SOUL/ALLOY Science
History of Element Discovery
9000 BCE–2010 CE: a timeline of discovery and isolation
Showing 105/118 elements
Nonmetals
4
Halogens
5
Noble gases
6
Alkali metals
6
Alkaline earth metals
6
Transition metals
23
Post-transition metals
6
Metalloids
4
Lanthanides
15
Actinides
15
Superheavy elements
15Historical highlights
c. 9000 BCEDiscovery of copper
The first metal used by humans. Native copper in the Middle East helped mark the dawn of civilization.
1669Phosphorus — dawn of modern chemistry
Hennig Brand accidentally discovered phosphorus, often described as the first element found by a scientific process.
1898The Curies' achievement
Marie and Pierre Curie discovered polonium and radium, accelerating the study of radioactive elements.
118 elements / 11 known since antiquity / 107 discovered later