Period 4 element be dangerous in large enough quantities due to its radioactivity. Nickel (Ni) is an element in period 4, between cobalt and copper. Nickel is rare in the Earth's crust, mainly due to the fact that it reacts with oxygen in the air, with most of the nickel on Earth coming from nickel iron meteorites. However, nickel is incredibly common in the Earth's core; along with iron it is one of the two main components. Nickel is an important component of stainless steel, and in many superalloys. Copper (Cu) is an element in period 4, between nickel and zinc. Copper is
Period 5 element Niobium, or columbium, is a chemical element with the symbol Nb and atomic number 41. It is a soft, grey, ductile transition metal, which is often found in the pyrochlore mineral, the main commercial source for niobium, and columbite. The name comes from Greek mythology: "Niobe", daughter of "Tantalus". Niobium has physical and chemical properties similar to those of the element tantalum, and the two are therefore difficult to distinguish. The English chemistCharles Hatchett reported a new element similar to tantalum in 1801, and named it columbium. In 1809, the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston wrongly concluded that tantalum and