Timeline of chemical element discoveries Modern discoveries Modern discoveries

| Z | Element_ | Observed_or_predicted | Isolated_widely_known | Observer | First_isolator | Notes_ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | Molybdenum | 1778 | 1781 | W. Scheele | J. Hjelm | Scheele recognised the metal as a constituent of molybdena. |
| 52 | Tellurium | 1782 |  | F.-J.M. von Reichenstein | H. Klaproth | Muller observed it as an impurity in gold ores from Transylvania. |
| 74 | Tungsten | 1781 | 1783 | T. Bergman | J. and F. Elhuyar | Bergman obtained from scheelite an oxide of a new element. The Elhuyars obtained tungstic acid from wolframite and reduced it with charcoal. |
| 38 | Strontium | 1787 | 1808 | W. Cruikshank | H. Davy | Cruikshank and Adair Crawford in 1790 concluded that strontianite contained a new earth. It was eventually isolated electrochemically in 1808 by Humphry Davy. |