Timeline of chemical element discovery

• 1737 - George Brandt, discovered Cobalt. From the German word kobalt or kobold (evil spirit).
• 1766 - Henry Cavendish discovered Hydrogen. From the Greek words hudôr (water) and gennan (generate).
• 1774 - John Priestly discovered Oxygen. From the Greek words oxus (acid) and gennan (generate).
• 1774 - Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered chlorine.
• 1782 - Franz Joseph Müller Freiherr von Reichenstein, discovered Tellurium. From Latin word Tellus (earth).
• 1789
  • Martin Klaproth discovered Uranium. After the planet Uranus.
  • Martin Klaproth discovered Zirconium. Named from Zircon (mineral).
• 1794 - Johann Gadolin discovered Yttrium. After Ytterby (a town in Sweden).
• 1803 - Smithson Tenant discovered Osmium. From the Greek word osmë (odor).
• 1807
  • Humphrey Davy discovered Potassium. From the Latin word kalium.
  • Humphrey Davy discovered Sodium. From the Latin word natrium (sodium).
• 1808
  • Humphrey Davy discovered Calcium. From the Latin word calcis (lime).
  • Humphrey Davy discovered Barium. From the Greek word barys (heavy).
• 1817 - Johann Arfvedson discovered Lithium. From the Greek word lithos (stone).
• 1878 - Jena de Marignac discovered Ytterbium. After Ytterby (a town in Sweden).
• 1886
  • Joseph Henri Moissan discovered Fluorine. From the Latin word fluo (flow).
  • Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran discovered Dysprosium. From the Greek word dysprositos (hard to get at).
• 1894 - William Ramsey discovered Argon. From the Greek word argon (inactive).
• 1895 - William Ramsey discovered Helium. From the Greek word hêlios (sun).
• 1898
  • William Ramsey discovered Neon. From the Greek word neos (new).
  • William Ramsey discovered Krypton. From the Greek word kryptos (hidden).
  • William Ramsey discovered Xenon. From the Greek word xenon (stranger).
  • Friedrich Ernst Dorn discovered Radon. From Radium.
  • Pierre and Marie Curie discovered Polonium. From Poland.
• 1907 - Georges Urbain discovered Lutetium. From Lutetia (ancient name of Paris).
• 1957 - Nobel Institute for Physics discovered Nobelium. After Alfred Nobel.
• 1961 - Albert Ghiorso discovered Lawrencium. After Ernest Lawrence.
• 1970 - Albert Ghiorso discovered Dubnium. After Dubna, Russia.

• Discoveries of the chemical elements