The _chemical elements_ include oxygen, silicon, calcium, sulfur,
carbon, gold, silver, and many others. There are 90 naturally occurring
elements. Each is made up of molecules that consist of only one kind of
atom. Chemical elements may either be combined with each other or occur
alone. They are the building blocks of our world for they make up all
the gases, all the liquids, all the minerals, all the plant and animal
life, and all the other physical matter. Some of the chemical elements
that occur in the rocks and minerals mentioned in this book are listed
below.
Aluminum Al
Barium Ba
Beryllium Be
Boron B
Calcium Ca
Carbon C
Cerium Ce
Chlorine Cl
Copper Cu
Fluorine F
Gold Au
Hydrogen H
Iron Fe
Lead Pb
Magnesium Mg
Manganese Mn
Mercury Hg
Molybdenum Mo
Oxygen O
Potassium K
Silicon Si
Silver Ag
Sodium Na
Strontium Sr
Sulfur S
Thorium Th
Tin Sn
Uranium U
Vanadium V
Yttrium Y
Zinc Zn
Zirconium Zr
We can compare the chemical elements to the letters of our alphabet. The
letters, like the chemical elements, are fundamental building blocks,
and they can be brought together in various combinations to form words.