Not all uses are necessarily listed. Some uses are in compound forms of the element. The order is by atomic number.
Atomic No. – Element | Sources | Uses |
1 Hydrogen | Decomposition of water | Manufacture of ammonia; Hydrogenation of vegetable oils;Rocket fuels |
2 Helium | Natural gas | To float blimps; By divers; In supermarket laser beams |
3 Lithium | Mineral spodumene | To form alloy with aluminum in aircraft manufacture; Anode in small batteries; Treatment for bipolar patients |
4 Beryllium | Mineral beryll | Window for X-ray tubes; To form an alloy with copper |
5 Boron | Dry lake beds | In nuclear reactors; In transistors in high-tech industry |
6 Carbon | Diamonds; Graphite; Coal | In industry for abrasive purposes; In lead pencils; For fuel in industry and the home |
7 Nitrogen | Liquefied air | To freeze foods and biological specimens; In industry as a blanketing gas; In making ammonia |
8 Oxygen | Liquefied air; Water; Potassium or sodium chlorate | Life; Various industrial and aerospace uses |
9 Fluorine | Fluospar | To produce uranium haxafluoride; In nuclear research; In water supplies |
10 Neon | Liquefied air | Store signs |
11 Sodium | Electrolsis of table salt | Moderator in nuclear reactors; In light-measuring devices; Numerous uses for its compounds |
12 Magnesium | Seawater | Alloy with aluminum in manufacturing; In flash bulbs; In pharmaceuticals |
13 Aluminum | Electrolysis of aluminum oxide | In high-voltage transmission lines: In various reflectors; In airplane wings; In alloys |
14 Silicon | Silicon dioxide | Microelectronics industry; In making glass, ceramics, solar cells, and microphones |
15 Phosphorus | Calcium phosphate | Making phosphoric acid for fertilizers; In detergents; In tlevision tubes |
16 Sulfur | Sulfur mines | To form sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid; For bleaching textiles and wood pulp; For preserving food; In making fertilizers |
17 Chlorine | Electrolysis of sodium chloride in water | For bleaching; In manufactur of polymers |
18 Argon | Distillation of liquefied aid | To fill incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent bulbs; In welding; In Geiger counters |
19 Potassium | Potassium chloride | For plant fertilizers; In storage batteries; As a preservative |
20 Calcium | Limestone | In mortar, concrete, and gypsum; In production of iron; Marble structures |
21 Scandium | Electrolysis of scandium chloride | Construction of aircraft; High-intensity lamps |
22 Titanium | Chemical reduction from its ore | In rocket and jet engines; Manufacturing of sports bicycles; Pigments in paints, paper, and plastics |
23 Vanadium | Vanadinite | In making steel; In nuclear reactors |
24 Chromium | Chromium oxide (chromite) | In automobiles; In stainless steel |
25 Manganese | Ores in mines | Making of steel; Compound in dry-cell batteries |
26 Iron | Hematite and magnetite | As a structural component; In making steel; Magnets |
27 Cobalt | Cobaltite ore | In making steel; Alloy with tungsten and copper; Alloy with aluminum and copper |
28 Nickel | Nickel mines | In stainless steel; In heating elements, coins, and batteries |
29 Copper | Open-pit mines | In plumbing, electrical wires, and coins; Component of alloys |
30 Zinc | Zinc sulfide | Galvanization of steel; In dry-cell batteries and coins |
31 Gallium | By-product in refining of aluminum | In laser diodes; In supercomputers; In neutrino detectors |
32 Germanium | Compounds combined with oxygen | In transistors |
33 Arsenic | Realgar and orpiment compounds with sulfur | As herbicide and insecticide; Medical products; In solid-state electronics |
34 Selenium | By-product of copper refining and sulfuric acid manufacture | In robotics and light meters; In photocopying; In shampoos |
35 Bromine | Seawater; Salt mines; Brine wells | As a gasoline additive; As a pesticide; In photograph films |
36 Krypton | From liquefied air by fractional distillation | In airport runway lights; In photographic flash bulbs |
37 Rubidium | A by-product of refining lithium and cesium | In television and cathode-ray tubes; A scavenger in vacuum systems |
38 Strontium | Mineral ores celestite and strontianite | Medical research |
39 Yttrium | Monazite sand | In colour-television tubes; In solid-state lasers |
40 Zirconium | Mineral zircon | A semi-precious gem; In nuclear reactors |
41 Niobium | Mineral columbite | In nuclear magnetic resonance scanners; For strengthening steel; In nuclear reactors |
42 Molybdenum | Ore molybdenite | Additive to steel; Engine parts for automobiles and aircraft; To generate techetium-99 in hospitals |
43 Technetium | From molybdenum in nuclear reactors | Examining human organs in hospitals |
44 Ruthenium | By-product in refining platinum ores | Catalyst in industrial processes; In jewellery |
45 Rhodium | Platinum ores | Additive for hardening platinum; In automobile catalytic converters; Catalyst in industrial processes |
46 Paladium | Platinum ores | Catalyst in industrial processes; In purifying hydrogen; In treating cancer |
47 Silver | Argentite and copper-nickel ores | In making wires, jewellery, and eating utensils; In electronics and dentistry;In photography film and coins |
48 Cadmium | By-product of zinc refining | Electroplating of steel; In batteries; In nuclear reactors |
49 Indium | By-product of zinc refining | In alloys with other metals; In nuclear reactors |
50 Tin | Ore cassiterite | In tin foil sheets; As alloy agent to make bronze; In solder; In electrical connections |
51 Antimony | Mineral stibrite | In safety matches; In alloys to harden metals; As flame retardant |
52 Tellurium | By-product in refining gold | Alloy with copper and stainless steel |
53 Iodine | Mining of sodium iodide; Ashes of burned seaweed; Brine well | Antiseptic solution; Additive for table salt; In photographic film and paper; In prostrate cancer treatment; Detection of starch |
54 Xenon | Fractional distillation of air | In electrical discharge tubes to produce light; In flashing strobe lamps |
55 Cesium | Mineral pollucite | In breathing apparatus of emergency workers; In vacuum systems; In official measure of time |
56 Barium | Minerals witherite and baryte | In radiology; Savenger in vacuum systems; In photographic papers |
57 Lanthanum | Monzite sands and bastnasite | In high-intensity carbon arc lamps; In glass for optical |
58 Cerium | Monzite sands and bastnasite | In high-intensity carbon arc lamps; In self-cleaning ovens |
59 Praseodymium | Monzite sands and bastnasite | In high-intensity carbon arc lamps; As an alloy in auto and aircraft parts |
60 Neodymium | Monzite sands and bastnasite | In coloured glass; In making magnets |
61 Promethium | Nuclear accelerators and nuclear reactors | No known use |
62 Samarium | Monzite sands and bastnasite | In permanent magnets; In special types of glass |
63 Europium | Monzite sands and bastnasite | In colour television tubes and computer monitors; In fluorescence lamps |
64 Gadolinium | Monzite sands and bastnasite | In control rods for nuclear reactors; An alloy agent in special steels in neutron radiography |
65 Terbium | Monzanite sands | In special lasers; As an alloy in compact discs and high-definition X-ray screens |
66 Dysprosium | Monzite sands and bastnasite | In colour television tubes and mercury lamps |
67 Holmium | Monzanite sands | In coloured glass |
68 Erbium | Minerals xenotime and euxerite | An alloy with vanadium; In glass and inexpensive jewellery |
69 Thulium | Monzanite sands | In lasers |
70 Ytterbium | Monzanite sands | An alloy in stainless steel; In dentistry |
71 Lutetium | Monzanite sands | No known use |
72 Hafnium | Zircon and baddeleyite ores | In reactor control rods; In incandescent lamps |
73 Tantalum | Mineral columbite | In dental and medical surgery; In chemical equipment; In electolytic capacitors |
74 Tungsten | Wolframite and scheelite ores | Filaments for light bulbs; In heating elements and rockets; In television tubes and computer monitors; To form an alloy with steel |
75 Rhenium | Molybdenite and copper sulfide ores | An alloy agent; In thermocouples with tungsten |
76 Osmium | Nickel and platinum ores | To make hard alloys for electrical switch contacts and pen nibs |
77 Iridium | Nickel and platinum ores | An alloy agent with platinum |
78 Platinum | Mining ore | In jewellery; In dentistry; In petroleum refining; In other industries |
79 Gold | Mining of veins near quartz and pyrite | For coins; On space vehicles; In dentistry and electronics; In jewellery |
80 Mercury | Cinnabar ore | In thermometers, barometers; and thermostats; In diffusion pumps; in dentistry; In fungicides and pesticides; for blasting caps |
81 Thallium | By-product of lead and zinc refining | To treat skin disorders; In photoelectric cells and infrared detectors; In the diagnosis of diseases |
82 Lead | Galena ore | In storage batteries; Solder; In television screens; In paint; In crystal glass |
83 Bismuth | In bismite and bismuth glance ores | In antacid medicines; In cosmetics; As an alloy agent |
84 Polonium | Uranium mines | On dust-removal brushes; To produce neutrons without a nuclear reactor |
85 Astatine | Decay of thorium and uranium | No known use |
86 Radon | Decay of thorium and uranium | In cancer therapy |
87 Francium | Decay of thorium and uranium | No known use |
88 Radium | Pitchblende ore | In cancer therapy |
89 Actinium | Decay of thorium and uranium | Very limited use |
90 Thorium | Monzanite | An alloy agent with magnesium; In electronic devices |
91 Protactinium | Decay of uranium | No known use |
92 Uranium | Pitchblende, uranite, and monzanite ores | To colour glass and ceramic glazes; In nuclear reactors; In antitank shells; Shielding against radiation |
93 Neptunium | By-product of generation of plutonium | No known use |
94 Plutonium | Nuclear reactor | In bombs; In generation of power for electronic systems in satellites; For power for heart pacemakers |
95 Americium | Nuclear reactor | Portable source of X-rays; In home smoke detectors |
96 Curium | Nuclear reactor | In pacemakers; In remote navigational buoys; In space missions |
97 Berkelium | Nuclear reactor | No known use |
98 Californium | Nuclear reactor | Analysis of oil-bearing layers of earth; In analyzing of gold and silver |
99 Einsteinium | Isotope reactor | No known use |
100 Fermium | Isotope reactor | No known use |
101 Mendelevium | Nuclear reactor | No known use |
102 Nobelium | Heavy ion linear accelerator | No known use |
103 Lawrencium | Heavy ion linear accelerator | No known use |
104 Rutherfordium | Heavy ion linear accelerator | No known use |
105 Dubium | Heavy ion linear accelerator | No known use |
106 Seaborgium | Nuclear reactor | No known use |
107 Bohrium | Nuclear reactor | No known use |
108 Hassium | Nuclear reactor | No known use |
109 Meitnerium | Nuclear reactor | No known use |
110 Darmstadtium | Nuclear reactor | No known use |
111 Roentgenium | Nuclear reactor | No known use |
112 Unumbium | Heavy ion linear accelerator | No known use |
There is no information on elements 113-119.