Period 2 element two make up all natural occurrence of lithium on Earth, although further isotopes have been synthesized. In ionic compounds, lithium loses an electron to become positively charged, forming the cation Li. Lithium is the first alkali metal in the periodic table, and the first metal of any kind in the periodic table. At standard temperature and pressure, lithium is a soft, silver-white, highly reactive metal. With a density of 0.564 g·cm, lithium is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element. Lithium is one of the few elements synthesized in the Big Bang, making it a primordial element. Lithium
Mendeleev's predicted elements place of eka-tantalum in what is now called Group 5. Eka-tantalum is actually dubnium. Mendeleev's 1869 table had implicitly predicted a heavier analog of titanium and zirconium, but in 1871 he placed lanthanum in that spot. The 1923 discovery of hafnium validated Mendeleev's original 1869 prediction. In 1902, having accepted the evidence for elements helium and argon, Mendeleev placed these noble gases in Group 0 in his arrangement of the elements. As Mendeleev was doubtful of atomic theory to explain the law of definite proportions, he had no "a priori" reason to believe hydrogen was the lightest of elements, and