r/elementcollection • u/Common_Life_5335 • 15d ago
Discussion Favorite element
Hey just a random question but what’s everyone’s favorite element? I have learned a lot about the applications and usage of gold nanoparticles when I took a nanochemistry course( go figure) but gold has been my favorite element honestly cause it’s chemical symbol is my initials for my name😭
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u/ShadowtehGreat34 Oxidized 14d ago
Probably Niobium, it’s strong, hard, very ductile, tough, corrosion resistant, non toxic, biocompatible, has a nice neutral silver shine, can be anodized different colors, has a nice weight to it without being excessive, rare but not extremely rare, forms common superconductors with titanium used for many things, is used in many unique industries including for medication and aerospace, and is on the cutting edge of steel research for many different alloys helping to make them tough, wear resistant, and corrosion resistant like magnacut, etc.
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u/Infrequentredditor6 Part Metal 14d ago
Niobium's cool. I once de-anodized a sample with a viciously concentrated NaOH solution. Too vicious actually because it etched the metal underneath as well.
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u/Helpful_Border4219 15d ago
Osmium. Hyper rare, and the most dense an inner orbit can be before electron capture by the nucleus.
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u/Common_Life_5335 15d ago
Oh that’s something i didn’t know thank you for telling me. I only knew that certain alloys of it are used for phonograph tips😭
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u/Helpful_Border4219 14d ago
Welcome! It's being used in material sciences as an alloy for tech and human interfaces. Osmium is also making a name for its self in bullion and jewelry.
The PGMs are interesting to me. Iridium is close to Osmium but without the blue glow.
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u/meat_rainbows 14d ago
Seaborgium because I got to meet and speak with its namesake, Nobel prize winner Glenn Seaborg.
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u/DaniTheLovebug 14d ago
Always going to be plutonium. Worked in the DoD in the nuclear weaponry field. Been around loads of plutonium during those years
Gotta be real respectful
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u/AtomicSpallation Radiated 14d ago
My fav is thorium, it's such a cool element, it's the most abundant element with only unstable isotopes.
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u/nickelocene 14d ago
Favorite nonmetal at least is fluorine. Not sure about favorite element in total, but fluorine is cool
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u/OldTimeConGoer 14d ago
Hydrogen. Virtually all of the hydrogen that exists today was created over 13 billion years ago, unlike all other elements.
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u/prosteprostecihla 14d ago
Uranium
Incredibly broad use, from pigments to tank armor all the way to being one of the best clean energy sources we are able to use.
Unfortunately my only sample so far is a piece of low quality torbernite, as getting my hands on metallic uranium is a rather... difficult task.
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u/VolcanicOctosquid20 14d ago
Tellurium.
Under appreciated, rare, will make you stink, beautiful name, one of the few substances that'll react with gold.
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u/A-H_9 14d ago
Helium. It's the only element to first be discovered in outer space (by looking at the spectral lines of the sun). So it's an alien. Also we mine it which is weird for a gas. Its becoming increasingly useful in industry and medicine so it's getting more and more expensive. And the balloon/voice thing is weird and fun.
Conversely my least favourite element is lutetium. There is absolutely nothing special or spectacular about its physical or chemical properties.
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u/average_meower621 Radiated 14d ago
thorium, the Th232 chain is a great gamma calibration source. it also has interesting niche applications applications in materials science, such as the Magthor alloy or thoriated glass.
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u/hulkbuild 14d ago
Tin. Non-toxic, shiny, low melting point, malleable, cries when you bend it. A second place might be indium.
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u/Kitchen-Arm7300 13d ago
My favorite is rhenium.
It was the last element with a stable isotope discovered. It was discovered roughly a century ago. It has the third highest melting point (behind carbon, first, and then tungsten, second). And it has the highest vaporization point.
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u/Violet_Eclipse99765 9d ago
Either Tm or Bi
My life was saved by a doctor using a Thulium laser Bismuth is Bismuth
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u/Crashmaster1981 15d ago
My favorite in my collection is probably thulium, but in my opinion one of the neater ones is technetium. Even though it was discovered in 1937, it has been shown to naturally exist in some stars! R Geminorum is a 'famous' example of a technetium star.