It's Elemental

  • By Kate Becker
  • Posted 05.12.11
  • NOVA

Whether they are created by nature or in the lab, chemical substances are all made of some combination of just 118 pure elements. These elements come together to produce an amazing diversity of materials. In this interactive, discover which elements are most abundant in the universe, the sun, and the Earth as well as in the human body and in that flashiest of human creations—fireworks. Also, learn which elements have the most extreme properties on the periodic table.

Launch Interactive Download

In this interactive periodic table, explore the elements and their properties and abundances.

A previous version of this feature originally appeared on the site for the NOVA program Kaboom!.

Sources

Data provided by PeriodicTable.com. Melting point, boiling point, and density data apply to elements at standard atmospheric pressure.

Credits

Producer:
Kate Becker and Susan K. Lewis
Senior Designer:
Tyler Howe
Developer:
Dan Hart
Special thanks to Megan Frary, Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University

Images

(all)
© WGBH Educational Foundation

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