“元素”一词最早被古希腊哲学家柏拉图用于描述无机物和有机物的基本组分。现代意义上的化学元素中,最古老、最轻的元素当属氢,它是由英国化学家波义尔于1671年在铁与硫酸的化学反应中发现的。1869年,俄国化学家门捷列夫将当时发现的66种元素排列成著名的元素周期 The term “element ” was first used by Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher, to describe the basic components of inorganic and organic matter. Among the chemical elements in modern sense, the oldest and lightest element belonged to hydrogen, which was discovered by the British chemist Boyle in 1671 in the chemical reaction between iron and sulfuric acid. In 1869, the Russian chemist Mendeleev arranged the 66 elements that were then discovered into a well-known elemental cycle