Atomic Weight Is

Approximately 99% of the earth is composed of just 10 of the 92 naturally-occurring elements. Elements are the basic stuff of matter and life, and these elements are what scientists study. Dmitri Mendeleyev, a Russian scientist, in 1869, introduced his Periodic Table of the elements to provide a better understanding of the elements and their interrelations.

The World of Elements is Varied and Includes Metals and Non-Metals, Gasses and Solids

Scientists were discovering and characterizing elements from the 1700s onward. Along the way scientists tried to make sense of the accumulating and large variety of elements. There were: gold, silver, iron, lead, mercury, carbon, arsenic, tin, antimony, and prosaic elements like hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, potassium, sodium, phosphorous, sulfur, and noble gasses like neon, argon, xenon. Each element had distinct properties and features. Some elements seemed related to other elements, and some were very different. It was a literal chemical zoo and menagerie — all caged together in assorted jars, bottles, flasks and metal containers — waiting for the next experiments.