Chemical

element
Achemical elementorelementis a species ofatomshaving the same number of
protonsin theiratomic nuclei(i.e. the sameatomic number,Z).[1]There are 118
elements that have been identified, of which the first 94 occur naturally onEarthwith
the remaining 24 beingsynthetic elements. There are 80 elements that have at least
one stableisotopeand 38 that have exclusivelyradioactive isotopes, which decay over
time into other elements.Ironis themost abundant element(bymass) making up
Earth, whileoxygenis themost common element in the Earth's crust.[2]
Chemical elements constitute all of theordinarymatterof the universe. However
astronomical observationssuggest that ordinary observable matter makes up only
about 15% of the matter in the universe: the remainder isdark matter; the
composition of this is unknown, but it is not composed of chemical elements.[3]The two
lightest elements,hydrogenandhelium, were mostly formed in theBig Bangand are
the most common elements in the universe. The next three elements (lithium,
berylliumandboron) were formed mostly bycosmic ray spallation, and are thus rarer
than those that follow.[clarification needed]Formation of elements with from 6 to 26 protons
occurred and continues to occur inmain sequencestars viastellar nucleosynthesis.
The high abundance of oxygen,silicon, and iron on Earth reflects their common
production in such stars. Elements with greater than 26 protons are formed by
supernova nucleosynthesisinsupernovae, which, when they explode, blast these
elements assupernova remnantsfar into space, where they may become incorporated
intoplanetswhen they are formed.[4]
The term "element" is used for atoms with a given number of protons (regardless of
whether or not they areionizedor chemically bonded, e.g. hydrogen inwater) as well
as for a purechemical substanceconsisting of a single element (e.g. hydrogen gas).[1]