What is an element?

                                     

                       What is an element?

An element is a pure substance made up of only one type of atom. The atoms of every element are different from the atoms of every other element. 117 elements have so far been discovered or created. Of these, 91 occur naturally on Earth. The others can be created i laboratories. The atoms of one element can combine with atoms of other elements to form compounds. For example, hydrogen and oxygen can combine to form water.

Element symbols:

Each element has a one- or two-letter symbol as well as its name. Some of the elements have symbols that come from Latin words. For example, the symbol for iron is "Fe" as the Latin word for iron in ferrum. Elementary!

Want to buy some of the element californium?

You will need a lottery win as it costs US$27 million for just one gram! Elements at the end of the Periodic Table have to be artificially created in a nuclear reactor and some only last for a fraction of a second. Hence the high price tag.