Element 24 in our International Year of the Periodic Table elements series is chromium. It’s the element that gives rubies their colour and is also responsible for the characteristic yellow colour of school buses.
Element 23 in our International Year of the Periodic Table elements series is vanadium. Vanadium is found in some steels to improve their hardness and is also behind the yellow blood of some animals.
Element 22 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is titanium. A key component of many sunscreens, titanium is also found in the parts of the International Space Station, as well as in artificial joints.
The latest in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is scandium, our first foray into the d block elements. Scandium is used in lamps for film and photography, in strong but lightweight alloys for jets and sports equipment, and to detect leaks in underground pipes.
Element 20 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series with the Royal Society of Chemistry is calcium. Found in the body in our bones and teeth, calcium also pops up in cheese-making and construction work.
Element number 19 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is potassium – used to make soaps, and also the reason that bananas are radioactive.