Native elements are chemical elements that occur in uncombined or relatively pure form as minerals. Gases are omitted from the list because they can intermix, so native elements are also called native minerals. Native elements form chemical bonds, so they also occur in compounds.
List of Native Elements (Minerals)
Most native elements are transition metals, including those belonging to the gold group and platinum group. There are some metalloids and a few nonmetals.
- Aluminum (Al)
- Antimony (Sb)
- Arsenic (As)
- Bismuth (Bi)
- Carbon (C)
- Cadmium (Cd)
- Chromium (Cr)
- Cobalt (Co)
- Copper (Cu)
- Gold (Au)
- Indium (In)
- Iron (Fe)
- Iridium (Ir)
- Lead (Pb)
- Manganese (Mn)
- Mercury (Hg)
- Molybdenum (Mo)
- Nickel (Ni)
- Niobium (Nb)
- Osmium (Os)
- Palladium (Pd)
- Platinum (Pt)
- Rhenium (Re)
- Rhodium (Rh)
- Selenium (Se)
- Silver (Ag)
- Silicon (Si)
- Sulfur (S)
- Tantalum (Ta)
- Tellurium (Te)
- Tin (Sn)
- Titanium (Ti)
- Tungsten (W)
- Vanadium (V)
- Zinc (Zn)
List of Native Metals (Elements)
Only gold, silver, and copper occur in large amounts in native form. Gold is noteworthy because it is native more often than combined in compounds. All of the noble metals except ruthenium occur as native minerals.
- Aluminum (Al)
- Bismuth (Bi)
- Cadmium (Cd)
- Chromium (Cr)
- Cobalt (Co)
- Copper (Cu)
- Gold (Au)
- Indium (In)
- Iron (Fe)
- Iridium (Ir)
- Lead (Pb)
- Manganese (Mn)
- Mercury (Hg)
- Molybdenum (Mo)
- Nickel (Ni)
- Niobium (Nb)
- Osmium (Os)
- Palladium (Pd)
- Platinum (Pt)
- Rhenium (Re)
- Rhodium (Rh)
- Silver (Ag)
- Tantalum (Ta)
- Tin (Sn)
- Titanium (Ti)
- Tungsten (W)
- Vanadium (V)
- Zinc (Zn)
While iron is a native mineral, most isn’t really “native” in the sense that it came from iron-nickel meteorites. Truly native iron is uncommon, but does occur.
None of the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, or rare earth elements occur as native minerals.
Native Alloys
Several alloys occur naturally. These include:
- Brass
- Bronze
- Electrum
- German silver
- Gold-mercury amalgam
- Lead-mercury amalgam
- Pewter
- Silver-mercury amalgam
- White gold
Native Elements That Are Metalloids
Some metalloids exist as native minerals.
- Antimony (Sb)
- Arsenic (As)
- Silicon (Si)
- Tellurium (Te)
Native Elements That Are Nonmetals
Three nonmetals form native minerals. Carbon occurs as multiple allotropes: diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon.
- Carbon (C)
- Selenium (Se)
- Sulfur (S)
References
- International Mineralogical Association (March 2016). The New IMA List of Minerals.
- Fleischer, Michael; Cabri, Louis J.; Chao, George Y.; Pabst, Adolf (1980). “New Mineral Names“. American Mineralogist. 65: 1065–1070.
- Mills, Stuart J.; Hatert, Frédéric; Nickel, Ernest H.; Ferraris, Giovanni (2009). “The standardisation of mineral group hierarchies: application to recent nomenclature proposals”. Eur. J. Mineral. 21 (5): 1073–1080. doi:10.1127/0935-1221/2009/0021-1994