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Element records

The extremes of the periodic table, worked out from measured values. Elements made only a few atoms at a time have no measured values and are left out.

Densest elements

Density in grams per cubic centimetre. Water is 1.

  1. Osmium: 22.57 g/cm³
  2. Iridium: 22.42 g/cm³
  3. Platinum: 21.46 g/cm³
  4. Rhenium: 20.8 g/cm³
  5. Neptunium: 20.25 g/cm³
  6. Plutonium: 19.84 g/cm³
  7. Tungsten: 19.3 g/cm³
  8. Gold: 19.28 g/cm³
  9. Uranium: 18.95 g/cm³
  10. Tantalum: 16.4 g/cm³

Least dense solids and liquids

The first three are lighter than water.

  1. Lithium: 0.53 g/cm³
  2. Potassium: 0.89 g/cm³
  3. Sodium: 0.97 g/cm³
  4. Rubidium: 1.53 g/cm³
  5. Calcium: 1.54 g/cm³
  6. Magnesium: 1.74 g/cm³

Highest melting points

Carbon tops the list, though at normal pressure it turns to vapour without melting.

  1. Carbon: 3,550 °C
  2. Tungsten: 3,422 °C
  3. Rhenium: 3,186 °C
  4. Osmium: 3,033 °C
  5. Tantalum: 3,017 °C
  6. Molybdenum: 2,623 °C
  7. Niobium: 2,477 °C
  8. Iridium: 2,446 °C
  9. Ruthenium: 2,334 °C
  10. Hafnium: 2,233 °C

Lowest melting points

Helium is left out: it turns solid only under pressure.

  1. Hydrogen: -259.3 °C
  2. Neon: -248.6 °C
  3. Fluorine: -219.6 °C
  4. Oxygen: -218.8 °C
  5. Nitrogen: -210 °C
  6. Argon: -189.3 °C
  7. Krypton: -157.4 °C
  8. Xenon: -111.8 °C

Highest boiling points

  1. Rhenium: 5,596 °C
  2. Tungsten: 5,555 °C
  3. Tantalum: 5,458 °C
  4. Osmium: 5,012 °C
  5. Thorium: 4,788 °C
  6. Niobium: 4,744 °C
  7. Molybdenum: 4,639 °C
  8. Hafnium: 4,603 °C
  9. Iridium: 4,428 °C
  10. Zirconium: 4,409 °C

Most electronegative

These atoms pull shared electrons hardest (Pauling scale).

  1. Fluorine: 3.98
  2. Oxygen: 3.44
  3. Chlorine: 3.16
  4. Nitrogen: 3.04
  5. Krypton: 3
  6. Bromine: 2.96
  7. Iodine: 2.66
  8. Xenon: 2.6

Least electronegative

  1. Francium: 0.7
  2. Caesium: 0.79
  3. Potassium: 0.82
  4. Rubidium: 0.82
  5. Barium: 0.89
  6. Radium: 0.9
  7. Sodium: 0.93
  8. Strontium: 0.95

Easiest to ionise

The energy needed to remove one electron, in electronvolts. A low value means a very reactive metal.

  1. Caesium: 3.894 eV
  2. Francium: 3.9 eV
  3. Rubidium: 4.177 eV
  4. Potassium: 4.341 eV
  5. Sodium: 5.139 eV
  6. Actinium: 5.17 eV
  7. Barium: 5.212 eV
  8. Radium: 5.279 eV

Hardest to ionise

  1. Helium: 24.587 eV
  2. Neon: 21.565 eV
  3. Fluorine: 17.423 eV
  4. Argon: 15.76 eV
  5. Nitrogen: 14.534 eV
  6. Krypton: 14 eV

Liquid at room temperature

Only two elements: bromine, mercury. Caesium, gallium and rubidium melt a little above room temperature, between 28 and 40 °C.

Gases at room temperature

11 elements: hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon, chlorine, argon, krypton, xenon, radon.

Known since ancient times

11 elements have no recorded discoverer: carbon, sulfur, iron, copper, arsenic, silver, tin, antimony, gold, mercury, lead.

Most recently discovered

The six newest: tennessine (2010), oganesson (2006), nihonium (2004), moscovium (2003), livermorium (2000), flerovium (1998). All were made in particle accelerators.

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