Table of Contents
Chemistry is often felt like a tough subject for many of us. It is assumed as difficult, maybe because of the chemical reactions, laws, etc. From high school time, we are mesmerized with the Chemistry topic – Periodic Table, which alone forms the foundation for chemistry. Many students will have tried to memorize all the 118 elements, their atomic number, mass number, groups, periods! When it comes to the aspect of competitive examination for a job, most exams have General Science part, covering objective questions related to basic chemistry topics. So, keeping in mind all these factors, here in this article, we can check the list of names of scientists who discovered elements with years of discovery or synthesis.
The periodic table is the arrangement of the elements on the basis of their atomic number, chemical properties, the configuration which comes recurring. An Element is a pure substance composed of the same atoms, with the same number of protons in their nuclei. The number of protons in the nuclei uniquely defines the characteristics and is termed the atomic number. While the atomic mass is formed by the total number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus.
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List of Names of Scientists Who Discovered Elements
Check the list of elements arranged in increasing order of their atomic number and the scientist who discovered the element and the year of discovery.
Elements from Atomic Number 1 to 50
SI. NO | Chemical Element and Symbol | Year of Discovery/ Synthesis | Name of Scientists | Place of Discovery |
1 | Hydrogen H | 1766 | Henry & Cavendish
|
London |
2 | Helium He | 1868 & 1895 | Janssen, Pierre Jules Cesar
Ramsay, Sir William |
London |
3 | Lithium Li | 1818 | Johann August, Arfvedson
|
Sweden |
4 | Beryllium Be | 1797 | Louis Nicolas Vauquelin | France |
5 | Boron B | 1808 | Gay-Lussac, Joseph Louis | Paris, France, London, England |
6 | Carbon C | 18th century | Antoine Lavoisier | France |
7 | Nitrogen N | 1772 | Daniel Rutherford | Scotland |
8 | Oxygen O | 1774 | Joseph Priestley | England |
9 | Fluorine F | 1886 | Moissan, Henri | France |
10 | Neon Ne | 1898 | Ramsay, Sir William | London, England |
11 | Sodium Na | 1807 | Sir Humphry Davy | London, England |
12 | Magnesium Mg | 1775 | Joseph Black | Scotland |
13 | Aluminium Al | 1825 | Hans Christian | Denmark |
14 | Silicon Si | 1824 | Jons Jacob Berzelius | Sweden |
15 | Phosphorus P | 1669 | Hennig Brand | Germany |
16 | Sulphur S | Before 2000BCE | Antoine Lavoisier | France |
17 | Chlorine Cl | 1774 | Carl Wilhelm Scheele | Sweden |
18 | Argon Ar | 1894 | Lord John William Rayleigh
Sir William Ramsay |
England |
19 | Potassium K | 1807 | Sir Humphry Davy | London, England |
20 | Calcium Ca | 1808 | Sir Humphry Davy | London, England |
21 | Scandium Sc | 1879 | Lars Frederick | Sweden |
22 | Titanium Ti | 1791, 1795 | William Gregor
Martin Heinrich |
England, Germany |
23 | Vanadium V | 1801 | Andrés Manuel | Mexico |
24 | Chromium Cr | 1797 | Louis-Nicholas Vauquelin | France |
25 | Manganese Mn | 1774 | Johan Gottlieb | Sweden |
26 | Iron Fe | – | – | – |
27 | Cobalt Co | 1735 | Georg Brandt | Sweden |
28 | Nickel Ni | 1751 | Axel Frederik Cronstedt | Sweden |
29 | Copper Cu | 9000BC | – | – |
30 | Zinc Zn | 1746 | Andreas Marggraf | Germany |
31 | Gallium Ga | 1875 | Paul Émile Lecoq | France |
32 | Germanium Ge | 1886 | Clemens Alexander | Germany |
33 | Arsenic As | 1250 BC | Albert Magnus | Germany |
34 | Selenium Se | 1817 | Jons Jacob Berzelius | Sweden |
35 | Bromine Br | 1826 | Antoine Jéróme | France |
36 | Krypton Kr | 1898 | Sir William Ramsay, Morris William | England |
37 | Rubidium Ru | 1861 | Robert Wilhelm | Germany |
38 | Strontium Sr | 1808 | Adair Crawford | Scotland |
39 | Yttrium Y | 1794 | Johann Gadolin | Finland |
40 | Zirconium Zr | 1789 | Martin Heinrich | Germany |
41 | Niobium Nb | 1801 | Charles Hatchett | England |
42 | Molybdenum Mo | 1781 | Peter Jacob | Sweden |
43 | Technetium Tc | 1937 | Emilio Gino | Italy |
44 | Ruthenium Ru | 1844 | Carl Ernst Claus | Russia |
45 | Rhodium Rh | 1803 | William Hyde | England |
46 | Palladium Pd | 1803 | William Hyde | England |
47 | Silver Ag | – | – | – |
48 | Cadmium Cd | 1817 | Sir Humphry Davy | London, England |
49 | Indium Id | 1863 | Ferdinand Reich | Germany |
50 | Tin Sn | – | – | – |
Elements from Atomic Number 51 to 118
SI. NO | Chemical Element and Symbol | Year of Discovery/ Synthesis | Name of Scientists | Place of Discovery |
51 | Antimony Sb | – | – | – |
52 | Tellurium Te | 1783 | Baron von Reichstein | Romania |
53 | Iodine I | 1811 | Bernard Courtois | France |
54 | Xenon Xe | 1898 | Sir William Ramsay, Morris William | England |
55 | Cesium Cs | 1860 | Robert Wilhelm Bunsen
Gustav Robert Kirchhoff |
Germany |
56 | Barium Ba | 1808 | Sir Humphry Davy | London, England |
57 | Lanthanum La | 1839 | Carl Gustav | Sweden |
58 | Cerium Ce | 1803 | Jons Jakob Berzelius
Wilhelm Hisinger |
Sweden |
59 | Praseodymium Pr | 1885 | Carl Auer von Welsbach | Austria |
60 | Neodymium Nd | 1885
1841 |
Carl Auer von Welsbach
Mosander |
Austria
Sweden |
61 | Promethium Pm | 1945 | Jacob A. Marinsky
Lawrence Elgin Glendenin Charles D. Coryell |
USA |
62 | Samarium Sm | 1878-79 | Marc
Paul Emile Lecoq |
France |
63 | Europium Eu | 1896, 1901 | Eugene Anatole | France |
64 | Gadolinium Gd | 1886 | Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac | Switzerland |
65 | Terbium Tb | 1843 | Carl Gustav Mosander | Sweden |
66 | Dysprosium Dy | 1878 | Marc
Paul Emile Lecoq |
France |
67 | Holmium Ho | 1878 | Per Teodor
Marc Paul Emile Lecoq |
Sweden |
68 | Erbium Er | 1842-43 | Carl Gustav Mosander | Sweden |
69 | Thulium Tm | 1879 | Per Teodor | Sweden |
70 | Ytterbium Yb | 1878 | Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac | Switzerland |
71 | Lutetium Lu | 1907 | Carl Auer von Welsbach
Charles James Georges Urbain |
Austria
USA France |
72 | Hafnium Hf | 1923 | Dirk Coster
Charles de Hevesy |
Denmark |
73 | Tantalum Ta | 1802 | Anders Gustaf Ekenberg | Sweden |
74 | Tungsten W | 1783 | Juan JosE
Don Fausto Elhuyar |
Spain |
75 | Rhenium Re | 1925 | Ida Tacke-Noddack
Walter Noddack Otto Carl Berg |
Germany |
76 | Osmium Os | 1803 | Smithson Tennant | England |
77 | Iridium Ir | 1803 | Smithson Tennant | England |
78 | Platinum Pt | – | – | – |
79 | Gold Au | – | – | – |
80 | Mercury Hg | – | – | – |
81 | Thallium Tl | 1861 | Sir William Crookes | England |
82 | Lead Pb | – | – | – |
83 | Bismuth Bi | – | Claude Geoffroy the Younger | – |
84 | Polonium Po | 1898 | Marie Sklodowska Curie | France |
85 | Astatine At | 1940 | Dale R. Carson
K.R. MacKenzie Emilio Segre |
USA |
86 | Radon Rn | 1900 | Friedrich Ernst Dorn | Germany |
87 | Francium Fr | 1939 | Marguerite Catherine Perey | France |
88 | Radium Ra | 1898 | Marie Sklodowska Curie
Pierre Curie |
France |
89 | Actinium Ac | 1899 | Andre-Louis Debierne | France |
90 | Thorium Th | 1828 | Jons Jacob Berzelius | Sweden |
91 | Protactinium Pa | 1917 | Kasimir Fajans
O.H. Gohring |
Germany |
92 | Uranium U | 1789 | Martin Heinrich Klaproth | Germany |
93 | Neptunium Np | 1940 | Edwin M. McMillian
Philip H. Abelson |
USA |
94 | Plutonium Pu | 1940 | Glenn T. Seaborg
Joseph W. Kennedy Edward M. McMillan Arthur C. Wohl |
USA |
95 | Americium Am | 1944 | Glenn T. Seaborg
Ralph A. James Leon O. Morgan Albert Ghiorso |
USA |
96 | Curium Cm | 1944 | Glenn T. Seaborg
Ralph A. James Albert Ghiorso |
Berkeley, California, USA |
97 | Berkelium Bk | 1949 | Stanley G. Thompson
Glenn T. Seaborg Kenneth Street, Jr. Albert Ghiorso |
Berkeley, California, USA |
98 | Californium Cf | 1950 | Stanley G. Thompson
Glenn T. Seaborg Kenneth Street, Jr. Albert Ghiorso |
Berkeley, California, USA |
99 | Einsteinium Es | 1952 | Albert Ghiorso et. al. | Berkeley, California, USA |
100 | Fermium Fm | 1952 | Albert Ghiorso et. al. | Berkeley, California, USA |
101 | Mendelevium Md | 1955 | Stanley G. Thompson
Glenn T. Seaborg Bernard G. Harvey Gregory R. Choppin Albert Ghiorso |
Berkeley, California, USA |
102 | Nobelium No | 1958 | Albert Ghiorso
Glenn T. Seaborg Torbørn Sikkeland John R. Walton |
Berkeley, California, USA |
103 | Lawrencium Lr | 1961 | Albert Ghiorso
Torbjørn Sikkeland Almon E. Larsh Robert M. Latimer |
Berkeley, California, USA |
104 | Rutherfordium Rf | 1964 | Scientists at Dubna, Russia – Albert Ghiorso et. al. | Dubna, Russia
Berkeley, California, USARussia – USA |
105 | Dubnium Db | 1967 | Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory – Scientists at Dubna, Russia | Dubna, Russia
Berkeley, California, USA |
106 | Seaborgium Sg | 1974 | Albert Ghiorso et. al. | Dubna, Russia
Berkeley, California, USA |
107 | Bohrium Bh | 1981 | Scientists at Dubna, Russia | Darmstadt, Germany |
108 | Hassium Hs | 1984 | Peter Armbruster
Gottfried Münzenber |
Darmstadt, Germany |
109 | Meitnerium Mt | 1982 | Peter Armbruster
Gottfried Münzenber |
Darmstadt, Germany |
110 | Darmstadtium Ds | 1994 | Peter Armbruster
Gottfried Münzenber |
Darmstadt, Germany |
111 | Roentgenium Rg | 1994 | Peter Armbruster
Gottfried Münzenber |
Darmstadt, Germany |
112 | Copernicium Cn | 1996 | Peter Armbruster
Gottfried Münzenber |
Darmstadt, Germany |
113 | Nihonium Nh | 2012 | Kosuke Morita’s | Japan (First in Asia) |
114 | Flerovium Fl | 1998 | Scientists at Dubna, along with Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | Russia |
115 | Moscovium Mc | 2004 | Scientists at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research | Russia |
116 | Livermorium Lv | 2001 | Scientists at Dubna, along with Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | Russia |
117 | Tennessine Ts | 2010 | Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) | Russia |
118 | Oganesson Og | 2002 | Russian scientists at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research | Russia |
The scientist who Discovered Highest Number of Elements
1: Who was the first woman President of India?
From the above list of scientists, we can get the answer to the question that who has discovered the most number of elements. That scientist is Albert Ghiorso (1915-2010). He was born in California on July 15, 1915, and was an American nuclear scientist who co-discovered a world-record twelve elements on the periodic table.
Elements co-discovered by Albert Ghiorso
- Americium (Atomic Number 95)
- Curium (Atomic Number 96)
- Berkelium (Atomic Number 97)
- Californium (Atomic Number 98)
- Einsteinium (Atomic Number 99)
- Fermium (Atomic Number 100)
- Mendelevium (Atomic Number 101)
- Nobelium (Atomic Number 102)
- Lawrencium (Atomic Number 103)
- Rutherfordium (Atomic Number 104)
- Dubnium (Atomic Number 105)
- Seaborgium (Atomic Number 106)
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Entomology of Elements
Elements named after Scientists
Element | Named After |
Seaborgium | Glenn Seaborg |
Samarium | Vasili Samarsky- Bykhovets |
Bohrium | Niels Bohr |
Roentgenium | Wilhelm Röntgen |
Curium | Marie and Pierre Curie |
Einsteinium | Albert Einstein |
Fermium | Enrico Fermi |
Lawrencium | Ernest Lawrence |
Rutherfordium | Ernest Rutherford |
Nobelium | Alfred Nobel |
Mendelevium | Dmitri Mendeleev |
Meitnerium | Lise Meitner |
Copernicium | Nicolaus Copernicus |
Flerovium | Georgy Flyorov |
Americium | Amerigo Vespucci |
Oganesson | Yuri Oganessian |
Elements named after Country or Places
- Polonium
- Francium
- Gallium
- Nihonium
- Germanium
- Americium
- Berkelium
- Californium
- Tennessine
- Dubnium
- Moscovium
- Scandium
- Thulium
- Ruthenium
- Lutetium
- Copper
- Yttrium
- Terbium
- Erbium
- Ytterbium
- Hafnium
- Holmium
- Magnesium
- Manganese
Elements named after Astronomical bodies
- Mercury
- Copper
- Iron
- Tin
- Lead
- Gold and Silver
- Uranium
- Selenium
- Helium
- Neptunium
- Plutonium
- Cerium
- Palladium
Elements named after Minerals
- Calcium
- Silicon
- Sodium
- Potassium
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Periodic Table – History and Salient Features
- 1789 – French chemist Antoine Lavoisier tried grouping the elements as metals and nonmetals.
- 1829 – German physicist Johann Wolfang Dobereiner arranged elements in groups of three in increasing order of atomic weight and called them triads,
- Law of Octaves – British chemist John Newlands arranged the elements into a periodic table with increasing order of atomic masses on the basis of his observation that every eight elements had similar properties.
- 1869 – Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev created the modern periodic table. He left gaps for elements that were yet to be discovered. Arranging the elements according to their atomic weight. Also, Mendeleev predicted the properties of some undiscovered elements and gave them names like ‘eka-aluminium’ for an element with properties similar to aluminium. Later on, it was discovered as gallium.
- 1870 – German chemist Lothar Meyer produced a version of the periodic table.
- The horizontal rows are called periods, with metals in the extreme left and nonmetals on the right. And, vertical columns, called groups, consist of elements with similar chemical properties.
- 2019 was named the ‘International Year of the Periodic Table’ to mark the 150th anniversary of Mendeleev’s publication by UNESCO.
Free PDF Download for the Scientists who Discovered Elements
Direct Link for the Scientists who Discovered Elements PDF Free Download
To conclude these are relevant notes for the questions to be asked for the competitive examinations from the periodic table and year and name scientists who discovered elements. And aspirants also note the atomic number and letter code for each element. Hope the article was informative and helpful. Read more articles covering the static GK topics for all government competitive examinations.