What are the first 20 elements on the periodic table?

The periodic table currently contains 118 elements ordered according to their atomic number, which are organized in rows called periods and in columns called groups.

Despite there being so many elements, often knowing the characteristics of the first elements in each group in depth allows us to predict the properties of the other elements in their group. For this reason, it is common for chemistry teachers to ask their students to list the first elements of the periodic table. In some cases they are satisfied with the first 10, which completely cover the first two periods of the table, other times they are satisfied with 18, since this is how the first three periods are covered, while covering the most important representative elements of the table periodic. Other times, teachers even ask to memorize the first 20 elements of the periodic table in order to cover all the elements existing before the first transition metal.

There is a logical reason to shorten the list to the first 20 elements: the transition metals are characterized by having somewhat erratic and difficult to predict physical and chemical properties . Furthermore, the behavior of these properties is often difficult to understand for students who are just starting out on the path of learning chemistry.

With the intention of limiting the study of the elements and their properties to those that adequately illustrate the periodic properties of matter, below we will see a summary of the most relevant information on the first 20 elements of the periodic table.

What are the first 20 elements on the periodic table?

Since the elements are ordered by their atomic number, which at the same time represents the number of protons that the atoms of an element have in their nucleus, the first 20 elements are those that have the atomic numbers from 1 to 20. These are :

Let’s see, below, some basic characteristics of these first 20 elements, including their year of discovery, the meaning of their name, the origin of their chemical symbol and some characteristic physical properties of each one.

#1 Hydrogen (H)

• Discovery: Hydrogen was discovered by Henry Cavendish in 1766.
• Origin of the name: It comes from the Greek terms hydro, which means water, and genes , which means to generate, to form. Therefore, hydrogen literally means ” water generator “, since the combustion of hydrogen produces water as the only product.
• Physical state at 20 °C: Gas
• Melting point: – 259.16 °C
• Boiling point: – 252.16 °C
• Description and uses: Hydrogen is a colorless and odorless gas of very low density. It is used in chemical synthesis, as well as a clean fuel and energy storage medium.

#2 Helium (He)

• Discovery: Helium was discovered independently by Sir William Ramsay, Per Teodor Cleve and Nils Abraham Langlet in 1895.
• Origin of the name: Its name comes from the Greek word for the sun, helios , because it was discovered studying the crown of the sun during an eclipse.
• Physical state at 20 °C: Gas
• Melting point: – 272.2 °C
• Boiling point: – 268.93 °C
• Description and uses: It is the lightest noble gas . It is an inert, colorless and odorless gas that is mainly used as a coolant when extremely low temperatures are required. It is also used in discharge lamps.

#3 Lithium (Li)

• Discovery: Discovered by Johan August Arfvedson in 1817
• Origin of the name: It comes from the Greek name for rock, lithos , because it was originally found in certain minerals.
• Physical state at 20 °C: Solid
• Melting point: 180.20°C
• Boiling point: 1,342°C
• Description and uses: It is the least dense metal of all. It has a silvery white color and reacts violently with water. It is used as an ion in the lithium batteries that power most of the mobile devices that exist today.

#4 Beryllium (Be)

• Discovery: Discovered by Nicholas Louis Vauquelin in 1797.
• Origin of the name: Its name comes from the Greek name for beryl, beryllo , the main mineral from which this element is extracted.
• Physical state at 20 °C: Solid
• Melting point: 1,287 °C
• Boiling point: 2,468°C
• Description and uses: Beryllium is the first member of the group of alkaline earth metals. Easily forms ions with +2 electric charge. It is relatively soft, not very dense, and has a light silver color.

#5 Boron (B)

• Discovery: Discovered simultaneously in Paris by Louis-Josef Gay-Lussac and Louis-Jacques Thénard and in London by Humphry Davy in 1808.
• Origin of the name: Its name comes from the Arabic word for borax, buraq .
• Physical state at 20 °C: Solid
• Melting point: 2,077 °C
• Boiling point: 4,000°C
• Description and uses: In its pure form it is a dark colored amorphous solid. One of its main uses is in the ignition systems of space rocket engines and in fireworks to give green colors.

#6 Carbon (C)

• Discovery: It has been known since prehistoric times.
• Origin of the name: It comes from the Latin word for carbon, carbo .
• Physical state at 20 °C: Solid
• Melting point: Sublimes at 3,825°C
• Boiling point: Sublimes at 3,825°C
• Description and uses: Carbon graphite is a black, brittle solid that is used as a conductor in some electrodes, as a lubricant in some motor oils, and in the manufacture of pencils. Its other common form, diamond, is a transparent crystalline solid and is the hardest material known to man.

#7 Nitrogen (N)

• Discovery: Discovered by Daniel Rutherford in 1772.
• Origin of the name: It comes from the Greek terms nitron and genes that mean nitro and generate, respectively. Nitrogen means, then, nitro generator, which is a mineral that contains potassium nitrate.
• Physical state at 20 °C: Gas
• Melting point: – 210.0 °C
• Boiling point: – 195.80 °C
• Description and uses : Nitrogen is a colorless gas that makes up almost 80% of the air we breathe. It has many uses ranging from the synthesis of fertilizers to explosives.

#8 Oxygen (O)

• Discovery: Discovered simultaneously by Joseph Priestley and Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1774.
• Origin of the name: It comes from the Greek terms oxy and genes that mean acid and generate, respectively. Etymologically, oxygen means acid generator.
• Physical state at 20 °C: Gas
• Melting point: – 218.79 °C
• Boiling point: – 182.962 °C
• Description and uses: It is also a colorless and odorless gas. It forms almost 21% of the dry air . It is essential for the life of aerobic living beings. In industry it is used as an oxidant in different processes including welding and flame cutting systems.

#9 Fluorine (F)

• Discovery: Discovered in 1886 by Henri Moissan.
• Origin of the name: It comes from the Latin fluere which means to flow.
• Physical state at 20 °C: Gas
• Melting point: – 219.67 °C
• Boiling point: – 188.11 °C
• Description and uses: Fluorine is a light green poisonous gas. It is the most electronegative element in the periodic table and its compounds, such as hydrofluoric acid, can attack and dissolve glass.

#10 Neon (Ne)

• Discovery: Discovered by Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers in 1898.
• Origin of the name: It comes from the Greek neos , which means new.
• Physical state at 20 °C: Gas
• Melting point: – 248.59 °C
• Boiling point: – 246.046 °C
• Description and uses: It is a colorless noble gas widely used for the manufacture of colored lamps.

#11 Sodium (Na)

• Discovery: Discovered by Humphry Davy in 1807.
• Origin of the name: It comes from the English word soda , which refers to caustic soda or sodium hydroxide. Its chemical symbol is Na due to the Latin name for this substance, natrium .
• Physical state at 20 °C: Solid
• Melting point: 97,794°C
• Boiling point: 882,940°C
• Description and uses: It is the second alkaline metal. Like lithium, it is a soft, silvery-white metal that is highly reactive with water. It is used in chemical synthesis for different purposes and is one of the most common ions in water-soluble salts.

#12 Magnesium (Mg)

• Discovery: Discovered by Joseph Black in 1755.
• Origin of the name: It comes from the name of the Magnesia district of a Greek city.
• Physical state at 20 °C: Solid
• Melting point: 650°C
• Boiling point: 1,090 °C
• Description and uses: It is a silver-colored alkaline earth metal used in fireworks and sparklers because it burns with a very bright light in air. It is also used as an additive in the preparation of aluminum alloys.

#13 Aluminum (Al)

• Discovery: Hans Oersted discovered it in 1825.
• Origin of the name: It comes from the Latin term alumen , which means bitter salt.
• Physical state at 20 °C: Solid
• Melting point: 660.323 °C
• Boiling point: 2,519°C
• Description and uses: It is a light, silvery and quite resistant metal. It is used in the manufacture of cans to contain liquids and in construction materials.

#14 Silicon (Yes)

• Discovery: Discovered by Jöns Jaco Berzelius in 1824
• Origin of the name: It comes from the Latin word for flint, flint .
• Physical state at 20 °C: Solid
• Melting point: 1,404 °C
• Boiling point: 3,265 °C
• Description and uses: This is the first example of a metalloid or semimetal. This element forms the basis of all modern electronics, representing the main material from which all the integrated circuits that make every electronic device that exists work.

#15 Phosphorus (P)

• Discovery: Discovered in 1669 by Henning Brandt.
• Origin of the name: It comes from the Greek term phosphoros , which means bearer of light. This same term is also the origin of the chemical symbol P.
• Physical state at 20 °C: Solid
• Melting point: 44.15 °C
• Boiling point: 280.5°C
• Description and uses: This non-metal is of great importance for the manufacture of fertilizers, but it is also used in its pure state as a flammable material in matches and as a spontaneous combustion fuse in hand grenades and other types of explosives.

#16 Sulfur (S)

• Discovery: Known since prehistoric times.
• Origin of the name: Both its name and its chemical symbol come from the Latin term sulfurium .
• Physical state at 20 °C: Solid
• Melting point: 115.21 °C
• Boiling point: 444.61 °C
• Description and uses: In pure form it is a yellow crystalline solid found near volcanoes. It is used in the synthesis of sulfuric acid, the world’s most important commercial and industrial acid. It is also used in the vulcanization of rubber.

#17 Chlorine (Cl)

• Discovery: Discovered in 1774 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele
• Origin of the name: It comes from the Greek word to describe the greenish-yellow color, chloros .
• Physical state at 20 °C: Gas
• Melting point: – 101.5 °C
• Boiling point: – 34.04 °C
• Description and uses: Chlorine is a poisonous and highly reactive gas, with a very faint greenish-yellow color. Both in its elemental state and in the form of some oxisalts, it is effective in killing and preventing the growth of many microorganisms, which is why it is used as a disinfectant.

#18 Argon (Ar)

• Discovery: Discovered by Sir William Ramsay and Lord Rayleigh in 1894.
• Name Origin: His name is derived from argos , which is Greek for slow or sluggish.
• Physical state at 20 °C: Gas
• Melting point: – 189.34 °C
• Boiling point: – 185.848 °C
• Description and uses: This noble gas is used as an inert atmosphere in many applications ranging from the manufacture of incandescent light bulbs to chemical analysis. It is the most abundant noble gas and forms almost 1% of our Earth’s atmosphere.

#19 Potassium (K)

• Discovery: Again, this alkali metal was discovered by Humphry Davy, also in 1807.
• Origin of the name: The name comes from the English word potash , which means potash and refers to the main compound that we can find in the ash of certain woods. The chemical symbol K, instead, comes from the Latin term for the same potash, kalium .
• Physical state at 20 °C: Solid
• Melting point: 63.5°C
• Boiling point: 759 °C
• Description and uses: It is an extremely reactive metal. It oxidizes immediately on contact with air and can even react with moisture present in it, so it must be stored sealed in an inert atmosphere or submerged in oil. It is an important part of many fertilizers.

#20 Calcium (Ca)

• Discovery: Discovered by Humphry Davy in 1808.
• Origin of the name: It comes from the Latin name for lime, calx .
• Physical state at 20 °C: Solid
• Melting point: 842 °C
• Boiling point: 1,484°C
• Description and uses: Silvery alkaline earth metal found abundantly in nature. It is an essential component of our diet, forming an important part of the bone structure and the functioning mechanism of our nervous and muscular systems. Elemental calcium is used as a reducing agent in obtaining other metals from its ores.

References

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