types:
Al,
aluminium
a silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite
Am,
americium
a radioactive transuranic metallic element; discovered by bombarding uranium with helium atoms
Sb,
antimonium,
antimoon
a metallic element having four allotropic forms; used in a wide variety of alloys; found in stibnite
Ba,
barium
a soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group; found in barite
Bk,
berkelium
a radioactive transuranic element; discovered by bombarding americium with helium
Be,
beryllium
a light strong brittle grey toxic bivalent metallic element
Bi,
aslood,
astin,
bismut
a heavy brittle diamagnetic trivalent metallic element (resembles arsenic and antimony chemically); usually recovered as a by-product from ores of other metals
Cd,
cadmium
a soft bluish-white ductile malleable toxic bivalent metallic element; occurs in association with zinc ores
Ca,
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
Cf,
californium
a radioactive transuranic element; discovered by bombarding curium with alpha particles
Ce,
cerium
a ductile grey metallic element of the lanthanide series; used in lighter flints; the most abundant of the rare-earth group
Cs,
caesium,
cesium
a soft silver-white ductile metallic element (liquid at normal temperatures); the most electropositive and alkaline metal
Co,
kobalt
a hard ferromagnetic silver-white bivalent or trivalent metallic element; a trace element in plant and animal nutrition
Cm,
cirium,
curium
a radioactive transuranic metallic element; produced by bombarding plutonium with helium nuclei
Dy,
dysprosium
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; forms compounds that are highly magnetic
Es,
einsteinium
a radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons
Er,
erbium
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs with yttrium
Eu,
europium
a bivalent and trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group
Fm,
fermium
a radioactive transuranic metallic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons
Fr,
francium
a radioactive element of the alkali-metal group discovered as a disintegration product of actinium
Gd,
gadolinium
a ductile silvery-white ductile ferromagnetic trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group
Ga,
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
Hf,
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
Ho,
holmium
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs together with yttrium; forms highly magnetic compounds
In,
indium
a rare soft silvery metallic element; occurs in small quantities in sphalerite
Ir,
iridium
a heavy brittle metallic element of the platinum group; used in alloys; occurs in natural alloys with platinum or osmium
Fe,
ijzer,
kluwen,
knot
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
La,
lanthaan
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
Li,
lithium
a soft silver-white univalent element of the alkali metal group; the lightest metal known; occurs in several minerals
Lu,
lutetium
a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; usually occurs in association with yttrium
Mg,
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)
Mn,
mangaan
a hard brittle grey polyvalent metallic element that resembles iron but is not magnetic; used in making steel; occurs in many minerals
Hg,
Mercurius,
kwik,
kwikzilver
a heavy silvery toxic univalent and bivalent metallic element; the only metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures
Mo,
molybdeen
a polyvalent metallic element that resembles chromium and tungsten in its properties; used to strengthen and harden steel
Nd,
neodymium,
neodynium
a yellow trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs in monazite and bastnasite in association with cerium and lanthanum and praseodymium
Np,
neptunium
a radioactive transuranic metallic element; found in trace amounts in uranium ores; a by-product of the production of plutonium
Ni,
nikkel,
stuiver
a hard malleable ductile silvery metallic element that is resistant to corrosion; used in alloys; occurs in pentlandite and smaltite and garnierite and millerite
Nb,
niobium
a soft grey ductile metallic element used in alloys; occurs in niobite; formerly called columbium
Os,
osmium
a hard brittle blue-grey or blue-black metallic element that is one of the platinum metals; the heaviest metal known
Pd,
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
Po,
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
K,
kalium
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
Pr,
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
Pm,
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
Pa,
protactinium
a short-lived radioactive metallic element formed from uranium and disintegrating into actinium and then into lead
Ra,
radium
an intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores
Re,
renium,
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
Rh,
rhodium,
rodium
a white hard metallic element that is one of the platinum group and is found in platinum ores; used in alloys with platinum
Rb,
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
Ru,
rutenium,
ruthenium
a rare polyvalent metallic element of the platinum group; it is found associated with platinum
Sm,
samarium
a grey lustrous metallic element of the rare earth group; is used in special alloys; occurs in monazite and bastnasite
Sc,
scandium
a white trivalent metallic element; sometimes classified in the rare earth group; occurs in the Scandinavian mineral thortveitite
Na,
natrium
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)
Sr,
strontium
a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element of the alkali metal group; turns yellow in air; occurs in celestite and strontianite
Ta,
tantaal,
tantalium
a hard grey lustrous metallic element that is highly resistant to corrosion; occurs in niobite and fergusonite and tantalite
Tc,
technetium
a crystalline metallic element not found in nature; occurs as one of the fission products of uranium
Tb,
terbium
a metallic element of the rare earth group; used in lasers; occurs in apatite and monazite and xenotime and ytterbite
Tl,
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
Th,
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
Tm,
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
Sn,
conservenblik,
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
Ti,
titaan,
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
W,
wolfraam,
wolframiet
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
U,
uranium
a heavy toxic silvery-white radioactive metallic element; occurs in many isotopes; used for nuclear fuels and nuclear weapons
V,
vanadium
a soft silvery white toxic metallic element used in steel alloys; it occurs in several complex minerals including carnotite and vanadinite
Yb,
ytterbium
a soft silvery metallic element; a rare earth of the lanthanide series; it occurs in gadolinite and monazite and xenotime
Y,
yttrium
a silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys
Zn,
zink
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
Zr,
zirkonium,
zirkoon
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
alkalimetaal
any of the monovalent metals of group I of the periodic table (lithium or sodium or potassium or rubidium or cesium or francium)
aluin
a white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the potassium double sulfate of aluminum
Au,
goud
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
Pt,
platina,
witgoud
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
Ag,
zilver
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
gietijzer,
goteling
an alloy of iron containing so much carbon that it is brittle and so cannot be wrought but must be shaped by casting
Cr,
chromium,
chroom
another word for chromium when it is used in dyes or pigments
ruwijzer
crude iron tapped from a blast furnace