Period 6 element the last stable element; all subsequent elements are radioactive. For bismuth, however, its only primordial isotope, Bi, has a half-life of more than 10 years, over a billion times longer than the current age of the universe. As a rule, period 6 elements fill their 6s shells first, then their 4f, 5d, and 6p shells, in that order; however, there are exceptions, such as gold. This period contains the lanthanides, also known as the "rare earths". Many lanthanides are known for their magnetic properties, such as neodymium. Many period 6 transition metals are very valuable, such as gold, however many
Minor metals Indium (In), Lithium (Li), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), Mercury (Hg), Molybdenum (Mo), Neodymium (Nd), Niobium (Nb), Iridium (Ir), Osmium (Os), Praseodymium (Pr), Rhenium (Re), Rhodium (Rh), Ruthenium (Ru), Samarium (Sm), Selenium (Se), Silicon (Si), Tantalum (Ta), Tellurium (Te), Titanium (Ti), Tungsten (W), Vanadium (V), Zirconium (Zr) Minor metals Minor metals is a widely used term in the metal industry that generally refers to metals which are a by-product of smelting a base metal. Minor metals do not have a real exchange, and are not traded on the London Metal Exchange (LME). Two characteristics are regularly associated with minor metals: (1)