d-block

Sc Scandium Transition metal · Z 21 · 44.956 u A rare-earth-adjacent metal that makes aluminium alloys far stronger, at a price that keeps it exotic. Ti Titanium Transition metal · Z 22 · 47.867 u As strong as steel, 45% lighter, and immune to seawater — the metal of implants, jets and deep submersibles. V Vanadium Transition metal · Z 23 · 50.942 u A transition metal that turns four different colours in solution depending on its oxidation state. Cr Chromium Transition metal · Z 24 · 51.996 u The element that puts the shine in chrome and the "stainless" in stainless steel. Mn Manganese Transition metal · Z 25 · 54.938 u Essential in trace amounts, brittle in bulk, and the reason your steel does not shatter in the cold. Fe Iron Transition metal · Z 26 · 55.845 u The most common element on Earth by mass, the endpoint of stellar fusion, and the metal that named an age. Co Cobalt Transition metal · Z 27 · 58.933 u The blue in medieval stained glass and Ming porcelain, and half of the magnets that hold hard drives together. Ni Nickel Transition metal · Z 28 · 58.693 u Tough, corrosion-resistant and magnetic — and the second-biggest ingredient in stainless steel. Cu Copper Transition metal · Z 29 · 63.546 u The first metal humans smelted, and still the nervous system of the electrified world. Zn Zinc Transition metal · Z 30 · 65.38 u The sacrificial metal: zinc corrodes so that the steel it coats does not. Y Yttrium Transition metal · Z 39 · 88.906 u A "rare earth" that is not actually rare, and the reason your phone screen glows the right colours. Zr Zirconium Transition metal · Z 40 · 91.224 u Effectively transparent to neutrons, which is why it lines the fuel rods in nearly every nuclear reactor. Nb Niobium Transition metal · Z 41 · 92.906 u A superconducting metal that carries the current in every MRI magnet on Earth. Mo Molybdenum Transition metal · Z 42 · 95.95 u The refractory workhorse: molybdenum keeps its strength at temperatures that soften almost everything else. Tc Technetium Transition metal · Z 43 · 98 u The first element made by humans rather than found — and the lightest with no stable isotope at all. Ru Ruthenium Transition metal · Z 44 · 101.07 u A platinum-group metal that hardens its neighbours and catalyses ammonia synthesis. Rh Rhodium Transition metal · Z 45 · 102.906 u The most expensive precious metal on Earth by weight, and the reason your car's exhaust is not toxic. Pd Palladium Transition metal · Z 46 · 106.42 u The metal that soaks up hydrogen like a sponge — up to 900 times its own volume. Ag Silver Transition metal · Z 47 · 107.868 u The best electrical and thermal conductor of any element, and an antimicrobial known since antiquity. Cd Cadmium Transition metal · Z 48 · 112.414 u A soft, toxic metal that gave the world rechargeable NiCd cells and the brilliant yellow of old paint. Lu Lutetium Lanthanide · Z 71 · 174.967 u The hardest, densest and most expensive of the lanthanides. Hf Hafnium Transition metal · Z 72 · 178.49 u Chemically almost identical to zirconium, yet its exact opposite in a reactor — it eats neutrons. Ta Tantalum Transition metal · Z 73 · 180.948 u A metal that shrugs off almost every acid and is biocompatible enough for surgical implants. W Tungsten Transition metal · Z 74 · 183.84 u The highest melting point of any metal — 3,422 degrees C — and the filament of the incandescent age. Re Rhenium Transition metal · Z 75 · 186.207 u One of the rarest elements in the crust, and the metal that lets jet turbines run hotter. Os Osmium Transition metal · Z 76 · 190.23 u The densest naturally occurring element: a litre of osmium weighs 22.6 kg. Ir Iridium Transition metal · Z 77 · 192.217 u The most corrosion-resistant metal known, and the fingerprint of the asteroid that ended the dinosaurs. Pt Platinum Transition metal · Z 78 · 195.084 u The catalyst metal: platinum makes reactions happen that would otherwise need impossible conditions. Au Gold Transition metal · Z 79 · 196.967 u Chemically almost inert, endlessly ductile, and valued by every civilisation that ever found it. Hg Mercury Transition metal · Z 80 · 200.592 u The only metal that is liquid at room temperature — and a potent neurotoxin. Lr Lawrencium Actinide · Z 103 · 262 u The last actinide, with an electron configuration that broke the expected pattern. Rf Rutherfordium Transition metal · Z 104 · 267 u The first transactinide — and chemically a heavier cousin of hafnium, not an actinide at all. Db Dubnium Transition metal · Z 105 · 268 u Named after Dubna, the Russian town where much of superheavy chemistry was pioneered. Sg Seaborgium Transition metal · Z 106 · 271 u Named for Glenn Seaborg while he was still alive — a first for the periodic table. Bh Bohrium Transition metal · Z 107 · 272 u A superheavy element whose chemistry, tested one atom at a time, behaves as predicted for group 7. Hs Hassium Transition metal · Z 108 · 270 u The heaviest element whose chemical properties have been experimentally confirmed. Mt Meitnerium Transition metal · Z 109 · 276 u Named for Lise Meitner, who explained nuclear fission but was left off the Nobel Prize. Ds Darmstadtium Transition metal · Z 110 · 281 u Created at Darmstadt in 1994 by fusing nickel and lead nuclei. Rg Roentgenium Transition metal · Z 111 · 280 u Named for the discoverer of X-rays, and predicted to be chemically like gold. Cn Copernicium Transition metal · Z 112 · 285 u Predicted to be a volatile liquid — a metal that behaves almost like a noble gas.