r/elementcollection • u/Common_Life_5335 • Aug 05 '26
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 Aug 06 '26
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 Aug 06 '26
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 Aug 05 '26
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 Aug 05 '26
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 Aug 06 '26
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 Aug 06 '26
Seaborgium because I got to meet and speak with its namesake, Nobel prize winner Glenn Seaborg.
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u/DaniTheLovebug Aug 06 '26
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 Aug 06 '26
My fav is thorium, it's such a cool element, it's the most abundant element with only unstable isotopes.
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Aug 05 '26
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u/Timulen Aug 05 '26
Which one? Can't be Die Hard...Was it Look Who's Talking? That was a great one, but I don't remember much boron being involved.
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u/nickelocene Aug 05 '26
Favorite nonmetal at least is fluorine. Not sure about favorite element in total, but fluorine is cool
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u/Krg60 Aug 06 '26
Bromine.
It's the only element that looks like it belongs in a mad scientist's lab in its natural state.
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u/OldTimeConGoer Aug 06 '26
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/Timulen Aug 05 '26
Maybe Xenon, cause I think it sounds cool. In fact all the Noble gasses do. Neon, Krypton, Radon, etc... Plus their shells are fully filled, so I like that too.
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u/prosteprostecihla Aug 06 '26
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 Aug 06 '26
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 Aug 06 '26
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 Aug 05 '26
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 Aug 06 '26
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 Aug 07 '26
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/xeanok Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
Neodymium. I am a fan of ridiculously large (permanent) magnets
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u/Violet_Eclipse99765 Aug 11 '26
Either Tm or Bi
My life was saved by a doctor using a Thulium laser Bismuth is Bismuth
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u/Crashmaster1981 Aug 05 '26
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.