--- title: Meet the World's Most Valuable Elements description: The most valuable elements in the world are not gold, silver, copper, or even platinum. Read about four of the world's most valuable elements in our blog post. image: https://info.noahtech.com/hubfs/Meet%20the%20World's%20Most%20Valuable%20Elements.jpg --- [(210) 691-2000](tel:+1-210-691-2000) [![Logo2](https://info.noahtech.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo2.png?width=300&height=124&name=Logo2.png "Logo2")](http://noahchemicals.com) - [Home](https://noahtech.com/) - [Products](https://noahtech.com/products) - [About Us](https://noahtech.com/about-us) - [Contact](https://noahtech.com/contact) - [Home](https://noahtech.com) - [Product Search](https://noahtech.com/products) - [Our Products](https://noahtech.com/our-products) - [About Us](https://noahtech.com/about-us) - [Mission Statement](https://noahtech.com/about-us/mission-statement-and-quality-policy) - [News & Blog](https://noahtech.com/blog) - [Resources](https://noahtech.com/about-us/resources) - [Newsletter](https://info.noahtech.com/newsletter) - [Custom Manufacturing](https://noahtech.com/about-us/custom-manufacturing) - [FAQs](https://noahtech.com/about-us/faqs) - [Customer Support](https://info.noahtech.com/customer-support) - [Contact](https://noahtech.com/contact) - [Special Request Form](https://noahtech.com/about-us/mission-statement-and-quality-policy) - [Request a Quote](https://info.noahtech.com/request-a-quote) - [Customer Support](https://info.noahtech.com/customer-support?_ga=2.105203267.1728866925.1585494791-2131920613.1585264299) - [OpenCart Footer](https://noahtech.com/oc-footer) - [Quality Assurance](https://noahtech.com/quality-assurance) - [Credit Application](https://noahtech.com/credit-application) - [Thank you](https://noahtech.com/credit-application/thank-you) - [Privacy](https://noahtech.com/privac) - [Sitemap](https://noahtech.com/sitemap) - [Request a Quote](https://noahtech.com/request-a-quote) - [Landing page](https://noahtech.com/landing-page) - [Industries](https://noahtech.com/industries-1) [Request a Quote](https://noahchemicals.com/request-a-quote/) [Request a Quote](https://info.noahtech.com/request-a-quote?_ga=2.40772194.1728866925.1585494791-2131920613.1585264299) ![banner](https://info.noahtech.com/hubfs/NoahTech_April2020/img/banner.jpg) # Meet the World's Most Valuable Elements Diane Milner Jul 24, 2017 9:19:00 AM ![Meet the World's Most Valuable Elements.jpg](https://info.noahtech.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Meet%20the%20World's%20Most%20Valuable%20Elements.jpg?width=750&height=384&name=Meet%20the%20World's%20Most%20Valuable%20Elements.jpg) When you think of expensive elements, you probably think of gold. While gold (Au) is prized for its subjective value, it’s actually not one of the absolute most valuable elements in the world! Surprisingly, neither is silver, copper, or even platinum. So, which elements *are* the most valuable, and why? Let’s meet at the most expensive elements on earth. **Francium** Never heard of it? That’s because it has a [half-life of just over 22 minutes](http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/87/francium) and no practical usage whatsoever. The largest lab-produced amount of Francium ever observed was just over 300,000 atoms which vaporized almost instantly. If you were to somehow amass a gram of Francium the cost is estimated to be around $1 billion. **Californium** Named for its discovery within a University of California lab in 1950, [Californium](https://www.livescience.com/40272-facts-about-californium.html) was first created by bombarding curium with alpha particles. Only a few grams have ever been produced, each costing somewhere around $27,000,000. Californium actually has a practical use in the oil and gas industry as an efficient source of neutrons. **Carbon** Carbon may be the “building block” of life, but it’s expensive. When carbon atoms are arranged in a specific order, the element skyrockets in price. Diamonds, for example, can cost as much as $60,000/gram, and [carbon fiber](http://www.materialstoday.com/carbon-fiber/features/lowering-the-cost-of-carbon-fiber/), used for various industrial applications, is anywhere from $10-$150 a pound. **Rhodium** Rhodium is traditionally used as a [key component of catalytic converters](https://info.noahtech.com/blog/catalytic-converter-chemistry) in automobiles. Selling for around $1,200 an ounce, the rare element can be mined, itself a byproduct of platinum and nickel. Will electric cars devoid of catalytic converters be the downfall of this rare earth metal? Not likely. Rhodium is used in myriad applications as an alloying agent for other materials for everything from furnace coils to spark plugs. Some elements aren’t necessarily expensive *yet,* but have high potential to become so in the future. So-called [rare earth metals](http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/g282/important-rare-earth-elements/?slide=1) aren’t really rare, but that’s because we haven’t fully explored all the uses for these mining byproducts; more demand could create a supply issue that spikes these metals’ value. For example, **neodymium** is a key component for tiny magnets used in hard drives and headphones. **Erbium** enhances the transmission quality of digital data, and **europium** improves the appearance of LED light. Elements – both real and theoretical – aren’t inherently valuable, it’s [their applications](https://info.noahtech.com/blog/rare-earth-metals-salts-applications) that make them so. Today’s diamond could be tomorrow’s charcoal! ***Noah Chemicals specializes in supply of high-quality rare earth metals and salts, as well as a variety of in-demand chemicals and elements. Questions about how* *our supply* *can impact your research or manufacturing operation?*** [***Contact our on-staff chemists***](https://www.noahchemicals.com/contact-us) ***today.*** For custom ordering, click[here](https://www.noahchemicals.com/special-request-form). To request a quote, click[here](https://www.noahchemicals.com/request-a-quote). For general questions and concerns, click[here](https://www.noahchemicals.com/customer-support). [Here](https://www.noahchemicals.com/about-noah?tab=--faq--) are our FAQs. [Chemical History](https://info.noahtech.com/blog/topic/chemical-history), [Materials Science](https://info.noahtech.com/blog/topic/materials-science) ## Read On ### [Meet the Four Newest Elements Unless you’re an organic chemist, you may not have heard that four new elements were added to the...](https://info.noahtech.com/blog/meet-the-four-newest-elements) ### [Hydrogen as an Alternative Fuel Imagine a future where the only emissions cars produce are water vapor and warm air. To some,...](https://info.noahtech.com/blog/hydrogen-as-an-alternative-fuel) ### [The Chemical Reaction that Might Replace Gasoline Is conventional gasoline set to go the way of the Dodo bird? Maybe, if chemists have anything to...](https://info.noahtech.com/blog/chemical-reaction-replace-gasoline) ![](https://info.noahtech.com/hs-fs/hubfs/May%202021%20-%20new%20images/tri-icon.png?width=100&name=tri-icon.png) ### QUALITY MATTERS Noah Technologies Corporation is committed to continually improving all of our processes and services. We do this in order to provide quality inorganic and specialty chemicals to our customers so that we exceed their requirements. 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