double sulfate of aluminum
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baryta
any of several compounds of barium
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cesium 137
a radioactive isotope of cesium used in radiation therapy
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cobalt 60
a radioactive isotope of cobalt with mass number 60; a source of exceptionally intense gamma rays; used in radiation therapy
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Au, atomic number 79, gold
a soft yellow malleable ductile (trivalent and univalent) metallic element; occurs mainly as nuggets in rocks and alluvial deposits; does not react with most chemicals but is attacked by chlorine and aqua regia
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columbium
a former name for niobium
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Pt, atomic number 78, platinum
a heavy precious metallic element; grey-white and resistant to corroding; occurs in some nickel and copper ores and is also found native in some deposits
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Ag, atomic number 47, silver
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
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strontium 90
a radioactive isotope of strontium (with the mass number 90) that is present in the fallout from nuclear explosions; can be assimilated like calcium into bones
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radiothorium, thorium-228
radioactive isotope of thorium with mass number 228
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uranium 235
a uranium isotope with mass number 235; capable of sustaining chain reactions
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uranium 238
the commonest isotope of uranium; it is not fissionable but when irradiated with neutrons it produces fissionable plutonium 239
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alpha iron
a magnetic allotrope of iron; stable below 906 degrees centigrade
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beta iron
an allotrope of iron that is the same as alpha iron except that it is nonmagnetic; stable between 768 and 906 degrees centigrade
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gamma iron
a nonmagnetic allotrope of iron that is the basis of austenite; stable between 906 and 1403 degrees centigrade
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delta iron
an allotrope of iron that is stable between 1403 degrees centigrade and the melting point (= 1532 degrees)
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blister copper
an impure form of copper having a black blistered surface
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ingot iron
iron of high purity
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cast iron
an alloy of iron containing so much carbon that it is brittle and so cannot be wrought but must be shaped by casting
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wrought iron
iron having a low carbon content that is tough and malleable and so can be forged and welded
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chrome
another word for chromium when it is used in dyes or pigments
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galvanized iron
iron that is coated with zinc to protect it from rust
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hard lead
unrefined lead that is hard because of the impurities it contains
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antimonial lead, hard lead
a lead alloy that contains about 5% antimony
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pig iron
crude iron tapped from a blast furnace
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pig lead
lead that is cast in pigs
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scrap iron
iron to be melted again and reworked
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spelter
impure zinc containing about three percent lead and other impurities (especially in the form of ingots)
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structural iron
iron that has been cast or worked in structural shapes
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calcium ion, factor IV
ion of calcium; a factor in the clotting of blood