# List of fictional elements, materials, isotopes and subatomic particles

This list contains fictional chemical elements, materials, isotopes or subatomic particles that either a) play a major role in a notable work of fiction, b) are common to several unrelated works, or c) are discussed in detail by independent sources.

## Fictional elements and materials

* A
* B
* C
* D
* E
* F
* G
* H
* I
* J
* K
* L
* M
* N
* O
* P
* Q
* R
* S
* T
* U
* V
* W
* X
* Y
* Z
* See also
* References
| Name | Source | Notes |
| Adamant / Adamantine | Greek mythology | Adamant has long meant any impenetrably or unyieldingly hard substance and, formerly, a legendary stone or mineral of impenetrable hardness and many other properties, often identified with diamond or lodestone. The English word is both a noun and an adjective; from Latin adamans 'impregnable, diamondlike hardness; very firm/resolute position', from Greek adamastos 'untameable' (hence also the word diamond). Adamant or adamantine (suffix -ine 'of the nature of' or 'made of') occur in many works. In myth, Kronos uses an adamantine sickle to castrate his father Uranus; in Prometheus Bound, Prometheus is bound to rocks "in adamantine bonds infrangible"; in Virgil's Aeneid, columns of solid adamantine protect the gates of Tartarus; in Paradise Lost, adamant and adamantine are mentioned eight times to describe the gates of hell, Satan's shield, fallen angel's armor and Satan's chains. In fiction, Adamant is referred to in the film Forbidden Planet (as "adamantine steel"), many books (such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Faerie Queene, Gulliver's Travels, His Dark Materials, The Lord of the Rings, Mathilda by Mary Shelley, and A Midsummer Night's Dream) and many games (such as Dungeons & Dragons, Final Fantasy and RuneScape). The word adamant is the basis for fictional materials such as Adamantium and Adamantite (see below), Adamantle in The Sims, and Adiamante in L. E. Modesitt Jr.'s 1996 novel of the same name. |
| Adamantite | Various | A metal ore in many fictional universes. In Final Fantasy it is used to make armor; its source is in another world; it can contain great amounts of energy. In World of Warcraft, it is a rare ore used to make weapons and armor of uncommon, rare and epic grade. In The Dark Elf Trilogy by R. A. Salvatore set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe it is used to make drow weaponry. It is also used for armor in The Elder Scrolls III, and in the game Terraria it is a red ore used to produce armor and other items. The name is from the word adamant (see above), with suffix -ite for names of minerals. |
| Adamantium | Marvel Comics | Adamantium is a nigh-indestructible metal that was inadvertently invented by metallurgist Myron MacLain during an attempt to recreate his prior discovery, an alloy of steel and vibranium. Adamantium is used in Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike's claws, Ultron's shell, Bullseye's spine, and some versions of Captain America's shield. Adamantium also appears in the Games Workshop universe of Warhammer 40000 and the MMORPG Maplestory. |
| Administratium | Scientific in-joke | First referenced in a 1989 issue of The Physics Teacher. It was apparently discovered by the fictional Thomas Kyle, who was awarded an Ig Nobel Prize for physics for his discovery, and it is a parody on bureaucracy of scientific establishments and on descriptions of newly discovered chemical elements. |
| Administrontium | Scientific in-joke | Similar to Administratium and a variation of the joke. It was referenced in a 1993 print. |
| Aether | Classical | A classical element referred to as the Fifth Element in ancient and medieval times. It is believed to be the material that fills the region of the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere. This belief goes as far back as Plato's Timaeus, where it is said that "there is the most translucent kind which is called by the name of aether (αἰθήρ)". In Greek Mythology, Aether serves as a counterpart to mortal air that the gods breathed and also serves as a primordial being serving as the personification of the upper sky. |
| Aether | Final Fantasy XIV | In the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, Aether is one of the main elements of life and magic in the world. |
| Aether | Magic: The Gathering | Aether (previously spelled Æther) is the main type of energy filling the blind eternities in the Magic: The Gathering multiverse, though it can also appear in variable quantities within the planes. Inextricably associated with magic in Magic's shared fictional universe and the use of the word in several Magic cards implies that casting magic involves channeling and manipulating Aether. "Summoning" the creatures around which combat and much of gameplay in Magic revolves is described as "pulling (them) from the Aether". |
| Afraidium | Robots | An element made up by Fender, who claims to be built out of said metal. Fender says it is yellow and tastes like chicken. |
| Antidermis | Bionicle | Greenish-black gas; forms the essence of the Makuta, the main villains of the series. They usually keep the antidermis inside suits of armor. |
| Aquelium, terrelium, and plutulium | The Goddess of Atvatabar | Three precious metals found in Earth's interior. Aquelium is a bright green metal derived from the interior ocean, and terrelium is a vermilion metal found only in Atvatabar. When these two metals come in contact, they produce a harnessable form of energy called magnicity. |
| Arenak | Skylark | A synthetic metal made by Osnomians. Vastly superior to the best steel. Usually transparent, but substances may be added to make it colored or opaque. Requires salt, which is very rare on Osnome, as a catalyst in its manufacture. |
| Arsonium | I Expect You to Die | Green liquid with symbol Ar and atomic number 7. Makes a compound that is corrosive to copper when mixed with Galine and Sanite, and a compound that produces clouds when exposed to air when mixed with Regalite. The real element 7 is nitrogen; and Ar = argon. |
| Atium | Mistborn | Metal. Forms the body and power of the shard Ruin. If an Allomancer burns Atium, it lets them see a few seconds into the future as a ghostly image overlaid on the present. This is a significant advantage in combat; it lets them know every move the opponent will make. This is canceled if the opponent burns Atium or electrum: it causes a feedback loop, so the user sees a mess of possible futures. It is extremely valuable in the Final Empire, as it is both very rare and hoarded by the Lord Ruler. The only place it is found is the pits of Hathsin, where small nuggets form in geodes mined by slaves. Using allomancy near the crystals that form the geodes, destroys them. When used by a Feruchemist, it allows them to store age and, if compounded, can cause a complete stop of ageing. Its name comes from the holder of the shard, Ati. In the Wax and Wayne era, no samples exist and it is called 'the lost metal'. It forms the alloy Malatium, or eleventh metal, a metal that allows the user to see past versions of other people. A misting that burns Atium is known as a seer. Hemalurgic effects are unknown. |
| Australium | Team Fortress 2 | Extremely valuable element in Team Fortress 2 by Valve. In-game, it is a special type of weapon, and as the fuel for the rocket in the map SD_Doomsday in the Special Delivery game mode. In the bonus comics on the Team Fortress website, their role is fleshed out more; The Life-Extending machines used by The Administrator, Blutarch, Redmond, and Gray Mann are powered by Australium, and a large part of the plot revolves around hiding the vast stores of Australium. Australium, found in Australia, hence the name, makes one smarter over time, but at the cost of increasing 'manliness and beard levels' in those who use it. It looks similar to the real element gold. |
| Azbantium | Doctor Who | A material 400 times harder than diamond, the 12th Doctor spends 4.5 billion years in a confession dial in the episode "Heaven Sent", continually dying and being recreated, taking the aforementioned 4.5 billion years to make it out of the confession dial by punching through an Azbantium wall. |
| Bavarium | Just Cause 3 | Discovered by Medici's tyrannical ruler Sebastiano Di Ravello in the late 1980s. Is called a "supermineral" due to its near-infinite potential. Exclusive to Medici, Bavarium is at the core of much of the country's experimental weaponry and equipment, which, as of the Bavarium Sea Heist DLC, includes gravity manipulators and personal force fields; as well as a major export; Di Ravello is able to use it as a bargaining chip when dealing with the Agency. In-game, Bavarium (at least in refined form) is shown to be highly volatile and prone to big explosions; a small Bavarium-based charge can instantly destroy all but the largest of the game's Chaos Objects. |
| Berynium | Screamers | Berynium is a minable isotope discovered by NEB (New Economic Block) at New Alamo on Sirius 6B on 16 July, AD 2064. Berynium is the solution to the world's energy crisis, as a spoonful of it can take you from Earth to Saturn in a single day. Mining it unfortunately releases lethal quantities of radiation and pollution. Berynium can also be found on Triton 4. |
| Bolognium / Bolonium | Various | Metallic element with variable properties; or in sci-fi, a substance or process invented to circumvent explanation or impossibility. Or any unspecified substance: "if not oil then beryllium, and if not beryllium then bolognium", "don't worry about whether it is mercury or lead or cadmium or 'bolognium'." A humorous story (1926) about development of alloys for special purposes, describes Bolognium as a metallic element with properties similar to Gafnium, with which it forms alloys impervious to attack by mice. Sci-fi writer David Gerrold attributes the use of the term in sci-fi writing to Larry Niven, author of Ringworld, who used it to describe imaginary material or processes that can give properties unachievable by known or scientifically postulated means. In Worlds of Wonder, Gerrold describes two examples from Ringworld: scrith, strong enough to be used to build a ring 3×10$^8$ km in diameter; and a character deliberately bred for luck. Gerrold calls bolognium "technobabble", and cautions against overusing it, or using it carelessly; doing so harms the illusion of reality which good sci-fi needs. In the 1982 sci-fi comedy Big Meat Eater, Bolonium makes up a meat-based fuel; the comedy rock band Bolonium gets its name from said reference. In The Simpsons, "Bolognium", chemical symbol Bo, appears in the place of molybdenum, on promotional copies of the periodic table produced by Oscar Mayer (its atomic weight is "delicious" or "snacktacular"), and in Futurama, where Cubert Farnsworth exclaims, "your explanations are pure weapons-grade bolognium!" Most references to Bolognium are intentionally humorous; but in Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars, Greg Cox refers to the "bolognium shielding" of Klingon warp nacelles. |
| Bombastium | Disney | Originally appearing in Uncle Scrooge #17 (1957) by Carl Barks, Bombastium is stated to be the world's rarest element. Very coveted, but its potential use is not fully known. It tastes different every time one tries it. Scientists find that one atom of it dropped into a barrel of water becomes one barrel of ice cream; a different flavor of ice cream each time. To avoid evaporation, bombastium must be kept frozen. When this totally new element is discovered Scrooge tries to secure the entire supply – a ball of "Bombastium" about the size of a large turnip. Terrified that his acquisition will melt before he can make a profit, Scrooge drags Donald Duck and his nephews on a voyage to the South Pole to safeguard his investment, but he has not reckoned on the ruthless determination of the Brutopian agents he outbid to achieve it. Bombastium represents a play on words (bomb and bombastic) that negotiates Cold War hysteria about the arms race and the threat of Armageddon due to the H-bomb. Barks' tale is also grounded in fears. The substance is later used in the Duck Tales series. |
| Bonnevillium | Giants series | One of three stable transuranic elements predicted by the new science of nucleonics in James P. Hogan's Giants series. Not naturally occurring outside of neutron stars, but trace amounts are created at the detonation of nucleonic weapons. |
| Bureaucratium | Scientific in-joke | Similar to Administratium and variation of the joke. Bureaucratium is an element with a negative half-life, becoming more massive and sluggish as time goes by. |
| Byzanium | Raise the Titanic! | Fictional element in the book Raise the Titanic! and its film adaptation, which is a main focus of the story arc. It is a powerful radioactive material sought by both the Americans and Russians for use as either an energy source for a missile defense system or an atomic superbomb. The largest known natural source of Byzanium was on the island of Novaya Zemlya, which was mined in the early 20th century and supposedly taken aboard the Titanic during its first and only voyage. |
| Carbonadium | Marvel Comics | A radioactive form of adamantium developed in Russia. Omega Red's tentacles and Deadpool's katanas are made of carbonadium. |
| Carbon Silicate Lace | The Expanse | A material derived from alien Protomolecule, used as hull protective plating for ships. The Rocinante was one such ship upgraded to use the material, whilst other ships were constructed with it as an original part of the hull. The material itself contains no protomolecule, having been developed by simply observing the molecular structure. |
| Cargonite | 4D Man | A super-dense, impenetrable substance developed by Tony Nelson. His brother Scott steals his work and starts fooling around with it, eventually gaining the ability to pass through solid matter. |
| Caterium | Satisfactory | Gold-like metal used to create highly advanced technology in mid and late game. |
| Cavorite | The First Men in the Moon | In the H.G. Wells novel, a metal created by the physicist Cavor. Blocks gravity. Thus his spacecraft is selectively immune to gravity; one can choose which heavenly bodies it falls toward, by opening or sliding outer hull Cavorite "windows or blinds". This steers, accelerates and slows the spacecraft, dependent on available gravitational fields, somewhat analogous to a "tacking" behavior of a sailed ship. |
| Celestial Bronze | Rick Riordan | (Introduced in The Lightning Thief.) Magic form of bronze mined from Mount Olympus, tempered in Mount Etna, and cooled in the River Lethe. Cannot touch non-magical creatures. Lethal to monsters. |
| Ceratanium | Mega Man | Ceratanium (ceramic titanium) is shown to be quite useful. It is sturdy yet lightweight; and Magnet Man in the comic series, says it is paramagnetic. It is thus used in multiple robots, being the key component in Mega Man's armor, the Metal Blades of Metal Man, Cut Man's Rolling Cutter, and Hard Man's body. |
| Chelonium | Discworld | According to the wizards at the Unseen University, the species Chelys galactica, including Great A'Tuin, are largely made of this element. Its properties are apparently known to them (but not to the readers of the series's books). |
| Chlorophyte | Terraria | A bright-green metal found deep beneath the jungle, implied to be the toughest ore that can be mined from the ground (topped only by Luminite, a material dropped by the final boss). True to its name, Chlorophyte has plant-themed properties, and can be used to craft armor and weapons that harness the powers of plants. It can be combined with glowing mushrooms to make Shroomite, a blue fungi-themed version of the same metal used in ranged weapons and armor, or with ectoplasm to create Spectre Bars, a glowing ghost-themed metal used in various magical weapons and mage armor. It replenishes itself over time by 'growing' into nearby materials. |
| Chronoton (or chroniton) | Various | From Greek χρόνος (Chronos, 'time') + -ον (-on, 'elementary particle'). Associated with manipulating or traveling through time in Star Trek; and in Futurama, where it also has rejuvenating effects. A chronoton bomb in Teen Titans destroys chronotons in a given area, stopping that area's progression through time. The material has also been featured in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. |
| Cobalt Thorium G | Dr. Strangelove, Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot | In Strangelove, an element used in the Russian doomsday device. Both (real) elements cobalt and thorium can be used in nukes to increase fallout, which agrees with the sense in which "Cobalt Thorium G" is used in the movie. In the "Wages of Fire" episode Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, it is revealed that the BGY-11 is powered by a Cobalt Thorium G power core. |
| Coaxium | Star Wars | A material introduced in 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story. It was mined on the planet Kessel and used as an extremely potent spacecraft fuel. |
| Computronium | Philosophy and futurism | Condensed matter "computing substrate" that has the maximum computing power theoretically possible. Some authors have speculated on the possibility of turning entire planets, or even the whole universe into computronium and what this would mean for humanity, or indeed, if humanity would even be needed after creating intelligences of such "Godlike power". |
| Collapsium | The Terro-Human Future History | First mentioned by H. Beam Piper in his Terro-Human Future History series. Piper describes it as "the electron shells of the atoms collapsed upon the nuclei, the atoms in actual contact". Collapsium can only be worked by abrasion with cosmic rays. Resistant to both ordinary matter projectiles and all forms of radiation, and can be plated on to ordinary steel to form a protective layer. The main use for collapsium is as armor for spacecraft. |
| Collapsium | The Collapsium | A material made of black holes; can be used to warp space and time in accordance with the wishes of its inventor. |
| Corrodium | Ben 10 | A mutagenic crystal from the Anur System. |
| Dagal | Skylark | A synthetic metal made by the Urvanians. Superior to the Arenak made by their enemies, the Osnomians. |
| Dalekanium | Doctor Who | (Introduced in The Dalek Invasion of Earth.) Fictional bonded polycarbide material from the Daleks' homeworld of Skaro. Is, among other things, a powerful but unstable explosive that will even affect the Daleks' body casings (and, ironically, is also the material used in the makeup of said body casings). |
| Dark Metal | DC Comics | A metal discovered by Batman in the Dark Nights: Metal storyline. It can link the known multiverse with the "Dark Multiverse." |
| Dilithium | Star Trek | Dilithium (Li$_2$) exists (two covalently bonded lithium atoms); but something else is referred to in fiction. In Star Trek, dilithium occurs in crystal form and serves as a controlling agent in the matter-antimatter reaction cores used to power the faster-than-light warp drive. In the original series, dilithium crystals are rare and cannot be replicated, making the search for them a recurring plot element. When the crystals appear in the original series they look much like petalite, an important ore of lithium. The name dilithium has led to speculation on whether it is meant as an isotope of lithium or a compound with two lithium atoms. But in a periodic table in a Next Generation episode, it is shown as an element with chemical symbol Dt and atomic number 87, which is in reality francium. Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual gives a chemical formula made of real and fictional elements, instead of treating dilithium as its own element. |
| Divinium (E115) | Call of Duty | Extraterrestrial element found in meteorites. The German research team Group 935 discovers it in northern France in 1918 where zombified Christian knights infect the research team. Seen throughout the 'Zombies' storyline, it powers energy weapons, zombifies (and in some cases mutates) humans, increases the abilities of humans, can bend time and space, and alters firearms. E115 is used in some way by the German Empire, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union; creating zombies every time. The real element 115, moscovium, is unstable, lasting only seconds before decaying radioactively. |
| Duodecimates | The Face | Hypothetical stable elements beyond atomic number 120. Such elements are predicted in the real world as an "Island of stability". In the novel by Jack Vance, duodecimates were deposited on a planet, Dar Sai, by the explosion of a nearby star. The planet's economy comes to depend on mining and sale of duodecimate ores. It is not revealed what the substance is actually used for. |
| Duranium | Star Trek | The fictional metal duranium is referred to in many episodes of Star Trek as extremely hard alloys used in starship hulls and hand-held tools. |
| Dureum | Lensman | The fictional synthetic metal dureum has a higher moment of inertia than regular materials. It takes more work to move or stop moving than other objects of the same mass. |
| Dust | RWBY | Naturally occurring, crystalline energy source found in the world of Remnant. The Aura of Humans and Faunus can activate it. Dust comes in a variety of types, each with different properties such as fire, ice, wind, gravity etc. There are four main kinds; these can be blended naturally or artificially to create new kinds. Crystalline Dust is stable enough to stay out in the open, but powdered Dust is highly volatile, and must be stored in special containers for safety. Dust has a variety of uses, including as a power source for machinery such as airships and robots. Dust may also be used for combat in the form of Dust-filled bullets, as powder placed inside weapons and clothing, or in crystal form for raw power. Dust stops functioning if taken outside of the atmosphere of Remnant, so it can't be used for space travel. In the series, most of Remnant's supply of Dust comes from the Schnee Dust Company, which mines, purifies, and exports the material throughout the world. |
| Dysonium | The Orville | A mildly radioactive transuranic element used to power spacecraft and certain planet-bound facilities, named after real-world scientist Freeman Dyson. It is found all throughout the Milky Way and was discovered on Earth's mantle during the early 22nd century. However, it can also be synthesized. Dysonium fuel cores look like glowing, blue spheres. |
| Element Zero (0-Ez) | Mass Effect | Element Zero, or "Eezo", is naturally created in dying stars and harvested from supernovas. Is used to generate the mass effect fields of many advanced technologies in the Mass Effect universe. Applying a positive or negative charge to this substance reduces or increases the mass of any objects within the emission field. Also found in organics, and the source of biotic abilities. Nodules forming throughout the bodies of most species, such as the Asari. Introduced into human species via alleged experiments by a shadowy government agency. |
| Element 99 | Singularity | Radioactive orange element with a lead-grey natural form. Purified ore glows orange. Discovered by Soviet scientists looking for uranium for Stalin's nuclear program. An island off the Kamchatka Peninsula codenamed Katorga-12 is sectioned off as a top secret research, mining, and refining facility. After an incident with the E99 generator, the E99 radiation is spread all over the island. E99 can warp time, mutate living organisms grotesquely, and provide a clean, if dangerous, energy source. The real element 99, einsteinium, has no such qualities. |
| Element 115 | Ufology, various works | Widely known within the sci-fi and UFO community; since, according to ufologist Bob Lazar, it is used by alien engines to generate anti-gravity and propulsion. The real element 115 is moscovium, a synthetic element with an extremely short half-life. |
| Elerium-115 | X-COM: UFO Defense | Elerium is the main power source and propellant of alien technology in this video game, where the player runs X-COM, an international, top secret, paramilitary organization fighting an alien invasion. |
| Energon | Transformers | A substance or form of energy serving as the primary fuel source for the Cybertronian/transformer race. Often takes the form of a liquid, most often as "energon cubes" refined from other sources of chemical energy. |
| Eridium | Borderlands | A priceless alien mineral in the Borderlands franchise |
| Etherium | Magic: The Gathering | A magical Aether-infused alloy found on Esper, one of the five shards of the plane of Alara. Most of Esper's inhabitants have parts of their body replaced by etherium. It is also used to craft artifacts like the Filigree texts, sacred texts worked in etherium containing the Vedalken's accumulated knowledge. |
| Feminum | DC Comics | An indestructible metal found only on Paradise Island. Wonder Woman's bracelets are made of Feminum. |
| Fraudulin | Monty Python's Flying Circus | First used in 1970 in the "Crelm Toothpaste" sketch of the season 2 episode "How Not To Be Seen", and again in 1971 when the same sketch was re-released as part of the Pythons' film And Now for Something Completely Different. A chemical of obscure composition, ostensibly a powerful preventative of tooth decay and invariably referred to as "the miracle ingredient, fraudulin", it is a direct parody on the use of questionably effective "miracle additives" in advertising puffery. |
| Frinkonium | The Simpsons | Element, invented by Springfield scientist Professor Frink. |
| Galine | I Expect You To Die | Blue liquid with atomic number 3 and symbol Gi that makes a compound that is corrosive to copper when mixed with Arsonium and Sanite, and a compound that explodes when exposed to air when mixed with Nanite. The real element 3 is lithium. |
| Gaulau | Glinda of Oz | In L. Frank Baum's last Oz book, published in 1920, Glinda says that the magical "rare mineral powder called gaulau" is "more wonderful even than radium". The text describes it as "a grayish powder, the tiny grains of which constantly moved as if impelled by some living force". When a magician burns a small amount of gaulau, its magical activity, directed by the correct spoken words or incantations, is capable of powering magical heavy machinery, including an expanding steel column which lifts an entire underwater village (sealed under a glass dome) from the bottom of a large lake to the surface, and holds it at the surface indefinitely, until more gaulau is used to submerge the village again. |
| Genevium | Giants series | Rarest of three stable transuranic elements predicted by the new science of nucleonics in James P. Hogan's Giants series. Not naturally occurring outside of neutron stars; trace amounts of genevium are detectable after detonation of nucleonic weapons, but it requires higher yields to produce than hyperium and bonnevillium. |
| Gigarium | Godzilla: Final Wars | Also known as Giganume. Takes the form of a powerful, red, highly explosive energy blast, which is fired from the kaiju Gigan's eye. Splits into smaller explosive blasts upon nearing a target. |
| Gundarium | Mobile Suit Gundam | Fictional alloy based on Titanium. Was created in U.C. 0064, in order to provide the Earth Federation Space Forces with a lightweight metal that was also durable enough to be the main framework for the RX series of Mobile Suits. Its durability is remarkable, withstanding impacts of 120mm shells from a Zaku's machinegun, and even the explosion of Side 7 without as much as a scratch. It even showed durability against Megaparticle Cannons, such as the ones utilized by the Zeong. |
| Harbenite | Tarzan at the Earth's Core | Appears in Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel Tarzan at the Earth's Core. Harbenite, named after its discoverer, Dr. von Harben, is a metal found in the fictional African country Urambi and is described as lighter than cork and stronger than steel. Harbenite was used to build the O-220, a dirigible airship built for a rescue mission to the Earth's core in response to a radio distress call from David Innes and Abner Perry, the original discoverers of the inner world of Pellucidar in the novel At the Earth's Core. |
| Harmonium | Wax and Wayne | (Introduced in Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning) Body and metallic form of the Shard Harmony. It is highly unstable due to Harmony being composed of the two shards Preservation and Ruin and reacts explosively to water similar to an alkali metal. In universe it is used to power certain magical devices such as allomancy powered airships or grenades that copy certain abilities of a magic system. |
| Hedonium | Philosophy, futurism | Matter that is optimal for generating pleasure. Nick Bostrom investigates the desirability (or otherwise) of maximizing hedonism in this way. He invokes another fictional substance, computronium, to "tile the universe" with the maximal amount of hedonium. |
| Hedrium | Godzilla vs. Hedorah | Acidic, sludge-like material which composes the kaiju Hedorah's body, which is also its primary method of attacking. Can also be used to shoot a crimson laser beam from the kaiju's eyes. Durable, but needs to be wet in order to function is vulnuerable to drying out, especially via electrocution. |
| Hihiirokane | Various works | Also spelled "hihi'irokane". Katakana: ヒヒイロカネ or kanji: 緋々色金 It is a red-orange fantasy metal that is common in Japanese fiction. |
| Hyperium | Giants | One of three stable transuranic elements predicted by the new science of nucleonics in James P. Hogan's Giants series. Not naturally occurring outside of neutron stars, but trace amounts are created in the detonation of nucleonic weapons. |
| Horonium | Star Trek | (Introduced in "Those Old Scientists".) Rare material, used as a component in constructing the NX-01 Enterprise, and as a fuel for a time portal on Krulmuth-B. |
| Ice-nine | Cat's Cradle | A more stable polymorph of water than common ice (Ice I$_h$), which instead of melting when above 0 °C (32 °F), only melts at 45.8 °C (114.4 °F). When ice-nine comes in contact with liquid water below 45.8 °C, it acts as a seed crystal, and causes the solidification of the entire body of water, which quickly crystallizes as more ice-nine. |
| Imperial Gold | Rick Riordan | (Introduced in The Lost Hero.) Enchanted gold. Extremely harmful to magical creatures, but cannot harm non-magic ones. |
| Inerton | Armageddon 2419 A.D. | Synthetic material, made in a process which allows energy to be converted directly into matter (similar to the replicator later seen in Star Trek). Inerton is totally inert to almost all forces, including light, heat, and gravity; so it is cold to the touch and always pitch black, and completely weightless and indestructible to anything except disintegrator beams (which convert matter directly to energy in the reverse of the process that created the material). Inerton is used mostly in hulls of futuristic airships, serving as both armor and as a lifting body, as well as in special belts worn by the characters which allow them to leap great distances by counterbalancing the weight of their bodies. |
| Inertron | DC Comics | The densest substance in the universe. The walls of the Legion Clubhouse are composed of an inertron alloy. |
| Inoson | E. E. Smith's SkyLark series | A synthetic metal; has "the theoretical ultimate in strength possible for any material possessing molecular structure". Much superior to the Dagal of the Urvanians or the Arenak of the Osnomians. |
| Jerktonium | It's a SpongeBob Christmas! | A green superheavy element. Ingestion of jerktonium causes a bad attitude, but the effects are curable by song. Other side effects of ingesting this element include a fast growth of stubble, a look of fatigue radiated by bags under the eyelids, and thick eyebrows. |
| Jumbonium | Futurama | Very rare and valuable element with atoms big enough to be seen by naked eye. In the episode "The Lesser of Two Evils", a Jumbonium atom is used in 3001 for the Miss Universe competition, where it hovers above the prized tiara. According to Bob Barker (in the episode), the atom is worth $200,000 or, at least, somewhere between $200,000 and $200,001. Professor Farnsworth says the nucleus alone is worth $150,000. |
| Katchin | Dragon Ball Z | Said to be the hardest material in the Dragon Ball universe. When testing the Z Sword, Goku throws a cube of Katchin, which was summoned by Supreme Kai, at Son Gohan in order to test the sword's supposed legendary strength. The block of Katchin proceeds to snap the Z Sword when Gohan tries to slice it. |
| Kryptonite | DC Comics | A radioactive crystal originating from the planet Krypton that is harmful to Kryptonians. Kryptonite comes in various colors with differing effects, and has been variously depicted as an element and compound. |
| Kyber crystal | Star Wars | A rare, semi-sentient, crystalline material found across the galaxy. Kyber crystals vary in shape and color, but all are deeply connected to the Force, the vast energy field connecting all living things. They are most commonly used by the Jedi and Sith in making lightsabers; but larger, rarer crystals are sometimes used in superweapons, including the planet destroying Death Star. |
| Lerasium | Mistborn | A metal forming the body and power of the shard Preservation that makes any non-allomancer who ingests it an extremely powerful mistborn. All known samples are destroyed after the last was ingested by Elend Venture. It is the source of the Lord Ruler's and the first noble's Allomantic abilities, being found by Rashek at the well of ascension. Its Allomantic, Feruchemic and Hemalurgic powers are unknown. It is named after the holder of Preservation, Leras. |
| Lunarium | Radar Men from the Moon | "More powerful than uranium"; used by men from the Moon. |
| Metal X (Rovolon) | E. E. Smith's SkyLark series | An element discovered that facilitates conversion of the energy in metals (copper or uranium) and uses it as a propulsive or attractive force. The Norlaminians had already discovered this metal and named it Rovolon. However, they had only trace amounts found in meteorites. |
| Meteorillium | Return to Castle Wolfenstein | Element found in meteors theorized to originate in the center of the galaxy. The Schutzstaffel's Special Projects Division discovers some of the rare element in the Baltic states. Oberführer Strasse's project book indicates that the SS Paranormal Division needs it for the resurrection of King Henry the Fowler. Strasse's lab in Norway refines the metal into its 317 isotope for use in the ceremony. |
| Mithril / Mythril | Various | Originally from in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. A durable silvery metal; very light and extremely strong. Mithril means "grey gleam", but is translated as "true silver". It is mined in native form in Moria. It can also be worked into other forms with unusual properties such as reflecting only the light of the Moon. The fictional metal has appeared in other fantasy universes, games, and books. "Mythril" appears in the video game series Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. "Mithral" is used in D&D books; "Milrith" in Simon the Sorcerer. In Warhammer, the High Elven metal "Ithilmar" has similar properties and use. In RuneScape it is a lightweight blue metal stronger than steel. In World of Warcraft, mithril and truesilver both appear; truesilver is a rare spawn node in the same areas as mithril. Both can be mined as ore and smelted into a bar using the mining profession. Mithril also appears in the MMORPG Guild Wars 2 as a blueish-silver metal used in crafting. In Defense of the Ancients, the multiplayer online battle arena version of Warcraft, players can buy the Mithril Hammer from the Main Shop. "Mithral" also features in the Dungeon Master series. It appears in armor form in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It appears as a cyan metal used to make armor and weapons in MapleStory. Mythril is also depicted as a teal-color metal used to craft armor, weapons, and tools in Terraria. |
| Moustachium | Team Fortress 2 | Yellow metal bars given to people who gained achievements in the game SpaceChem. It can be used to craft items such as fishcake or a SpaceChem pin. |
| Nanite | I Expect You To Die | Yellow liquid with atomic number 13 and symbol Nn; makes a compound that explodes when exposed to air when mixed with Galine, and an antivirus when mixed with Regalite and Sanite. The real element 13 is aluminium. |
| Naquadah | Stargate | First depicted (but not named) as a quartzite-like "mineral" in the original Stargate movie. Naquadah is an extremely dense metallic transuranic element in the island of stability, and is superconducting at room temperature. Rare and valuable, and not occurring naturally in the Solar System, its peculiar properties led to its use as the basis for many advanced technologies, including the Stargates themselves, of which naquadah is the primary constituent. Naquadah greatly amplifies energy, making it extremely potent if paired with explosives. It also occurs in the bloodstream of the Goa'uld, which allows them to control their technology and sense the presence of other symbiotes. The Goa'uld have naquadah mining operations on many planets, and make use of refined naquadah as a form of currency. Naqadah is used in liquid form, to power Goa'uld staff weapons, and heavy liquid naquadah is used to power Goa'uld AG-3 weapon satellites. Naquadah can also be used to create weapons of mass destruction. |
| Naquadria | Stargate | This heavy, unstable isotope of naqahdah is 100 times more powerful, highly radioactive, and does not occur in nature. A very large artificial vein was discovered and mined on Kelowna for use in weapons of mass destruction. It was also used by Stargate Command to power the hyperspace generators on the prototype X-302 and X-303 spacecraft. |
| Netheranium | Marvel Comics | A psycho-sensitive metal originating from Satan's extradimensional plane. Daimon Hellstrom's trident is made of Netheranium, which enables him to fly and manipulate mystical energy. |
| Netherite | Minecraft | An ancient fireproof alloy made from gold and netherite scraps, which are smelted from ancient debris found in the Nether dimension. When combined with diamond equipment and a netherite upgrade template, the metal creates the game's strongest weapons, tools and armour. |
| Nth Metal | DC Comics | A Thanagarian alloy used by Hawkman and Hawkwoman. It can negate gravity and magic, among other properties. In some versions, the Legion of Super-Heroes' flight rings are made of valorium, an Nth metal alloy. |
| Octiron | Discworld | A strange, iridescent metal; highly valued. It radiates dangerous amounts of raw enchantment and is so unstable it can only exist in a universe saturated with raw magic. |
| Orichalcum | Mythology of Atlantis | Pink or red metal mined in Atlantis; also called mountain copper. May be based on Auricupride. Powers machinery in Atlantis in the video game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. In Exalted, Orichalcum is the strongest of the five magical materials and can be made by distilling ordinary gold using Gaia's blood (Magma) and concentrating sunlight using large occult mirrors. Found in Final Fantasy as a rare material with varying properties. In the Soul Calibur series, Sophitia carries a sword and shield set named Orichalcum. A green metal used in smithing to craft Orcish weapons and armor in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In Maplestory it is a fuchsia metal used to craft armors and items. In Guild Wars 2, Orichalcum appears as an amber-colored metal used in crafting various things. In Shadowrun, orichalcum is a magical alloy of gold, silver, mercury, and copper. Also named "Orichalcon" in some games. Orichalcum is depicted as a pink metal in Terraria and is used to make weapons, armor, and different walls and blocks. It also appears in Harvest Moon as a resource in multiple entries in the series. In the online game Forge of Empires, it is a golden-brown "special good" which can only be mined undersea during the Oceanic Future and later eras. Also mentioned in the "Biggles" story "The Adventure of the Oxidized Grotto" from Biggles - Charter Pilot (1943). |
| Phostlite | Tintin: The Shooting Star | Extraterrestrial mineral found in a meteorite that lands in the Arctic Ocean. Phostlite accelerates growth and increases size, causing gigantic apple trees to grow from a single apple core and causing insects and spiders to grow to enormous sizes. |
| Polydenum | OtherSpace | A metallic, radioactive, explosive element found in some planetary cores that is mined and refined to become the main fuel for starship sub-light engines in the OtherSpace multiverse, and a potent explosive. |
| Polydichloric euthimal | Outland | Powerful amphetamine. Greatly increases miners' productivity in the Brith sci-fi thriller Outland. Prolonged use leads to severe psychosis often ending in deadly violence or suicide. In the 1991 American sci-fi action film Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the barrels of explosive used to destroy the Cyberdyne building are labeled "Polydichloric Euthimol" as an in-joke. |
| Protodermis | Bionicle | Artificial substance. Comprises all of the giant robot Mata Nui and the beings that live inside it. Liquid protodermis functions similar to water; solid protodermis can function as earth, stone, or metal. Organic protodermis forms the biological components of the characters. A naturally-occurring form, Energized Protodermis, is a silver-colored liquid that is a sapient being, and can transform or destroy any living thing that touches it. |
| Protomolecule | The Expanse | An unusual, exotic substance discovered in Saturn's moon Phoebe by the corporation Protogen. When introduced to living tissue, the protomolecule undergoes strange processes, seeming to deconstruct the life in order to turn it into new structures. With a larger sample of biomass, the complexity of the protomolecule's processes seems to increase, and becomes able to do things that appear to violate the laws of physics, such as accelerating and decelerating objects in defiance of Newton's third law. Ultimately, it is revealed that the protomolecule was created by a powerful alien civilization billions of years ago, with the goal of assimilating enough biomass to allow the protomolecule to become a massive ring structure that can be used as a wormhole. |
| Pyrholidon | Disco Elysium | A radiation sickness treatment with psychedelic side-effects. Pyrholidon has the same chemical structure as the real drug AEOL-10150. AEOL-10150 is a drug in development designed to treat sulfur mustard and nerve agent exposure, as well as pneumonitis due to acute radiation syndrome. Pyrholidon's in-game description is as follows: "A pretty little puck-shaped cap of purple liquid that can bring on anything from hot flashes to military-grade psychosis. With sufficient tolerance, however, it can make any weather feel balmy – if only for a while." |
| Quadium | The Mouse That Roared by Leonard Wibberley | Hydrogen isotope $^4$H. Fissionable; explosive potential many times greater than plutonium. Quadium is discovered by Dr. Kokintz who uses it to build the "Q-Bomb", a doomsday device that can destroy all life on Earth. A madcap series of events results in the Q-Bomb being captured by the anachronistically medieval army of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick turning this tiny and technologically backward European country into the most powerful nation on Earth. Grand Fenwick then uses the threat of the Q-Bomb to force the nuclear powers to accept a nuclear disarmament agreement. In the end Dr. Kokintz discovers the Q-Bomb is actually a dud, but decides it is in the best interest of humanity to keep this fact a secret. |
| Quantonium | Monsters vs. Aliens | A blue-green luminescent material that is used as fuel. When the protagonist, Susan Murphy, is hit by an asteroid filled with quantonium, she grows to a gigantic size. |
| Radianite | Valorant | Grey crystal-like substance. Has become a major part of Earth's civilization after its discovery. Is used to power and augment much of Earth's technology and is the game's main plot device; one team has to steal large amount of crates containing radianite, while the other team has to defend objectives to keep the opposing team from stealing the crates. It was initially known to be a clean, safe source of energy and something that could inflict supernatural abilities upon certain people who come into contact with it. Known as Radiants, they made up only a relatively small section of the global population and eventually became an accepted part of society. After a disaster in Venice, it is revealed that radianite had more destructive potential, leaving the world questioning how safe radianite actually was. |
| Radium X | The Invisible Ray | Highly radioactive extraterrestrial element discovered by Dr. Janos Rukh. He uses it to create a death beam projector which uses the incredible power of Radium X for a destructive weapon of mass terror. After developing a filter to curb its destructiveness, Rukh also uses it to restore sight to his blind mother with the Radium X projector. According to legend, this scene inspired John H. Lawrence to use radiation on his mother, who had been diagnosed with inoperable uterine cancer. |
| Raysium | The Stormlight Archive | Bright golden metal forming the body and power of the shard Odium that conducts investiture, drawing it in from any source. Used by the forces of Odium to drain Radiants of their stormlight and to transfer spren between gemstones. |
| Rearden Metal | Atlas Shrugged | Greenish-blue alloy containing iron and copper invented by Hank Rearden. Lighter and stronger than traditional steel, it is to steel what steel was to iron. |
| Rebellium | Space: 1999 | Rebellium appears on a computer monitor (VDU) during Episode 24, Series 2, The Dorcons in which Moonbase Alpha is attacked by The Dorcons who are attempting to kidnap Maya who is a Psychon. Rebellium is one of the constituent elements of the Dorcons space craft. |
| Red mercury | Urban legend | Hoax substance of uncertain composition purportedly used in making nuclear bombs. It appears in the films Red Mercury and Red 2. |
| Redstone | Minecraft | "Perhaps the biggest stroke of genius in Minecraft". This red mineral serves as in-game wiring, letting players lay down logic circuitry that controls pistons, minecarts and other dynamic elements in the game. It is found as ore in deep caves. It can be used in trails of dust, compressed into solid blocks, or crafted with other materials into various mechanical components, such as comparators. Dust trails transmit "redstone signals" from a source, and solid blocks act as infinite sources of "redstone power". |
| Regalite | I Expect You To Die | Purple liquid with atomic number 11 and symbol Re that makes a compound that produces clouds when exposed to air when mixed with Arsonium, and an antivirus when mixed with Nanite and Sanite. The real element 11 is sodium; and Re = rhenium. |
| Residuum | Critical Role, The Legend of Vox Machina | A mineral; can enhance arcane powers. Refined from whitestone rocks. During Exandria's Calamity, a fight between the gods created mountains infused with their magic; whitestone is mined from these mountains.$^{:75}$ Residuum can be further refined into suude – a performance-enhancing drug which improves spellcasting.$^{:85}$ It first appeared in campaign one of the Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role; it later appeared in other Critical Role campaigns and the animated adaptation The Legend of Vox Machina. Mechanically in the D&D game, residuum can replace expensive components consumed by spells and other arcane rituals.$^{:75}$ |
| Runite | RuneScape, Old School RuneScape | Blueish metal, named after the game it features in; also commonly called 'rune'. In earlier versions of the game and the Old School game, it is the toughest workable metal, and in the main game it is both the strongest workable metal in the free-to-play version, as well as being the main ingredient in the Elder Rune metal. In the lore of both versions of the game, the special treatment this metal gets is evident in the requirement to complete a quest assigned by the Guildmaster of the Champion's Guild in order to wear a platebody of this metal. This metal is stronger than other well-known fictional metals that also exist in the game, such as Mithril and Adamant. |
| SAM | Satisfactory | Glassy purple/indigo mineral able to manipulate atomic bonds of any matter within physical contact of it when "Reanimated". Used to transform materials, and to progress through alien technology research. (aka. Strange Alien Matter) |
| Sanite | I Expect You To Die | Red liquid with atomic number 17 and the symbol Y. Makes a compound that is corrosive to copper when mixed with Arsonium and Galine, and an antivirus when mixed with Regalite and Nanite. The real element 17 is chlorine and the element with symbol Y is yttrium. |
| Saronite | World of Warcraft | Teal-color metal found in the land of Northrend. Said to be created from the blood of the old god Yogg-Saron. Those who spend a long time in Saronite mines will complain of ghostly whispers and be driven to insanity. This metal is also used by the Scourge and Knights of the Ebon Blade to create armor, though the creators of the game confirmed that using Saronite in armor will not affect the wearer. In the game, Saronite can be used by blacksmiths and engineers to craft rare and epic-quality armor and weapons. |
| SCP-148 | SCP Foundation | Alloy: mainly platinum and iridium, plus several other known metals (including iron, cobalt, and copper) and unidentified matter. SCP-148 (or "telekill") has a passive effect that negates extrasensory perception. Long exposure causes communication disorders; extensive overexposure leads to complete aphasia with no visible signs of brain damage. |
| Scrith | Ringworld | Structural material for Ringworld, with tensile strength on the order of the strong nuclear force. |
| Seastone | One Piece | Rare substance; "gives off a wavelength that is the same as the sea itself", making it, in effect, a solid form of sea. Any person with superhuman powers obtained from a Devil Fruit has said powers temporarily neutralized if they come into contact with Seastone. Used mainly by the Marines for apprehension or containment of such persons, using it to build devices like batons, bullets, handcuffs, nets etc. Most of such devices were invented by the world-renowned genius Dr. Vegapunk. It can also be used to camouflage ships from the notice of the giant sea creatures called "Sea Kings". |
| Septium | Trails | Septium are gemstones that align with one of seven elements: Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, Space, Mirage, and Time. Septium is central to the function of Orbal energy, which can power appliances, vehicles, or channel elemental power in the form of "Arts", magical techniques used in combat. |
| Silver rock stone | Pokémon | A silvery substance, one of the hardest in the Pokémon world, and which only occurs on Silver Rock Isle. The locals sell wing-shaped pin talismans fashioned from silver rock stone. |
| Silverstone | Elemental Assassin | Magic metal that can absorb and negate elemental magic, at the cost of generating heat (melting the metal if it absorbs too much). This ability lets Silverstone be used for both storing magical energy to be used later and to protect people, objects, or structures from mystical attacks. Silverstone is also durable against mundane force, with shooters preferring it to Teflon for armor-piercing bullets. |
| Solaronite | Plan 9 from Outer Space | A substance that explodes sunlight particles. Such an explosion would set off an uncontrollable chain reaction, destroying the universe. This is what the antagonists of the movie seek in their plot to destroy Earth and humanity. |
| Space Titanium | Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla | Also called "space metal". Strong metal from outer space used by the Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens to create Mechagodzilla. After Godzilla destroys Mechagodzilla, the Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens use this metal to create a second Mechagodzilla in the 1975 sequel Terror of Mechagodzilla. |
| Stygian Iron | Rick Riordan | (Introduced in The Battle of the Labyrinth.) A type of iron mined in the Underworld and forged in the River Styx. Unlike Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold, monsters killed by it cannot reform, and it can kill non-magical creatures as well as magical creatures. |
| Supermanium | DC Comics | An indestructible metal that was used to make Superman's Supermobile. |
| Supremium | The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island | An ore, or possibly an element, which provides immense amounts of energy. Found on Gilligan's Island, it is unstable and explosive outside its natural environment. |
| Tanavastium | The Stormlight Archive | The god metal formed from the essence of the Shard Honor. Used in construction of the 10 original Honorblades, magical swords given to the heralds by Honor to seal the Oathpact. Later the same material was used to construct a new Honorblade for Kaladin Stormblessed when he reforged the Oathpact during the events of Wind and Truth. |
| Taydenite | Ben 10 | An extremely hard gem, and the most precious material in the galaxy, used as both currency and fuel for spaceships. |
| Thiotimoline | Isaac Asimov | Fictional chemical compound. Its major peculiarity is its "endochronicity": it starts dissolving before it makes contact with water. |
| Thirium | Detroit: Become Human | Primarily used for the synthesis of "Blue Blood", a fluid that circulates energy and information inside CyberLife androids. It has a destabilizing effect on hormone production. |
| Tiberium | Command and Conquer | An extraterrestrial crystalline structure, it grows and spreads like a living organism (roots absorb elements of the soil to grow crystals off the ground). The green crystals are made of various minerals such as phosphor and iron and 1.5% of unknown matter. When refined, it can function as a high energy fuel and be turned into both a weapon and building materials with relative ease. It causes various health issues and Tiberium poisoning to anyone in contact with it. Named after the Tiber River where it was first found in 1995. |
| Timonium | Numerous works | In the Liaden universe, the planet Surebleak was once a mining center for timonium before large amounts were discovered in another nearby star system. Timonium is a radioactive element used as an internal power source for high tech devices. The material has also been featured in The Stardust Voyages, and in Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends. |
| Transformium | Transformers: Age of Extinction | A programmable material that the Transformers are made from. |
| Tritanium | Star Trek | The fictional metal tritanium was referred to in many episodes as an extremely hard alloy used in starship hulls and hand-held tools. |
| Tritanium | Eve Online | A versatile material; the primary material used in the construction of virtually all star ships and star ship components. It is described as being unstable at atmospheric temperatures, and thus is only used in constructing objects intended to stay in space permanently. |
| Trellium | Wax and Wayne | Trellium is a silvery red god metal with dark red spots similar to rust. It is the solid form of the Shard Autonomy's power. It is around a 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale and repels Investiture. Unlike most other god metals in the Cosmere it is not commonly known by name of the vessel of the Shard from which it originates which would make it Bavadinium. Due to its ability to repel Investiture it is used along with Harmonium to create Weapons of Mass Destruction comparable to Thermonuclear weapons. These weapons of mass destruction create Atium and Lerasium as a by-product of their detonation. |
| Truthitonium | The Ambidextrous Universe | Martin Gardner describes Truthitonium as the invention of Ralph Cooper of Los Alamos. It is created momentarily (called a moment of Truth), by annihilating a Truthiton (a proto-proton) with a pseudo electron (a fiction), after which it degenerates releasing 2000 neutrinos and then implodes into nothingness "leaving behind not a particle of Truth". |
| Ultron | Armageddon 2419 A.D. | A synthetic material which is an "absolutely invisible and non-reflective solid of great molecular density and moderate elasticity, which has the property of being 100 percent conductive to those pulsations known as light, electricity and heat". In the novel, the Americans use this technology, combined with Inerton, as well as explosive rockets and radio frequencies the enemy cannot detect, in their struggle with the main antagonists, "The Hans". |
| Unobtainium | Aerospace term | A substance with the exact properties needed for a piece of hardware or other item of use, but not obtainable, either because it theoretically cannot exist, or because geopolitical events preclude access to it, or because current technological limitations prevent making it. |
| Unobtainium | Avatar | Unobtanium is also the mineral being sought on Pandora by brute-force mining methods in the film Avatar. It is a room-temperature superconductor. |
| Unobtainium | The Core | A material invented by Dr. Brazzelton, who dubs it "unobtanium" as its technical name has 37 syllables. Unobtanium is able to convert heat and pressure into energy that reinforces its own structure, allowing the construction of a vessel capable of enduring a trip to the Earth's core. In addition, it can also turn heat into electric power. Unobtanium is created by combining unspecified crystals in a tungsten-titanium matrix at low temperatures. |
| Upsidaisium | The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends | A focus of the second-longest Rocky and Bullwinkle story arc, Upsidaisium, an anti-gravity metal, is much sought after by the US government. Bullwinkle comes to the attention of government agents, as well as spies Boris and Natasha, after inheriting his uncle's Upsidaisium mine. The mine is located in the fictional Mt. Flatten, which floats high in the air due to the high amount of Upsidaisium within. |
| Uridium | Uridium | Fictional metal named in the 1986 computer game Uridium, available for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, and Amstrad CPC. Each level of the game takes place on a space dreadnought named after a different metal. The last level is named after the fictional element uridium. The cassette inlay card says the name was created by one of the game developers who thought uridium really existed. (Not to be confused with real element iridium.) |
| Uru | Marvel Comics | A durable metal from Asgard that is easily enchanted. Thor and Beta Ray Bill's hammers, Mjolnir and Stormbreaker, are made of Uru metal. |
| Valkyrium | Pathway | In the 2019 indie game Pathway by Robotality, a large Valkyrium network is believed to extend from the African Atlantic coast to the Caucasus. Known to the ancient Egyptians as Ka and called Valkyrium-500 by the Germans, these green crystals are of unknown origin and were collected by the Nazis for their Projekt Walhalla to unleash the powers of ancient artifacts. |
| Versamina | Storie naturali (Primo Levi) [it] | Versamine are substances that turn pain into pleasure. |
| Verterium cortenide | Star Trek | Has a key role in Star Trek's warp drive propulsion system, since it is described as the only compound able to generate warp fields when given energy from the warp core. The crew of USS Voyager are forced to land on a planet to retrieve verterium cortenide to repair their warp nacelles after a sabotage. |
| Vibranium | Marvel Comics | Vibranium is a rare metallic substance that is theorized to be of extraterrestrial origin and closely associated with Wakanda. It exists in two forms: one of them, the Wakandan variety, is native only to Wakanda and can absorb energy. The Antarctic variety, known as Anti-Metal, is an isotope native to the Savage Land that can produce disintegrating vibrations. |
| Vizorium | Dirty Pair: Project Eden | An extremely rare metal that is illegal and sold by various criminals. It is used to power warp drives. |
| Wapometal | One Piece | Rare substance; Wapometal is a special kind of alloy that was inadvertently invented by Wapol when he was turning garbage into toys during his cover story, manufactured via his Baku Baku no Mi powers. It was this metal that turned him from a homeless bum into a very wealthy CEO of a toy company. His Wapometal toys were so successful, the World Nobles granted him a new kingdom as a reward. Franky used Wapometal for his Iron Pirate General Franky. It is a shape-memory alloy that can be restored to its preconfigured shapes, being used to create merger modes in the components of General Franky. |
| Wishalloy | Aerospace term | Alternative to unobtainium; may mean that said substance is theoretically impossible under known scientific theory. Historically scramjets have been described as being made from unobtainium reinforced wishalloy. |
| Xirang | Chinese mythology | Magic soil that can self-expand and continually grow. Used to fight against the waters of the Great Flood. |
| Xirdalium | The Chase of the Golden Meteor | Element which is, in the French first edition of the novel, ~100,000 times more radioactive than radium. In the English first edition this is reduced to 100 times. Xirdalium was invented by Jules Verne's son Michel, who introduced it to the novel, together with the character Zephyrin Xirdal, a 'private genius' who synthesized the new element. In the story Xirdal then uses Xirdalium in a contraption emitting a strong tractor beam able to alter the trajectory of the meteor mentioned in the novel's title. |
| Xenonite | Project Hail Mary | Xenonite, created by the alien Eridians, is a metal with varying types. Made primarily of the noble gas xenon, it can be used for building, engineering, and much more. It has virtually unlimited tensile strength; a wide variety of colors, including transparent and tan; and even different textures. The metal is unusual in that it is composed of a noble gas, which does not typically form strong molecular structures. |
| Xithricite | Vendetta Online | A bright green mineral used to produce incredibly strong alloys originally discovered by explorers from the Neutral Territories. References to it are found throughout the game's item descriptions. Is used in everything from spaceship hulls to railgun ammunition. Players can mine Xithricite ore from asteroids. |
| X-linked Herculite | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (novel) | Harriman Nelson's military-classified transparent metal, sold to the US Navy as battleship hull armor. With the billion-dollar profits, Nelson employed the material as the hull his for "USOS Seaview," a nuclear submarine for scientific research. In Sturgeon's novelization, the name "Seaview" connects with the entirely-transparent submarine, which had to be painted opaque except for enormous hull-integrated forward viewports. (So, the predicessor of Star Trek's "transparent aluminum" as well as Larry Niven's "Puppeteer GP hulls," also similar to Jaques Cousteau's using the profits from patenting the scuba aqualung, in order to outfit his (non-fictional) 1950 research ship RV Calypso.) The later TV series lacked the transparent-hull concept, where instead the submarine's fragile front windows were protected by movable blast-doors, and could be shattered by explosives. |
| Z-Crystals | Pokémon | Mysterious crystals to be held by Pokémon and used in battle to upgrade normal moves to Z-Moves through use of a Z-Ring by their trainer. Crystals available for each move type (from Bug to Water) and for 17 specific Pokémon. |
| Zynothium | Teen Titans | A red compound that is highly unstable, dangerous, and rare. Its properties allow it to act as a power source and it powers the Red X suit. |
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## Fictional isotopes of real elements

| Name | Isotope of | Source | Uses | Reality |
| $^{80}$Ir | Iridium | Riptide | According to the book, one second of direct exposure is equivalent to a lethal dose, with a reading of 3217.89 Rads/hr from 15 metres away. The blade of St. Michael's sword was forged from it. | $^{80}$Ir does not exist; the lightest known isotope is $^{164}$Ir. |
| $^{186}$Pu | Plutonium | The Gods Themselves | Isotope of plutonium; too unstable to exist in our world, but exists naturally in fictional parallel universes whose strong nuclear force is stronger. This is used as a source of energy where turned into $^{186}$W, releasing electrons in the process. | Lightest known isotope of plutonium: $^{227}$Pu. |
| Quantium | any element, but most commonly potassium | Babylon 5 | Rare and expensive; used in jumpgates; forms when ordinary matter is subject to the stresses of a supernova, pushing some of its electron pair-bonds into hyperspace. The most commonly found form derives from $^{40}$K, giving quantium-40. The name was coined by David Strauss in response to a request from the show's creator. | $^{40}$K is a natural isotope, used to date rocks. But the method of getting quantium as described has not been shown in real life. |
| $^{61}$Pm | Promethium | DC Comics | Promethium is an artificial element created by Steve Dayton that has two variants: "depleted" and "volatile". Depleted Promethium is used in Deathstroke and Cyborg's armor. Volatile Promethium can generate near-limitless energy and possesses mutagenic properties. | Promethium has no stable isotopes. |

## Fictional subatomic particles

| Name | Source | Properties |
| Akiva | SCP Foundation | Radiation linked to prayer and divine intervention. A place with high levels of Akiva radiation has been visited or touched by a god, while a place with low Akiva radiation may be considered forgotten or forsaken by the gods. Named after a Jewish scholar and religious leader, the Rabbi Akiva. |
| Dust | His Dark Materials | Elementary particle; the basic unit of consciousness. Not a constant, but is generated by and gives sentience to animals in a positive feedback loop. The human brain is a focusing mechanism for Dust. The more conscious the entity, the more Dust is around it. Permeates all universes and passes among dimensions. |
| Parker Particles | Marvel Comics | Parker Particles are a form of energy discovered by Peter Parker that are tied to the universe's expansion and thus possess theoretically infinite power. Young hero Alpha gained his powers after being exposed to Parker Particles during a school trip. |
| Philote | Ender's Game series | Smallest possible particle; occupies no space at all. All philotes are interconnected by quantum entanglement, and philotic energy can be harnessed to allow for instant communication and near-instant travel to anywhere in the universe. |
| Philosophon | Flatterland | Unit of logic so tiny only a philosopher could hope to split it. |
| Pym Particles | Marvel Comics | Pym Particles are particles discovered by Hank Pym that can manipulate the size of other objects. It is used by Pym, his partner Wasp, and Goliath, among others. |
| Reson | Discworld | The constitute particle of the Thaum, akin to the real-life quark. Its name literally means "thing-ies". It comes in 5 "flavors" or types: Up, Down, Sideways, Sex-Appeal and Peppermint. |
| Tachyon | Many examples; see Tachyons in fiction | A tachyon is anything that travels faster than light. In many fictional settings it is taken that this involves time travel and they are invoked as an integral part of, or even shorthand for, time travel devices. |
| Thaum | Discworld | The basic unit of magical strength; the amount of magic needed to create one small white pigeon or three normal-sized billiard balls. The Thaum has been shown to be made up of Resons in the Unseen University's High Energy Magic Building. |