section_path: History/Discovery and recognition of various elements
section_name: Discovery and recognition of various elements
paragraph_text: Discovery and recognition of various elements
  
  Ten materials familiar to various prehistoric cultures are now known to be elements: Carbon, copper, gold, iron, lead, mercury, silver, sulfur, tin, and zinc. Three additional materials now accepted as elements, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth, were recognized as distinct substances prior to 1500 AD. Phosphorus, cobalt, and platinum were isolated before 1750.
  
  Most of the remaining naturally occurring elements were identified and characterized by 1900, including:
  
  Elements isolated or produced since 1900 include: