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periodic section

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The periodic table of the material economy

Every element with a page on this site, coloured by the shelf it sits on. Point at one, or tap it, to see what it looks like.

Naturalis Biodiversity Center - Museum - Exhibition Nature … · Photographer: Henk Caspers/Naturalis · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
77 elements covered Critical minerals All materials, including non-elements →
HHydrogen
HeHelium LiLithium BeBeryllium BBoron CGraphite NNitrogen (Ammonia)
OOxygen
FFluorine
NeNeon
NaSodium
MgMagnesium Metal AlAluminium SiSilicon PPhosphate Rock SSulfur
ClChlorine
ArArgon KPotash
CaCalcium
ScScandium TiTitanium VVanadium CrChromium MnManganese FeIron Ore CoCobalt NiNickel CuCopper ZnZinc GaGallium GeGermanium AsArsenic SeSelenium BrBromine KrKrypton RbRubidium SrStrontium YYttrium ZrZirconium NbNiobium MoMolybdenum
TcTechnetium
RuRuthenium RhRhodium PdPalladium AgSilver CdCadmium InIndium SnTin SbAntimony TeTellurium IIodine XeXenon CsCaesium
BaBarium
LuLutetium HfHafnium TaTantalum WTungsten ReRhenium OsOsmium IrIridium PtPlatinum AuGold HgMercury TlThallium PbLead BiBismuth
PoPolonium
AtAstatine
RnRadon
FrFrancium
RaRadium
LrLawrencium
RfRutherfordium
DbDubnium
SgSeaborgium
BhBohrium
HsHassium
MtMeitnerium
DsDarmstadtium
RgRoentgenium
CnCopernicium
NhNihonium
FlFlerovium
McMoscovium
LvLivermorium
TsTennessine
OgOganesson
Copper
Cu Copper Copper & Electrical Materials · designated critical The reddish metal that carries electricity better than anything except silver, and which humans have been smelting for about 7,000 years. Open the page →
LaLanthanum CeCerium PrPraseodymium NdNeodymium PmPromethium SmSamarium EuEuropium GdGadolinium TbTerbium DyDysprosium HoHolmium ErErbium TmThulium YbYtterbium
AcActinium
ThThorium
PaProtactinium
UUranium
NpNeptunium
PuPlutonium
AmAmericium
CmCurium
BkBerkelium
CfCalifornium
EsEinsteinium
FmFermium
MdMendelevium
NoNobelium

The greyed-out cells are elements that are not mined and traded as commodities — either because they are radioactive and made only in reactors, because they are noble gases with no market, or because they exist for milliseconds in an accelerator. That gap is itself the point: the modern economy runs on a surprisingly small corner of chemistry.

Criticality designation from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. Lutetium is shown in group 3 and lanthanum in the lanthanide row, following IUPAC’s 2021 recommendation; other tables place them the other way round.

Photographs on this page · 78
  1. Naturalis Biodiversity Center - Museum - Exhibition Nature theatre 06 -… · Photographer: Henk Caspers/Naturalis · CC BY-SA 3.0
  2. Minerals in the Indian Museum, Kolkata 05.jpg · Kritzolina · CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. Pyrolusite Mineral with Dendrite Macro Digon3.jpg · “Jonathan Zander ( Digon3 )" · CC BY-SA 3.0
  4. Apatite Sapo Mine Minéraux SU.jpg · Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart · CC BY 4.0
  5. Chalcopyrite botroïdale.jpg · Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 3.0
  6. Aluminum ingots at Norwegian Aluminium Company.jpg · Anders Beer Wilse · CC BY 4.0
  7. Native silver 1.jpg · Parent Géry · CC BY-SA 3.0
  8. Neodymium oxide 170g.jpg · W. Oelen · CC BY-SA 3.0
  9. Cobaltite (GeoDIL number - 1151).jpg · Darla Sondrol · CC0
  10. Pyrrhotite with pentlandite (late Paleoproterozoic, 1.85 Ga; 800 Orebod… · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  11. Lanthanum (Element - 57) 3.jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  12. Cerium (Element - 58) 2.jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  13. Samarium shards.jpg · brainandforce · CC0
  14. Europium prvek.jpg · Milda 444 · CC BY-SA 4.0
  15. Gadolinium 2.jpg · Milda 444 · CC BY-SA 4.0
  16. Piece of Yttrium.jpg · Jan Anskeit · CC BY-SA 4.0
  17. Scandium (Element - 21).jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  18. Holmium shards.jpg · brainandforce · CC0
  19. Erbium (Element - 68).jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  20. Thulium prvek.jpg · Milda 444 · CC BY-SA 4.0
  21. Ytterbium (Element - 70) 2.jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  22. PET-schema.png · Jens Maus ( https://jens-maus.de/ ) · Public domain
  23. Promethium (Element - 61) 1.jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  24. Dysprosium (Element - 66) 2.jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  25. Terbium prvek.jpg · Milda 444 · CC BY-SA 4.0
  26. Indium wetting glass.jpg · Schtone · Public domain
  27. Tellurium crystals.jpg · Hi-Res Images of Chemical Elements · CC BY 3.0
  28. Native arsenic2.jpg · Miguel Calvo · CC BY 4.0
  29. Uranium ore and "yellowcake" uranium concentrate at the Greifswald Nucl… · Siarhei Besarab · CC BY-SA 4.0
  30. Yellowing of thorium lenses.jpg · El Grafo · CC BY-SA 4.0
  31. Deformed crystal of zircon.jpg · Liza Kovaleva · CC BY-SA 4.0
  32. Hafnium (Element - 72) 2.jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  33. Crystal surface of colorless Beryl, multicolor filter, size 5,8 x 3,9 mm.jpg · Sepelinmurskaaja · CC BY-SA 4.0
  34. Galena - Huallanca, Bologesi, Ancash, Peru.jpg · Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 4.0
  35. Titanium sponge cylinder, 120 grams.jpg · Hi-Res Images of Chemical Elements · CC BY 3.0
  36. Plastic bottle containing gallium metal.JPG · Pixelmaniac pictures ( Leave a reply ) · CC0
  37. Miniman M 703 germanium crystal radio made in Japan late 1950s.jpg · R. Henrik Nilsson · CC BY 4.0
  38. Polymer Tantalum Capacitor Cross Section.jpg · TubeTimeUS · CC BY-SA 4.0
  39. Rhenium metal.jpg · Keresluna · CC BY-SA 4.0
  40. Stibnite, Antimony sulfide.jpg · Bobjgalindo · CC BY-SA 4.0
  41. Bismuth crystal Créer le cristal n01.jpg · Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart · CC BY 4.0
  42. AZ Gold Nugget Quartz.jpg · Bryan Barnes · CC BY-SA 4.0
  43. Wellgreen Platinum project in Yukon (22284209294).jpg · MINING.com · CC BY 2.0
  44. Palladium (Element - 46) 2.jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  45. Rhodium powder pressed melted.jpg · Alchemist-hp ( talk ) www.pse-mendelejew.de der… · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
  46. Iridium (Element - 77) 2.jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  47. Ru metal 1g.JPG · Leiem · CC BY-SA 4.0
  48. Osmium star.jpg · Bilovitskiy · CC BY 4.0
  49. Wolframiteportugal2.jpg · Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 3.0
  50. 2024 Artsy Niobium Cavity - Flickr - Jefferson Lab.jpg · Jefferson Lab from Newport News, USA · Public domain
  51. Molybdenite quebec2.jpg · Didier Descouens · CC BY 3.0
  52. World- Vanadium Production,*1946 - DPLA - 3e24602f809408ce766ef8a40e074… · Central Intelligence Agency · Public domain
  53. Sphalerite - Creede, Mineral County, Colorado, USA.jpg · Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 4.0
  54. Cassiterite (GeoDIL number - 37).jpg · Shannon Heinle · CC0
  55. Dowmetal Magnesium- The Metal of Motion - DPLA - 6cfddacda671bc92edb70f… · Dow Chemical Company · Public domain
  56. Cadmium (Element - 48) 3.jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  57. Selenium (Element - 34).jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  58. Metal poles (surface is chromium-plated) - HDR.jpg · Laitche · CC BY-SA 4.0
  59. Union Sulphur Co Reserve Sulphur Storage in Louisiana.jpg · Underwood and Underwood · Public domain
  60. Sylvite-halite-carnallite-polyhalite (Salado Formation, Upper Permian; … · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  61. Eliminating a minor ammonia leak at the nitrogen fertilizer plant - pan… · Tseno Tanev (цено та… · CC BY-SA 3.0
  62. ISS Magnet.jpg · Ordan, Julien Marius · CC BY 4.0
  63. Wafer 20110212.jpg · Sangitiana Fararano · CC BY-SA 2.0
  64. Hematite (iron ore) (weathered zone in the Biwabik Iron-Formation, Whit… · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  65. Praseodymium (Element - 59) 2.jpg · James St. John · CC BY 2.0
  66. Borax crystals.jpg · Aram Dulyan ( User:Aramgutang ) · Public domain
  67. Neon tubes (32703).jpg · Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0
  68. US Navy 090715-N-5821P-002 Aviation Support Equipment Technician Airman… · U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialis… · Public domain
  69. Spectre tubes à gaz.jpg · Alchemist-hp , derivative work by Poke2001 · CC BY-SA 2.0 de
  70. Three xenon flashtubes and a krypton arc lamp.jpg · Zaereth ( talk ) · Public domain
  71. Iodine crystals, 99.9% purity.jpg · Dnn87 · CC BY 3.0
  72. Bromine-ampoule.jpg · Jurii · CC BY 3.0
  73. Celestine from Madagascar in the Mineral Museum of Siófok.jpg · Szilas · Public domain
  74. Spodumene Nuristan Créer le cristal.jpg · Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart · CC BY 4.0
  75. Mercury, cinnabar and calomel (GeoDIL number - 919).jpg · Darla Sondrol · CC0
  76. Pollucite Paprok MNHN Minéralogie.jpg · Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart · CC BY 4.0
  77. Rb5.JPG · Dnn87 · CC BY 3.0
  78. Thallium prvek.jpg · Milda 444 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Every photograph is from Wikimedia Commons and is used under the licence shown.

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