Color & appearance

How the elemental substance looks at room conditions: color, luster, transparency. Allotrope forms can differ.

Data completeness Appearance 118 of 118Phase at STP 111 of 118

Showing 118 of 118 elements

	Symbol	Name
1	H	Hydrogen	Pure hydrogen at room temperature is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas.	Gas
2	He	Helium	Pure helium is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas at ordinary temperature and pressure.	Gas
3	Li	Lithium	Pure lithium is a soft, silvery-white metal when freshly cut.	Solid
4	Be	Beryllium	Pure beryllium is a hard, brittle, steel-gray metal with a metallic luster.	Solid
5	B	Boron	Pure boron is usually encountered as a dark brown to black, hard, brittle solid with a semiconducting character.	Solid
6	C	Carbon	Pure carbon has several allotropes.	Solid
7	N	Nitrogen	Pure nitrogen is normally encountered as N₂, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas.	Gas
8	O	Oxygen	At ordinary temperature and pressure, pure O₂ is a colorless, odorless gas.	Gas
9	F	Fluorine	Pure fluorine, F₂, is a pale yellow gas at ordinary temperature and pressure.	Gas
10	Ne	Neon	Pure neon is a colorless, odorless, monatomic gas at ordinary temperature and pressure.	Gas
11	Na	Sodium	Pure sodium is a silvery, lustrous metal when freshly cut.	Solid
12	Mg	Magnesium	Pure magnesium is a silvery-white metal with a bright metallic luster when freshly cut.	Solid
13	Al	Aluminum	Pure aluminum is a silvery-white metal with a bright metallic luster when freshly cut.	Solid
14	Si	Silicon	Pure crystalline silicon is a dark gray solid with a metallic luster and a diamond-cubic structure.	Solid
15	P	Phosphorus	White phosphorus consists of soft, waxy, pale material made of P₄ molecules and may glow faintly in air.	Solid
16	S	Sulfur	Pure sulfur is most familiar as a brittle, bright yellow crystalline solid at room temperature, usually composed of S₈ rings.	Solid
17	Cl	Chlorine	Pure chlorine is a dense yellow-green gas with a sharp, irritating odor.	Gas
18	Ar	Argon	Pure argon is a monatomic gas at ordinary temperature and pressure, with no color, odor, or taste.	Gas
19	K	Potassium	Pure potassium is a very soft, silvery metal when freshly cut.	Solid
20	Ca	Calcium	Pure calcium is a silvery gray metal that is softer than many structural metals and can be cut when freshly prepared.	Solid
21	Sc	Scandium	Pure scandium is a soft, silvery-white metal that tarnishes slowly in air, developing a yellowish or pinkish cast from surface oxidation.	Solid
22	Ti	Titanium	Pure titanium is a silvery gray metal.	Solid
23	V	Vanadium	Pure vanadium is a silvery-gray, ductile metal when well refined.	Solid
24	Cr	Chromium	Pure chromium is a lustrous, silvery-gray metal with a high polish and a relatively high melting point.	Solid
25	Mn	Manganese	Pure manganese is a silvery-gray metal with a faint pinkish cast when freshly prepared.	Solid
26	Fe	Iron	Pure iron is a lustrous, silvery-gray metal that tarnishes in moist air.	Solid
27	Co	Cobalt	Pure cobalt is a lustrous, silvery gray metal with a faint bluish cast.	Solid
28	Ni	Nickel	Pure nickel is a lustrous, silvery-white metal with a faint golden tinge.	Solid
29	Cu	Copper	Pure copper is a reddish-orange, lustrous metal when freshly polished.	Solid
30	Zn	Zinc	Pure zinc is a lustrous bluish-white metal when freshly cut, but it dulls in air as a thin protective surface film forms.	Solid
31	Ga	Gallium	Pure gallium is a silvery, lustrous metal that is solid at ordinary room temperature but melts at about 30 °C.	Solid
32	Ge	Germanium	Pure germanium is a lustrous, grayish-white solid with a metallic sheen.	Solid
33	As	Arsenic	Pure arsenic is most commonly encountered as gray arsenic, a brittle, metallic-looking solid with a steel-gray surface.	Solid
34	Se	Selenium	Elemental selenium has several allotropes.	Solid
35	Br	Bromine	Pure bromine is a dark red-brown, mobile liquid at ordinary conditions.	Liquid
36	Kr	Krypton	Pure krypton is a colorless, odorless gas at room temperature and pressure.	Gas
37	Rb	Rubidium	Pure rubidium is a very soft, silvery-white metal that quickly tarnishes in air.	Solid
38	Sr	Strontium	Pure strontium is a soft, silvery metal when freshly cut, but it rapidly develops a yellowish or gray oxide-nitride surface film in air.	Solid
39	Y	Yttrium	Pure yttrium is a soft, silvery-white metal with a metallic luster.	Solid
40	Zr	Zirconium	Pure zirconium is a silvery-gray, ductile metal when clean and massive.	Solid
41	Nb	Niobium	Pure niobium is a soft, ductile, lustrous gray metal when freshly prepared.	Solid
42	Mo	Molybdenum	Pure molybdenum is a silvery gray metal with a bright metallic luster when freshly prepared.	Solid
43	Tc	Technetium	Macroscopic technetium metal is a silvery-gray, metallic solid when prepared in the laboratory.	Solid
44	Ru	Ruthenium	Pure ruthenium is a silvery gray, lustrous metal.	Solid
45	Rh	Rhodium	Pure rhodium is a silvery-white metal with a bright metallic luster.	Solid
46	Pd	Palladium	Pure palladium is a lustrous, silver-white metal.	Solid
47	Ag	Silver	Pure silver is a bright white, highly lustrous metal with a clean metallic sheen.	Solid
48	Cd	Cadmium	Pure cadmium is a silvery to bluish-white metal with a bright metallic luster when freshly cut.	Solid
49	In	Indium	Pure indium is a very soft, lustrous, silvery-white metal at ordinary conditions.	Solid
50	Sn	Tin	Pure tin is a soft, silvery-white metal with a bright metallic luster.	Solid
51	Sb	Antimony	Pure antimony is a silvery white, lustrous solid with a crystalline, flaky fracture.	Solid
52	Te	Tellurium	Pure tellurium is a silvery-white to gray, lustrous, crystalline solid at ordinary conditions.	Solid
53	I	Iodine	Pure iodine is a dark gray to purple-black crystalline solid at ordinary temperature.	Solid
54	Xe	Xenon	Pure xenon is a colorless, odorless, monatomic gas at ordinary temperature and pressure.	Gas
55	Cs	Cesium	Pure cesium is a pale gold, silvery metal that is solid near ordinary room temperature but melts at about 28.5 °C.	Solid
56	Ba	Barium	Pure barium is a silvery-white to pale yellow metal when freshly cut.	Solid
57	La	Lanthanum	Pure lanthanum is a silvery-white, soft metal that can be cut with a knife when freshly prepared.	Solid
58	Ce	Cerium	Pure cerium is a soft, silvery-gray metal that tarnishes readily in air.	Solid
59	Pr	Praseodymium	Pure praseodymium is a soft, silvery metal with a pale yellow cast when freshly cut.	Solid
60	Nd	Neodymium	Pure neodymium is a bright, silvery metal when freshly cut, but it tarnishes in air as an oxide layer forms.	Solid
61	Pm	Promethium	Macroscopic promethium metal has been prepared only in small, highly radioactive quantities.	Solid
62	Sm	Samarium	Pure samarium is a silvery, moderately hard metal that tarnishes in air as oxide forms on the surface.	Solid
63	Eu	Europium	Pure europium is a soft, silvery metal that tarnishes rapidly in air and can darken as oxide and hydroxide layers form.	Solid
64	Gd	Gadolinium	Pure gadolinium is a soft, bright, silvery-white metal when freshly cut.	Solid
65	Tb	Terbium	Pure terbium is a soft, silvery-gray metal.	Solid
66	Dy	Dysprosium	Pure dysprosium is a bright, silvery metal when freshly cut, but it slowly tarnishes in air.	Solid
67	Ho	Holmium	Pure holmium is a soft, silvery, metallic solid that can be cut and worked when freshly prepared.	Solid
68	Er	Erbium	Pure erbium is a silvery-white metal with a metallic lustre.	Solid
69	Tm	Thulium	Pure thulium is a soft, malleable, silvery metal.	Solid
70	Yb	Ytterbium	Pure ytterbium is a lustrous, silvery-white metal when freshly cut.	Solid
71	Lu	Lutetium	Pure lutetium is a bright silvery metal that tarnishes slowly in air.	Solid
72	Hf	Hafnium	Pure hafnium is a lustrous, silvery-gray metal.	Solid
73	Ta	Tantalum	Pure tantalum is a hard, heavy, lustrous metal with a gray to blue-gray metallic surface.	Solid
74	W	Tungsten	Pure tungsten is a steel-gray to silvery-white metal with a metallic luster.	Solid
75	Re	Rhenium	Pure rhenium is a silvery-white to gray metallic solid with a bright luster when freshly prepared.	Solid
76	Os	Osmium	Pure osmium is a lustrous bluish white to blue-gray metal.	Solid
77	Ir	Iridium	Pure iridium is a hard, brittle, silvery-white metal with a high luster.	Solid
78	Pt	Platinum	Pure platinum is a lustrous, silvery-white metal with a high density and a high melting point.	Solid
79	Au	Gold	Pure gold is a bright metallic yellow solid at ordinary conditions.	Solid
80	Hg	Mercury	Pure mercury is a dense, mirror-bright liquid at room temperature, forming rounded droplets with high surface tension.	Liquid
81	Tl	Thallium	Pure thallium is a very soft, heavy metal with a fresh silvery luster.	Solid
82	Pb	Lead	Pure lead is a bluish-gray, lustrous metal when freshly cut.	Solid
83	Bi	Bismuth	Pure bismuth is a brittle, crystalline metal with a silvery white surface that often shows a pinkish tint.	Solid
84	Po	Polonium	Macroscopic polonium is difficult to handle and observe because it self-heats and rapidly accumulates radiation damage.	Solid
85	At	Astatine	The bulk appearance of astatine has not been directly observed in a macroscopic sample.	Solid
86	Rn	Radon	Pure radon is a colorless, odorless, monatomic gas at ordinary temperature and pressure.	Gas
87	Fr	Francium	No macroscopic sample of pure francium has been prepared, so its actual bulk appearance is unknown.	Solid
88	Ra	Radium	Freshly prepared radium metal has been reported as silvery white, but it rapidly darkens in air, probably through formation of nitride and oxide surface films.	Solid
89	Ac	Actinium	A freshly prepared macroscopic sample has rarely been available.	Solid
90	Th	Thorium	Pure thorium is a silvery, soft, ductile metal when freshly prepared.	Solid
91	Pa	Protactinium	Fresh protactinium metal has been reported as a bright, silvery-gray solid.	Solid
92	U	Uranium	Pure uranium is a silvery-gray metal when freshly prepared, but it darkens in air as oxide layers form.	Solid
93	Np	Neptunium	Metallic neptunium has been prepared in visible quantities.	Solid
94	Pu	Plutonium	Pure plutonium is a silvery-gray metal when freshly prepared, but it tarnishes in air as surface oxides form.	Solid
95	Am	Americium	Pure americium metal has been prepared in milligram quantities.	Solid
96	Cm	Curium	Curium has been prepared as a metallic element in small amounts.	Solid
97	Bk	Berkelium	Fresh berkelium metal has been reported as a silvery actinide metal, but only very small samples have been prepared.	Solid
98	Cf	Californium	Metallic californium has been prepared only in very small quantities.	Solid
99	Es	Einsteinium	Only microgram-scale samples have been isolated, so ordinary bulk appearance is not well established.	Solid
100	Fm	Fermium	The bulk appearance of fermium metal is unknown because the element has not been isolated in visible, weighable quantities.	Solid
101	Md	Mendelevium	No macroscopic sample of mendelevium has been isolated, so its real bulk appearance is unknown.	Solid
102	No	Nobelium	The bulk appearance of nobelium is unknown, because it has never been isolated as a visible sample.	Solid
103	Lr	Lawrencium	No macroscopic sample of lawrencium has been prepared, and its visible appearance has not been observed.	Solid
104	Rf	Rutherfordium	No macroscopic sample of rutherfordium has been prepared, and its visible appearance is unknown.	Solid
105	Db	Dubnium	No macroscopic sample of dubnium has been prepared, and its visible appearance is unknown.	—
106	Sg	Seaborgium	No macroscopic sample of seaborgium has been prepared, and its visible appearance is unknown.	—
107	Bh	Bohrium	No macroscopic sample of bohrium has been prepared, so its visible appearance is unknown.	—
108	Hs	Hassium	No macroscopic sample of hassium has been prepared, so its visible appearance is unknown.	—
109	Mt	Meitnerium	No macroscopic sample of meitnerium has been prepared, so its visible appearance and bulk physical properties are unknown.	—
110	Ds	Darmstadtium	No macroscopic sample of darmstadtium has ever been prepared, so its bulk appearance is unknown.	—
111	Rg	Roentgenium	No macroscopic sample of roentgenium has ever been prepared, so its appearance is unknown.	—
112	Cn	Copernicium	No macroscopic sample of copernicium has been made, so its visible appearance is unknown.	Gas
113	Nh	Nihonium	No macroscopic sample of nihonium has ever been made, so its color, texture, density, melting point, and other ordinary bulk properties are unknown.	Solid
114	Fl	Flerovium	No macroscopic sample of flerovium has ever been prepared, so its appearance is not known.	Gas
115	Mc	Moscovium	No macroscopic sample of moscovium has ever been prepared, so its appearance is unknown.	Solid
116	Lv	Livermorium	The appearance of livermorium is unknown because no visible or weighable sample has been produced.	Solid
117	Ts	Tennessine	The appearance of elemental tennessine is unknown.	Solid
118	Og	Oganesson	No macroscopic sample of oganesson has ever existed, so its appearance, density, melting point, and boiling point are not experimentally known.	Gas

Sources and notes

Descriptions refer to the pure element, not its compounds.