timeline of chemical element discovery

Some elements have been known since time immemorial. Most have been discovered in historic times.

Antiquity

antiquity - Carbon
antiquity - Gold
antiquity - Silver
antiquity - Copper
antiquity - Sulfur
antiquity - Tin
antiquity - Lead
antiquity - Mercury
antiquity - Iron

(Aluminium may have been synthesized in Roman times, however it is usually credited to Hans Christian rsted in 1825 (see Aluminium#History)

13th century

1250 - Arsenic discovered by Albertus Magnus

15th century

1450 - Antimony first described by Tholden

16th century

1526 - Zinc discovered by Paracelsus

17th century

1669 - Phosphorus discovered by Hening Brand

18th century

1737 - Cobalt discovered by Georg Brandt. From the German word kobalt or kobold (evil spirit).
1741 - Platinum discovered by Charles Wood
1751 - Nickel isolated from niccolite by Axel Fredrik Cronstedt.
1753 - Bismuth discovered by Claude Geoffroy Junine
1755 - Magnesium discovered by Joseph Black.
1766 - Hydrogen discovered by Henry Cavendish. From the Greek words hudr (water) and gennan (generate).
1772 - Nitrogen discovered by Daniel Rutherford .
1774

Oxygen discovered by Joseph Priestley. From the Greek words oxus (acid) and gennan (generate).
Chlorine discovered by Carl Wilhelm Scheele.
Manganese by Johan Gottlieb Gahn

1776 - Hydrogen isolated and described by Henry Cavendish, named by Antoine Lavoisier
1778 - Molybdenum was discovered Carl Wilhelm Scheele
1782 - Tellurium discovered by Franz-Joseph Mller von Reichenstein. From Latin word Tellus (earth).
1783 - Tungsten discovered by brothers Jos Elhuyar and Fausto Elhuyar
1789

Uranium discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth. After the planet Uranus.
Zirconium discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth. Named from Zircon (mineral).

1793 - Strontium discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth
1794 - Yttrium discovered by Johan Gadolin. After Ytterby (a town in Sweden).
1797

Titanium discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth
Chromium discovered by Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin

1798 - Beryllium discovered by Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin

19th century

1801

Vanadium discovered by Andrs Manuel del Ro, not verified until 1831
Columbium discovered by Charles Hatchett, later it is renamed Niobium

1802 - Tantalum discovered by Anders Ekeberg
1803

Cerium discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth; Jns Jakob Berzelius and Wilhelm Hisinger
Rhodium discovered by William Hyde Wollaston
Palladium also discovered by William Hyde Wollaston.
Osmium discovered by Smithson Tennant. From the Greek word ὀσμή osm (odor).
Iridium also discovered by Smithson Tennant.

1807

Potassium discovered Humphry Davy. From the Latin word kalium.
Sodium discovered Humphry Davy. From the Latin word natrium (sodium).

1808

Calcium discovered Humphry Davy. From the Latin word calcis (lime).
Barium discovered Humphry Davy. From the Greek word βαρύς barys (heavy).
Boron discovered by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac & L.J. Thenard

1811 Iodine discovered by Bernard Courtois
1817

Lithium discovered by Johan August Arfwedson. From the Greek word λίθος lithos (stone).
Cadmium independently discovered by Friedrich Strohmeyer and K.S.L Hermann
Selenium discovered by Jns Jakob Berzelius

1823 - Silicon discovered by Jns Jakob Berzelius
1825 - Aluminium discovered by Hans Christian rsted
1826 - Bromine discovered by Antoine Jerome Balard
1828

Thorium discovered by Jns Jakob Berzelius
Beryllium - Independently discovered by Friedrich Whler and A.A.B. Bussy

1839 - Lanthanum discovered by Carl Gustaf Mosander
1843

Terbium discovered by Carl Gustaf Mosander
Erbium also discovered by Carl Gustaf Mosander

1844 - Ruthenium discovered by Karl Klaus
1860

Caesium discovered by Robert Bunsen
Rubidium discovered by Robert Bunsen

1861 - Thallium discovered by Sir William Crookes
1863 - Indium discovered by Ferdinand Reich and Theodor Richter
1868

Helium Independently by Pierre Janssen and Norman Lockyer From the Greek word ἥλιος hlios (sun).

1875 - Gallium 1875 Paul mile Lecoq de Boisbaudran
1878 - Ytterbium discovered by Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac. After Ytterby (a town in Sweden).

Holmium discovered by Marc Delafontaine & Jacques Louis Soret

1879

Thulium discovered by Per Teodor Cleve
Scandium discovered by Lars Fredrik Nilson
Samarium discovered by Paul mile Lecoq de Boisbaudran

1880 - Gadolinium discovered by Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac
1885
Praseodymium discovered by Carl Auer von Welsbach.
Neodymium also discovered by Carl Auer von Welsbach.
1886

Germanium discovered by Clemens Winkler.
Fluorine discovered by Joseph Henri Moissan. From the Latin word fluo (flow).
Dysprosium discovered by Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran. From the Greek word δυσπρόσιτος dysprositos (hard to get at).

1894 - Argon discovered by William Ramsay. From the Greek word ἀργός argon (inactive).
1898

Neon discovered by William Ramsay. From the Greek word νέος neos (new).
Krypton discovered by William Ramsay. From the Greek word κρυπτός kryptos (hidden).
Xenon discovered by William Ramsay. From the Greek word ξένος xenos (stranger).
Radium discovered by Pierre Curie and Marie Curie. From the Latin word radius, rays
Radon discovered by Friedrich Ernst Dorn. From Radium.
Polonium discovered Pierre and Marie Curie. From Poland.
Radon discovered by Fredrich Ernst Dorn who called it nitron

1899 Actinium discovered by Andr-Louis Debierne.

20th century

1901 - Europium discovered by Eugne-Antole Demaray.
1907 - Lutetium discovered by Georges Urbain. From Lutetia (ancient name of Paris).
1917 - Protactinium discovered by Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn
1923 - Hafnium discovered by Dirk Coster
1925 - Rhenium discovered by Walter Noddack and Ida Tacke
1937 - Technetium discovered Carlo Perrier.
1939 - Francium discovered by Marguerite Derey
1940

Astatine discovered by Dale R. Corson, K.R.Mackenzie, Emilio G. Segr
Neptunium discovered by E.M. McMillan & Philip H. Abelson at the University of California, Berkeley

1941 - Plutonium discovered by Glenn T. Seaborg, Arthur C. Wahl, Joseph W. Kennedy, Emilio G. Segr
1944 - Curium discovered by Glenn T. Seaborg
1945

Americium discovered by Glenn T. Seaborg
Promethium discovered by J.A. Marinsky

1949 - Berkelium discovered by Albert Ghiorso, Glenn T. Seaborg, Stanley G. Thompson, Kenneth Street Jr.
1950 - Californium discovered by Albert Ghiorso, Glenn T. Seaborg
1952 - Einsteinium discovered by Argonne Laboratory, Los Alamos Laboratory, and University of California
1953 - Fermium discovered by Argonne Laboratory, Los Alamos Laboratory, and University of California
1955 - Mendelevium discovered by Glenn T. Seaborg, Evans G. Valens
1958 - Nobelium discovered at Nobel Institute for Physics. Named after Alfred Nobel.
1961 - Lawrencium discovered by Albert Ghiorso. After Ernest Lawrence.
1964 - Rutherfordium discovered by the Joint Nuclear Research Institute at Dubna, U.S.S.R.
1970 - Dubnium discovered by Albert Ghiorso. After Dubna, Russia.
1974 - Seaborgium discovered by Joint Nuclear Research Institute? and University of California, Berkeley
1976 - Bohrium discovered by Y. Oganessian et al, Dubna and confirmed at GSI (1982)
1982 - Meitnerium discovered by Peter Armbruster and Gottfried Mnzenberg, GSI
1984 - Hassium discovered by Peter Armbruster and Gottfried Mnzenberg
1994

Darmstadtium discovered by S. Hofmann, V. Ninov et al, GSI
Roentgenium discovered by S. Hofmann, V. Ninov et al, GSI

1996 - Ununbium discovered by S. Hofmann, V. Ninov et al, GSI
1999 - Ununquadium discovered by Joint Nuclear Research Institute at Dubna

21st century

2001 - Ununhexium discovered by Joint Nuclear Research Institute at Dubna
2004 (awaiting confirmation)

Ununtrium - Joint Nuclear Research Institute and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Ununpentium - Joint Nuclear Research Institute and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Timeline Of Chemical Element Discovery

Antiquity

See also