This basic list of ten elements is the “heaviest” for its density of each cubic cm
However, note that density is not mass, it just describes how tightly packed the mass is
Now that we understand that, let’s take a look at the heaviest elements in the entire known universe (The main image is a bismuth crystal that didn’t make the list)
Tantalum
10 – Tantalum (density per cubic cm: 1667g)
The atomic number of tantalum is seventy-three
Uranium
9 – Uranium (density per cubic cm: 1905g)
Discovered in 1789 by the German chemist Martin H
8 – Tungsten (density per cubic cm: 1926g)
Tungsten exists in four different minerals and is also the heaviest of all elements known to play a biological role
Gold
7 – Gold (density per cubic cm: 1929g)
They say money doesn’t grow on trees, but gold does!
Small traces of gold were found in eucalyptus leaves
6 – Plutonium (density per cubic cm: 2026g)
The chameleon of the elements
5 – Neptunium (density per cubic cm: 2047g)
Named after the planet Neptune, it was discovered by Professor Edwin McMillan in 1940
It was also the first synthetic transuranic element from the actinide series to be discovered
4 – Rhenium (density per cubic cm: 2101g)
Rhenium comes from the Latin ‘Rhenus’ meaning ‘Rhine’ and was discovered by Walter Noddack in Germany in 1925
Platinum
3 – Platinum (density per cubic cm: 2145g)
One of the most precious metals on this list (besides gold) and is used to make almost everything
Not much actually (try doing that with gold)
2 – Iridium (density per cubic cm: 2256g)
Discovered in London in 1803 by Smithson Tennant, he found it in the residue left when raw platinum was dissolved!
Yes, discovered purely by chance
osmium
1 – Osmium (density per cubic cm: 2259g)
It does not get any heavier (per cubic cm) than osmium
Strangely, its name comes from the Greek term osme, which means smell!
The 10 Largest Bodies in Our Solar System
The 10 most common elements in the entire known universe
The Ten Largest Bodies in Our Own Solar System by Radius