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What Was the First Element Discovered?

While it was not understood to be an element at that time, the first element discovered was copper (Cu) due to the fact that its oldest known use was in 9,000 B.C.E. and the oldest existing sample from that era was from 6,000 B.C.E. Also in antiquity, lead, gold, silver, iron, tin, carbon, and several other elements commonly found in nature were “discovered.” This was long before Democritus and his teacher Leucippus conceptualized atomic theory among the ancient Greeks and long, long before anyone had attempted to arrange a periodic table of elements. Discovery dates after antiquity include those elements that were chemically found. The first of those chemically found discoveries was in 1669, when Henning Brand discovered phosphorus by boiling urine in his quest to discover the philosopher’s stone.

What Is the Most Recent Element Discovered?

The latest element discovered wasn’t so much “discovered” as it was synthesized: tennessine (Ts). A Russian-American collaboration created the element in 2009, officially announcing it in 2010. This most recently discovered element was one of several that have been synthesized in labs in the 21st century, with others including Nihonium (named after Japan), Moscovium (named after Moscow), Oganesson (named after scientist Yuri Oganessian), and Livermorium (named after a U.S. federal research laboratory).

Are We Still Discovering New Elements?

Many people believe the discovery of chemical elements has slowed down since the Manhattan Project in the 1940s, but this is not the case. No one knows how heavy we can go, but theoretically, elements 119 and 120 are possible with current technology. They are likely not found in nature and exceedingly difficult to create. They would also require a new row to be added to the periodic table.

When Were All the Elements Discovered?

Our infographic shows when each element was discovered, but here is our list of elements in order of discovery written out as well.

List of Elements by Discovery Date

Copper

Cu 9000 B.C.E. Lead

Pb 7000 B.C.E. Gold

Au 6000 B.C.E. Silver

Ag 5000 B.C.E. Iron

Fe 5000 B.C.E. Carbon

C 3500 B.C.E. Tin

Sn 3500 B.C.E. Sulfur

S 2000 B.C.E. Mercury

Hg 2000 B.C.E. Zinc

Zn 1000 B.C.E. Arsenic

As 300 B.C.E. Antimony

Sb 800 B.C.E. Phosphorus

P 1669 C.E. Cobalt

Co 1735 Platinum

Pt 1741 Nickel

Ni 1751 Bismuth

Bi 1753 Magnesium

Mg 1755 Hydrogen

H 1766 Oxygen

O 1771 Nitrogen

N 1772 Barium

Ba 1772 Chlorine

Cl 1774 Manganese

Mn 1774 Molybdenum

Mo 1778 Tungsten

W 1781 Tellurium

Te 1782 Strontium

Sr 1787 Zirconium

Zr 1789 Uranium

U 1789 Titanium

Ti 1791 Yttrium

Y 1794 Chromium

Cr 1794 Beryllium

Be 1798 Vanadium

V 1801 Niobium

Nb 1801 Tantalum

Ta 1802 Palladium

Pd 1802 Cerium

Ce 1803 Osmium

Os 1803 Iridium

Ir 1803 Rhodium

Rh 1804 Potassium

K 1807 Sodium

Na 1807 Calcium

Ca 1808 Boron

B 1808 Fluorine

F 1810 Iodine

I 1811 Lithium

Li 1817 Cadmium

Cd 1817 Selenium

Se 1817 Silicon

Si 1823 Aluminum

Al 1825 Bromine

Br 1825 Thorium

Th 1829 Lanthanum

La 1838 Erbium

Er 1843 Terbium

Tb 1843 Ruthenium

Ru 1844 Cesium

CS 1860 Rubidium

Rb 1861 Thallium

Tl 1861 Indium

In 1863 Helium

He 1868 Gallium

Ga 1875 Ytterbium

Yb 1878 Holmium

Ho 1878 Thulium

Tm 1879 Scandium

Sc 1879 Samarium

Sm 1879 Gadolinium

Gd 1880 Praseodymium

Pr 1885 Neodymium

Nd 1885 Germanium

Ge 1886 Dysprosium

Dy 1886 Argon

Ar 1894 Europium

Eu 1896 Krypton

Kr 1898 Neon

Ne 1898 Xenon

Xe 1898 Polonium

Po 1898 Radium

Ra 1898 Radon

Rn 1899 Actinium

Ac 1902 Lutetium

Lu 1906 Rhenium

Re 1908 Protactinium

Pa 1913 Hafnium

Hf 1922 Technetium

Tc 1937 Francium

Fr 1939 Neptunium

Np 1940 Astatine

At 1940 Plutonium

Pu 1940 Promethium

Pm 1942 Curium

Cm 1944 Americium

Am 1944 Berkelium

Bk 1949 Californium

Cf 1950 Einsteinium

Es 1952 Fermium

Fm 1952 Mendelevium

Md 1955 Lawrencium

Lr 1961 Nobelium

No 1966 Rutherfordium

Rf 1969 Dubnium

Db 1970 Seaborgium

Sg 1974 Bohrium

Bh 1981 Meitnerium

Mt 1982 Hassium

Hs 1984 Darmstadtium

Ds 1994 Roentgenium

Rg 1994 Copernicium

Cn 1994 Flerovium

Fl 1999 Livermorium

Lv 2000 Oganesson

Og 2002 Moscovium

Mc 2003 Nihonium

Nh 2004 Tennessine

Ts 2009

Our periodic table discovery timeline maps the journey of when we discovered some of the coolest metal substances ever. Most materials on the periodic table are some form of metal, and the discoveries of the periodic elements allowed us to create more and more powerful metals and alloys over time, enabling us to create stronger and harder metals as well as better metal buildings. Who knows? Perhaps the volatile, atomically heavier elements we synthesize will let us build cooler and more amazing stuff!