# What's the most useless chemical element? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 6, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-useless-chemical-element/573677 "2011-03-06T13:39:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-useless-chemical-element/573677/81 "2011-09-05T23:52:47Z")
> [@Curtis\_Stotlar](#): > > Thulium. Element experts Theodore Gray (American) and John Emsley (British) attended a conference that was aired and both agreed that Thulium isn’t used in any way by plants or animals, it serves no industrial purpose of any value at all and it’s a lanthanide nobody wants or needs. It takes up space on the chart of elements and that is its only value. If I recall correctly, Thallium is essential to the growth of Tree-of-Life. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-useless-chemical-element/573677/82 "2011-09-06T01:25:40Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > If I recall correctly, Thallium is essential to the growth of Tree-of-Life. Thallium and Thulium are two different elements. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-useless-chemical-element/573677/83 "2011-09-06T02:31:56Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Francium. I came in to say his one. While natural (and thus acceptable to the OP) it is extremely unstable, so supposedly there are only around 30g of it in the Earth at any one time. But in researching it I find that [Astatine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astatine) is even rarer, although only barely - there is only about 28g of it at any moment. ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-useless-chemical-element/573677/84 "2011-09-06T16:33:58Z")
I’ll second Thulium. Naturally occurring and stable, though incredibly rare. No known biological function. Very limited industrial use. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-useless-chemical-element/573677/85 "2011-09-07T21:37:41Z")
Beryllium - popular use in non-sparking tools. My vote is for Osmium – Only known use is in the tagline, “Well that joke went over like an Osmium balloon.” ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-useless-chemical-element/573677/86 "2011-09-07T23:39:50Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Beryllium - popular use in non-sparking tools. > My vote is for Osmium – Only known use is in the tagline, “Well that joke went over like an Osmium balloon.” Electron microscropy. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-useless-chemical-element/573677/87 "2011-09-08T00:42:45Z")
In addition to being hard to find, “Unobtainium” is largely useless. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-useless-chemical-element/573677/88 "2011-09-09T00:01:11Z")
Does radon (heavy radioactive gas) have any use? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-useless-chemical-element/573677/89 "2011-09-09T00:34:37Z")
Well, there’s the whole household radon detection and remediation industry that would collapse without the existence of radon. According to Wikipedia radon can be used to detect faults. Elevating levels from a norm may also be an indicator for geological activity. Historically it was used to poison gullible people with radon and radium treatments for health. A genuine beneficial use had been in the use of gold-plated seeds for [Brachytherap](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachytherapy)y - but it seems that other elements and isotopes are better favored, now, for that treatment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-useless-chemical-element/573677.md?page=4)