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VISUAL CHEMISTRY

ELEMENT IDENTIFICATION TIMELINE

PREHISTORIC TIMES

 

ANCIENT TIMES (GREEKS, ROMANS, EGYPTIANS)
.................... 1250
 AD
 -
 1600
 AD
c1250 Arsenic (As) Albertus Magnus (Germany)
1557 Platinum (Pt) (Julius Caesar Scaliger refers to platinum in his writings. It had been reported as being used to make jewellery in the New World).
.................... 1650
AD
c1650 Robert Boyle adopted the scientific method in his chemical research. Chemistry replaces alchemy.
1669 Phosphorus (P) Henning Brand (Germany)
.................... 1700
AD
1735 Cobalt (Co) George Brant (France)
1751 Nickel (Ni) Axel Fredrik Cronstedt (Sweden)
1766 Hydrogen (H) Henry Cavendish (UK)
1772 Nitrogen (N) Daniel Rutherford (UK)
1774 Chlorine (Cl) Carl Wilhelm Scheele (Sweden)
1774 Manganese (Mn) John Gottlieb Gahn (Sweden)
1778 Molybdenum (Mo) Carl Wilhelm Scheele (Sweden)
1783 Tungsten (W) José and Fausto Elhuyar (Spain)
1790 Strontium (Sr) Adair Crawford (UK)
1794 Yttrium (Y) Johan Gadolin (Sweden)
1750
AD

 

 
1753 Bismuth (Bi) Claude-François Geoffroy (France)

1775 Oxygen (O) Joseph Priestly (UK)
1783 Tellurium (Te) Franz Joseph Muller von Reichenstein (Romania)
1789 Antoine Lavoisier's Elementary Treatise of Chemistry introduces a new definition of an element.
1789 Zirconium (Zr) Martin Heinrich Klaproth (Germany)
1789  Uranium (U) Martin Heinrich Klaproth (Germany)
1791 Titanium (Ti) William Gregor (UK)
1797 Beryllium (Be) Louis Nicolas Vauquelin (France)
1797 Chromium (Cr) Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin (France)
1801 Vanadium (V) Andrés Manuel del Río, (Mexico)
1801 Niobium (Nb) Charles Hatchett (UK)
1802 Tantalum (Ta) Anders Gustaf Ekeberg (Sweden)
 
 
 
 
 
 
1808 Boron (B) Sir Humphry Davy (UK), Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, and Louis Jacques Thénard (France)
1808 Magnesium (Mg) Sir Humphry Davy (UK)
1808 Calcium (Ca) Sir Humphry Davy (UK)
1808 Barium (Ba) Sir Humphry Davy (UK)
1824 Silicon (Si) Jöns Jakob Berzelius (Sweden)
1826 Bromine (Br) Jöns Jakob Berzelius (Sweden)
 
 
 
 
1842 Erbium (Er) Carl Gustav Mosander (Sweden)
1844  Ruthenium (Ru) Karl Klauss (Estonia)
1800
AD

 
1803 Palladium (Pd) William Hyde Wollaston (UK)
1803 Rhodium (Rh) William Hyde Wollaston (UK)
1803 Cerium (Ce) Martin Klaproth (Germay) and Jöns Jakob Berzelius and Wilhelm Hisinger (Sweden).
1803 Osmium (Os) Smithson Tennant and William Hyde Wollaston (UK)
1803 Iridium (Ir) Smithson Tennant (UK)
1807 John Dalton's Theory of Atoms is published.

1807  Sodium (Na) Humphry Davy (UK)
1807  Potassium (K) Humphry Davy (UK)
1811 Iodine (I) Bernard Courtois (France)
1817 Lithium (Li) Johann Arfwedson (Sweden)
1817 Selenium (Se) Jöns Jacob Berzelius (Sweden)
1817 Cadmium (Cd) Friedrich Stromeyer (Germany)

1825  Aluminium (Al) Hans Christian Øersted (Denmark)
1829 Thorium (Th)   Jöns Jacob Berzelius (Sweden)
1839 Lanthanum (La) Carl Gustav Mosander (Sweden)
1843 Terbium (Tb) Carl Gustav Mosander (Sweden)
1860 Caesium (Cs) Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (Germany)
 
 
1878 Holmium (Ho) Jacques-Louis Soret (France)
1878 Ytterbium (Yb) Jean Charles Galissard de Marigac (France)
1880 Gadolinium (Gd) Jean Charles Galissard de Marigac (France)
1886  Fluorine (F) Ferdinand Frederic Henri Moisson (France)
1886 Germanium (Ge) Clemens Alexander Winkler (Germany)
1886 Dysprosium (Dy) François Lecoq de Boisbaudran (France)
1898 Neon (Ne) Sir William Ramsay and  Morris William Travers (UK)
1898 Krypton (Kr) Sir William Ramsay and  Morris William Travers (UK)
1898 Xenon (Xe) Sir William Ramsay and  Morris William Travers (UK)
1898 Polonium (Po) Pierre and Marie Curie (France)
1898 Radium (Ra) Pierre and Marie Curie (France)
1850
AD

 

 

 
1861 Rubidium (Rb) Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (Germany)
1861 Thallium (Tl) Sir William Crookes (UK)