Table of Contributions
From the site creator
Li Lithium
Contributed by the site creator
Small Lithium metal slugs in a sealed ampoule.
B Boron
Contributed by the site creator
A large, dark, amorphous chunk of high-purity crystalline Boron. Small flecks are shiny.
Al Aluminum
Contributed by the site creator
A supplier of Aluminum metal sent this small disc to a vendor so they could test the purity of the Aluminum using mass-spectrometry. It appears that there are multiple small burn marks on the sample, which may indicate this sample was tested.
Si Silicon
Contributed by the site creator
Silicon chunks (9N purity)
S Sulfur
Contributed by the site creator
Large chunk of Sulfur. This sample leaves a yellow dusty powder on everything it touches!
Cl Chlorine
Contributed by the site creator
An ampoule of Chlorine gas. The white background allows the yellow-green color to pop.
Ca Calcium
Contributed by the site creator
Shiny crystals of slightly golden Calcium metal in an ampoule.
Sc Scandium
Contributed by the site creator
Macro photograph of a Scandium metal chunk. Its dendritic (hair-like) structure is clearly visible.
Ti Titanium
Contributed by the site creator
Tiny crystal of Titanium metal
V Vanadium
Contributed by the site creator
100 gram Vanadium metal chunk, showing blue, green, gold, and purple colors resulting from a thin layer of oxidation.
Contributed by the site creator
100 gram Vanadium metal chunk, showing blue, green, gold, and purple colors resulting from a thin layer of oxidation.
Cr Chromium
Contributed by the site creator
Chunks of Chromium metal on a sheet of yellow construction paper.
Co Cobalt
Contributed by the site creator
Two Cobalt metal plates standing upright on their edges. The faces of the plates are bumpy and have moderate black-colored oxidation.
Ni Nickel
Contributed by the site creator
Two small Nickel metal chunks. The shape of these type of chunks are sometimes called "flowers."
Cu Copper
Contributed by the site creator
Oddly-shaped chunk of Copper metal, which has been polished on the top
Zn Zinc
Contributed by the site creator
Zinc hexagon pieces
Ge Germanium
Contributed by the site creator
Small pieces of Germanium. The subtle olive-colored sheen and glassy reflection of this metalloid are visible in this sample, but the smooth surface is not as noticeable. Holding these pieces felt like holding small pieces of Silicon, but denser, and less brittle by a small margin.
Se Selenium
Contributed by the site creator
Tiny, lab grown crystals of an unusual, dark blood red allotrope (form) of Selenium. This sample has the monoclinic crystal structure. Photos of this form are rare. This allotrope is different from the amorphous bright red powder that precipitates from reactions that make elemental Selenium.
Br Bromine
Contributed by the site creator
A small amount of liquid Bromine flowing in a tilted ampoule.
Y Yttrium
Contributed by the site creator
50 gram chunk of Yttrium metal. This sample has a unique shape: a quarter slice of a dome or bowl. That’s equal to 1/8th of a sphere, also known as an “octant.” This sample has dulled and slightly darkened over years of exposure to air.
Contributed by the site creator
Four chemical elements were named after the town of Ytterby, Sweden, where many rare-earth elements were discovered from the ores mined there. In this photo is Yttrium (large chunk), Ytterbium (in ampoule), Terbium (brassy pieces), Erbium (silvery pieces). Also included are small pieces of dull, slightly oxidized Holmium , which takes the name of Stockholm, Sweden.
Nb Niobium
Contributed by the site creator
Beautiful small crystal of Niobium metal. Niobium is a transition metal and should not be confused with the rare-earth metal nd !
Ag Silver
Contributed by the site creator
Two shiny silver coins with engravings of “year of the dragon” and related illustrations
Cd Cadmium
Contributed by the site creator
Shiny chunks of Cadmium metal in an ampoule, against black and white pieces of construction paper
In Indium
Contributed by the site creator
Larger and smaller chunk of Indium metal. The smaller chunk is supporting the larger chunk. Indium is a bright silvery metal, but the colors of the room caused the sample to appear incorrectly colorful.
I Iodine
Contributed by the site creator
Pure Iodine is a dark purple, almost black solid in average Earth temperatures. This macro photo shows mostly pure Iodine beads inside of a glass ampoule, which has been turned horizontally. The texture of the beads look extremely similar to blueberries, but don’t be fooled, pure Iodine can be toxic and cause chemical burns.
Sm Samarium
Contributed by the site creator
Macro photograph of dendritic (hair-like) crystals of brassy Samarium metal in an ampoule
Eu Europium
Contributed by the site creator
Europium doped phosphate glass, under normal light and black light. Under black light, the glass disc fluoresces a bright red
Gd Gadolinium
Contributed by the site creator
Small piece of Gadolinium metal, slightly oxidized
Tb Terbium
Contributed by the site creator
Small chunk of mostly shiny Terbium metal. Terbium should not be confused with Erbium !
Contributed by the site creator
Four chemical elements were named after the town of Ytterby, Sweden, where many rare-earth elements were discovered from the ores mined there. In this photo is Yttrium (large chunk), Ytterbium (in ampoule), Terbium (brassy pieces), Erbium (silvery pieces). Also included are small pieces of dull, slightly oxidized Holmium , which takes the name of Stockholm, Sweden.
Ho Holmium
Contributed by the site creator
Tiny piece of Holmium metal. Some parts are slightly oxidized, some are shiny.
Contributed by the site creator
Four chemical elements were named after the town of Ytterby, Sweden, where many rare-earth elements were discovered from the ores mined there. In this photo is Yttrium (large chunk), Ytterbium (in ampoule), Terbium (brassy pieces), Erbium (silvery pieces). Also included are small pieces of dull, slightly oxidized Holmium , which takes the name of Stockholm, Sweden.
Er Erbium
Contributed by the site creator
Very shiny piece of Erbium metal. Erbium should not be confused with Terbium .
Contributed by the site creator
Four chemical elements were named after the town of Ytterby, Sweden, where many rare-earth elements were discovered from the ores mined there. In this photo is Yttrium (large chunk), Ytterbium (in ampoule), Terbium (brassy pieces), Erbium (silvery pieces). Also included are small pieces of dull, slightly oxidized Holmium , which takes the name of Stockholm, Sweden.
Tm Thulium
Contributed by the site creator
Small chunks of Thulium metal on top of a 10 Euro bill. One photo is under a daylight lamp, the other photo is under a black (UV) light. The Euro bill has small fluorescent fibers striped in red, green, and blue. Thulium may be responsible for the blue fluorescence, according to the Wikipedia article about Thulium. The Guatemalan bill behind the Thulium sample is not confirmed to be made with Thulium, even though it also has fluorescent fibers. It was placed behind the sample for decoration.
Contributed by the site creator
A Nice sample of shiny Thulium metal, which has a shiny, dendritic (hair-like) appearance. Thulium should not be confused with the deadly poisonous tl or the radioactive th !
Yb Ytterbium
Contributed by the site creator
Ytterbium metal chunk in an ampoule. The slightly gold hue characteristic of Ytterbium is clearly visible.
Contributed by the site creator
Four chemical elements were named after the town of Ytterby, Sweden, where many rare-earth elements were discovered from the ores mined there. In this photo is Yttrium (large chunk), Ytterbium (in ampoule), Terbium (brassy pieces), Erbium (silvery pieces). Also included are small pieces of dull, slightly oxidized Holmium , which takes the name of Stockholm, Sweden.
Lu Lutetium
Contributed by the site creator
1 gram sample of Lutetium metal in an ampoule. This shiny sample was manufactured in the shape of a tall square prism.
W Tungsten
Contributed by the site creator
1 inch cube of Tungsten. Tungsten cubes are popular novelty gifts because of Tungsten's high density and weight, but most cubes you can buy online are only 95% purity. This cube is roughly 99.95% purity. Tungsten is not the densest metal though! That honor goes to Osmium , which is about 17% more dense than Tungsten .
Re Rhenium
Contributed by the site creator
Finely powdered Rhenium metal in an ampoule
Os Osmium
Contributed by the site creator
Macro photograph of a 1 gram Osmium metal crystal showing its structure, and a smooth 1 gram bead. Osmium has a subtle silvery-blue hue.
Pt Platinum
Contributed by the site creator
Macro photograph of a 1 gram Platinum bullion. This sample is slightly shiny, but the close-up reveals that the surface appears bumpy, so the sample is not reflective like a mirror.
Contributed by the site creator
Small strip of Platinum metal
Au Gold
Contributed by the site creator
1 gram Gold bullion. The front side has text embossed into the surface which reads “1g fine gold 999,9”; along with the manufacturer’s logo at the top, and brand name “CHI Essayeur Fondeur” under the text. The reverse side is flat and extremely reflective, with minor scratches and imperfections across the surface.
Bi Bismuth
Contributed by the site creator
Macro photograph of a bismuth crystal showing the detailed stair-step structure and rainbow color
Contributed by the site creator
1 kg Bismuth ingot, small bismuth chunk, and small rainbow-stair Bismuth crystal