# Your Top 5 Elements from the Periodic Table of Elements? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 3, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225 "2014-10-03T00:37:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/21 "2014-10-03T12:37:32Z")
Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Mila Jovavitch. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/22 "2014-10-03T13:14:13Z")
Oxygen, because I like to breathe. Carbon, because I’m a carbon-based life-form. Calcium, because that’s what gives me a functioning skeleton. Sodium, because if that salt has lost its flavor it ain’t got much in its favor. And Iron, because we can build better stuff with iron and steel than we can with wood and stone. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/23 "2014-10-03T13:15:17Z")
Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon. Noblesse oblige. (Radon is just so… _unstable_.) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/24 "2014-10-03T13:43:59Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Mila Jovavitch. Earth, Wind, Fire, Hall and Oates? ---
**Author:** ![CT\_Damsel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CT\_Damsel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CT_Damsel)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/25 "2014-10-03T13:55:15Z")
Silicon - I would not have all my cool bake ware without this one Aluminium - I like saying Aluminium Calcium - For my bones and ice cream! Copper - It’s pretty and I like pennies Tungsten - Very strong ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/26 "2014-10-03T14:25:22Z")
Ytterbium Erbium Terbium Yttrium Krypton The first 4 because they’re like brothers, y’know? And the last, because of Superman, of course. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/27 "2014-10-03T15:16:42Z")
1. Sodium, because it makes cool sparks when dropped in water, and because it killed the creatures from _ **The Horror of Party Beach.** _ 2. Helium, because you can suck it an make funny voices 3. Aluminum, beause I like the “ping” sound when an aluminum bat hits a ball 4. Tungsten, but only if I’m alowed to call it Wolframite 5. Mercuriy, because he was the snotty, obnoxious one in The Metal Men ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/28 "2014-10-03T15:19:02Z")
n - (neutronium) The element they neglected to place on the periodic table, I’m all for the underdog. Sort of the Pluto of the Periodic Table. Ti - Great for hiking gear Pu - I think I could make use of this stuff for a little time travel experiment along with a flux capacitor and a 80’s Delorian. Au - I know I can make use of this stuff (along with Ag and Pt :D) He - Yea it’s just fun & who wouldn’t want a bunch of this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/29 "2014-10-03T15:49:39Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > 5; Mercury - liquid metal at room temperature, highly electrically conductive, just wish it wasn’t so toxic, I have a small vial of the stuff, and I’d love to play with it, but that whole absorbed through skin thing is a turn off… Just FYI, mercury exposure on skin is not that bad. It is vapor that causes the problem. I am not exactly advocating that people go out and drink it (which they used to do to treat syphilis), but in a well ventilated room, you can touch it and not die. From the NHS website: "Although mercury is poisonous (toxic), it usually only causes problems if you inhale large amounts of it. Very little mercury is absorbed by your body if you swallow a small amount of liquid mercury or get it on your skin for a short time. This is considered almost non-toxic and you’ll probably have no symptoms. " ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/30 "2014-10-03T15:54:09Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Ytterbium > Erbium > Terbium > Yttrium > > Krypton > > The first 4 because they’re like brothers, y’know? Visit their hometown—[Ytterby, Sweden](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ytterby). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Joker_and_the_Thief)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/31 "2014-10-03T16:02:02Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Just FYI, mercury exposure on skin is not that bad. It is vapor that causes the problem. I am not exactly advocating that people go out and drink it (which they used to do to treat syphilis), but in a well ventilated room, you can touch it and not die. > > From the NHS website: > > "Although mercury is poisonous (toxic), it usually only causes problems if you inhale large amounts of it. > Very little mercury is absorbed by your body if you swallow a small amount of liquid mercury or get it on your skin for a short time. This is considered almost non-toxic and you’ll probably have no symptoms. " Yup, mercury is [surprisingly non toxic](http://theodoregray.com/periodictable/Images/MercuryMiner.JPG). Not that you’d want your water flowing through mercury pipes for the rest of your life, but touching it once won’t kill you. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/32 "2014-10-03T16:17:01Z")
> [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](#): > > Not that you’d want your water flowing through mercury pipes for the rest of your life, but touching it once won’t kill you. Mercury is a liquid unless it is below -40. Unless you are dumping snow down a vertical pipe there is no possible way water can flow through a mercury pipe. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/33 "2014-10-03T16:25:30Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > You might have picked vanadium, silver, iodine, and sodium instead. Golf clap. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/34 "2014-10-03T16:58:32Z")
H & He - 'cause I fly 'em Ne - cause I like the light Mo & Ti - for bike frames ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/35 "2014-10-03T17:06:09Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Mercury is a liquid unless it is below -40. Unless you are dumping snow down a vertical pipe there is no possible way water can flow through a mercury pipe. Centigrade or Fahrenheit? 😛 Yes, I know they’re the same. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/36 "2014-10-03T17:07:26Z")
Osmium, because it’s so dense and it’s also blue. Gadolinium, because its Curie point is between room temperature and body temperature, so you can switch its ferromagnetism on and off just by how you handle it. Tin, because it’s so pleasant a pale gold color, and is glossy in a greasy sort of way. Beryllium, because it’s so bizarre that it has such a small atomic number, and because it’s so light yet stiff. Plus, its toxicity is a sort of forbidden thrill. Iridium, because it’s so inert and shiny. It’s a pleasing twin to Osmium. Besides, its alloy with Osmium is the densest substance known under conditions humans can touch and handle. And I get the bonus – I have all of them. Plus gallium, titanium, zirconium, indium, tungsten, zinc, bismuth, antimony, chromium, copper, lead, aluminum, nickel, rhodium, tantalum, silver, gold, magnesium, and no doubt a few others, as solid samples big enough to play with. Plus some 2% thoria in tungsten, for a little radioactivity. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/37 "2014-10-03T17:16:23Z")
As others have mentioned, metallic mercury isn’t particularly dangerous as long as you are not exposed to a lot of it. I played with it many times as a kid (I was a science geek in high school). It’s some of the organo-mercury compounds that are NASTY. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/38 "2014-10-03T17:25:33Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Visit their hometown—[Ytterby, Sweden](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ytterby). Wi nøt trei a høliday in Sweden this yër ? See the løveli lakes The wøndërful telephøne system And mäni interesting elëmënts! Including exciting Erbium! ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225/39 "2014-10-03T20:52:30Z")
For some reason I have always been interested in the elements that are naturally occurring but really rare because they have no stable isotopes. Technetium and promethium are the real oddballs because they are relatively light. Of the heavier ones, I would pick: francium (longest-lived isotope has a half life of 22 minutes) and astatine (it is estimated that at any given time there is less than one gram of it in the Earth’s crust). Neither francium nor astatine has ever been seen with the naked eye because any viewable quantity would instantly vaporize due to the heat of its own radioactivity. And for #5 I would pick helium because its existence was discovered in the Sun before it was discovered on Earth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-top-5-elements-from-the-periodic-table-of-elements/700225.md?page=1)