← Whyarium no. 51 The Full Set

The Full Set

All 118 elements, one card each. Pull any of them from the table: turn the sample in your hand, then flip to its atom and change the isotope. The rarity on each card is how much of it there is in the Earth's crust.

1HHydrogen 2HeHelium 3LiLithium 4BeBeryllium 5BBoron 6CCarbon 7NNitrogen 8OOxygen 9FFluorine 10NeNeon 11NaSodium 12MgMagnesium 13AlAluminum 14SiSilicon 15PPhosphorus 16SSulfur 17ClChlorine 18ArArgon 19KPotassium 20CaCalcium 21ScScandium 22TiTitanium 23VVanadium 24CrChromium 25MnManganese 26FeIron 27CoCobalt 28NiNickel 29CuCopper 30ZnZinc 31GaGallium 32GeGermanium 33AsArsenic 34SeSelenium 35BrBromine 36KrKrypton 37RbRubidium 38SrStrontium 39YYttrium 40ZrZirconium 41NbNiobium 42MoMolybdenum 43TcTechnetium 44RuRuthenium 45RhRhodium 46PdPalladium 47AgSilver 48CdCadmium 49InIndium 50SnTin 51SbAntimony 52TeTellurium 53IIodine 54XeXenon 55CsCesium 56BaBarium 57LaLanthanum 58CeCerium 59PrPraseodymium 60NdNeodymium 61PmPromethium 62SmSamarium 63EuEuropium 64GdGadolinium 65TbTerbium 66DyDysprosium 67HoHolmium 68ErErbium 69TmThulium 70YbYtterbium 71LuLutetium 72HfHafnium 73TaTantalum 74WTungsten 75ReRhenium 76OsOsmium 77IrIridium 78PtPlatinum 79AuGold 80HgMercury 81TlThallium 82PbLead 83BiBismuth 84PoPolonium 85AtAstatine 86RnRadon 87FrFrancium 88RaRadium 89AcActinium 90ThThorium 91PaProtactinium 92UUranium 93NpNeptunium 94PuPlutonium 95AmAmericium 96CmCurium 97BkBerkelium 98CfCalifornium 99EsEinsteinium 100FmFermium 101MdMendelevium 102NoNobelium 103LrLawrencium 104RfRutherfordium 105DbDubnium 106SgSeaborgium 107BhBohrium 108HsHassium 109MtMeitnerium 110DsDarmstadtium 111RgRoentgenium 112CnCopernicium 113NhNihonium 114FlFlerovium 115McMoscovium 116LvLivermorium 117TsTennessine 118OgOganesson
57–71
89–103
Lanthanides
Actinides

Alkali metals

Soft, silvery and so eager to lose their one outer electron that they fizz in water.

3LiLithium11NaSodium19KPotassium37RbRubidium55CsCesium87FrFrancium

Alkaline earth metals

Two outer electrons, a little calmer than the alkalis; the stuff of bones, shells and fireworks.

4BeBeryllium12MgMagnesium20CaCalcium38SrStrontium56BaBarium88RaRadium

Transition metals

The broad middle of the table: hard, shiny, often coloured, the metals of tools and coins.

21ScScandium22TiTitanium23VVanadium24CrChromium25MnManganese26FeIron27CoCobalt28NiNickel29CuCopper30ZnZinc39YYttrium40ZrZirconium41NbNiobium42MoMolybdenum43TcTechnetium44RuRuthenium45RhRhodium46PdPalladium47AgSilver48CdCadmium72HfHafnium73TaTantalum74WTungsten75ReRhenium76OsOsmium77IrIridium78PtPlatinum79AuGold80HgMercury104RfRutherfordium105DbDubnium106SgSeaborgium107BhBohrium108HsHassium109MtMeitnerium110DsDarmstadtium111RgRoentgenium112CnCopernicium

Post-transition metals

Softer metals with low melting points, from aluminium foil to tin and lead.

13AlAluminum31GaGallium49InIndium50SnTin81TlThallium82PbLead83BiBismuth113NhNihonium114FlFlerovium115McMoscovium116LvLivermorium

Metalloids

Half metal, half not. Silicon and germanium made the electronics age.

5BBoron14SiSilicon32GeGermanium33AsArsenic51SbAntimony52TeTellurium84PoPolonium

Reactive nonmetals

Hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur, selenium: most of what living things are made of.

1HHydrogen6CCarbon7NNitrogen8OOxygen15PPhosphorus16SSulfur34SeSelenium

Halogens

One electron short of a full shell and hungry for it; they make salts with metals.

9FFluorine17ClChlorine35BrBromine53IIodine85AtAstatine117TsTennessine

Noble gases

Full outer shells, so they barely react. Pass a current through them and they glow.

2HeHelium10NeNeon18ArArgon36KrKrypton54XeXenon86RnRadon118OgOganesson

Lanthanides

The rare earths: strong magnets, phone screens and lasers.

57LaLanthanum58CeCerium59PrPraseodymium60NdNeodymium61PmPromethium62SmSamarium63EuEuropium64GdGadolinium65TbTerbium66DyDysprosium67HoHolmium68ErErbium69TmThulium70YbYtterbium71LuLutetium

Actinides

All radioactive. Uranium and thorium occur in nature; most of the rest are made in reactors.

89AcActinium90ThThorium91PaProtactinium92UUranium93NpNeptunium94PuPlutonium95AmAmericium96CmCurium97BkBerkelium98CfCalifornium99EsEinsteinium100FmFermium101MdMendelevium102NoNobelium103LrLawrencium

57. Lanthanum (La)

The element that lay hidden. Its name comes from the Greek lanthanein, 'to lie hidden', because it had been hiding inside cerium minerals. Lanthanum-rich glass bends light strongly, which is why it goes into quality camera lenses.

Class
Lanthanides
Atomic mass
138.91 u
State
solid at room temperature
Discovered
1839, Carl Gustaf Mosander
Melting point
918 °C
In Earth's crust
39 ppm · Uncommon
Electron shells
2, 8, 18, 18, 9, 2
Isotopes
La-139 (99.91%), stable; La-138 (0.089%), half-life 1.03×10¹¹ years