Timeline of chemical element discoveries Modern discoveries Modern discoveries

| Z | Element_ | Observed_or_predicted | Isolated_widely_known | Observer | First_isolator | Notes_ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Scandium | 1879 | 1879 | F. Nilson | F. Nilson | Nilson split Marignac`s ytterbia into pure ytterbia and a new element that matched 1871 Mendeleev`s predicted eka-boron. |
| 62 | Samarium | 1879 | 1879 | P.E.L. de Boisbaudran | P.E.L. de Boisbaudran | Boisbaudran noted a new earth in samarskite and named it samaria after the mineral. |
| 64 | Gadolinium | 1880 | 1886 | J. C. G. de Marignac | F. L. de Boisbaudran | Marignac initially observed the new earth in terbia, and later Boisbaudran obtained a pure sample from samarskite. |
| 59 | Praseodymium | 1885 |  | A. von Welsbach |  | Von Welsbach discovered two new distinct elements in ceria: praseodymium and neodymium. |
| 60 | Neodymium | 1885 |  | A. von Welsbach |  | Von Welsbach discovered two new distinct elements in ceria: praseodymium and neodymium. |