Chemical Compounds

Aluminum oxide (alumina) is an extremely hard ceramic material. Natural corundum, rubies, and sapphires are crystalline forms of Al₂O₃.

Antimony trioxide is the most important commercial antimony compound, primarily used as a flame retardant synergist with halogenated compounds.

Barium oxide is a white solid that reacts exothermically with water. It was historically used as a drying agent and …

Beryllium oxide has a unique combination of high thermal conductivity and excellent electrical insulation. It conducts heat nearly as well …

Bismuth(III) oxide is a bright yellow powder used in ceramics, glass, and as a precursor to other bismuth compounds. It …

Boron trioxide is a glassy solid that is one of the most important boron compounds. It is a key component …

Cadmium oxide is a brown-black semiconductor used in cadmium plating and NiCd batteries. It is highly toxic and a known …

Calcium oxide (quicklime) is a white caustic substance produced by heating limestone. It reacts exothermically with water to form slaked …

Carbon dioxide is a colorless gas vital to life on Earth. It is produced by combustion, respiration, and volcanic activity, …

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, toxic gas produced by incomplete combustion. It binds to hemoglobin 200 times more strongly …

Cerium(IV) oxide is the most commercially important compound of cerium, the most abundant rare earth element. It is used as …

Chromium(III) oxide is a stable green pigment known as chrome green. It is one of the most durable inorganic pigments …

Chromium trioxide is a powerful oxidizer and the source of hexavalent chromium in chrome plating baths. It is the most …

Cobalt(II) oxide is a gray-green powder used as a blue coloring agent in ceramics and glass. It has been used …

Copper(II) oxide is a black solid that occurs naturally as the mineral tenorite. It is used as a pigment, in …

Copper(I) oxide is a red powder used in antifouling paint for ship hulls and as a fungicide. It occurs naturally …

Gallium(III) oxide is an emerging ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor that could surpass silicon carbide and gallium nitride in power electronics applications.

Germanium dioxide is the most important germanium compound commercially, used in fiber optics, infrared optics, and as a polymerization catalyst …

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is a transparent conducting oxide used in virtually all touchscreens, LCD displays, and OLED panels. It …

Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) is the most magnetic naturally occurring mineral on Earth. It is the oldest known magnetic material and was …

Iron(III) oxide, commonly known as rust or hematite, is a reddish-brown solid. It is the most common iron ore and …

Iron(II) oxide (wustite) is a non-stoichiometric black mineral. It is thermodynamically unstable and tends to disproportionate to iron and Fe₃O₄.

Lanthanum oxide is used in optical glass, catalytic converters, and as a phosphate binder in medicine. It is a key …

Lead(II) oxide, or litharge, is a yellow to reddish crystalline powder. It has been used in lead-acid batteries, ceramics, and …

LiCoO₂ was the first commercially successful lithium-ion battery cathode, used in smartphones and laptops since 1991. It offers high energy …

NMC is the most widely used cathode chemistry in electric vehicle batteries. Different Ni:Mn:Co ratios trade off energy density against …

Magnesium oxide is a white hygroscopic solid with an extremely high melting point. It is used as an antacid and …

Manganese dioxide is a black mineral that occurs naturally as pyrolusite. It is the primary cathode material in alkaline and …

Molybdenum trioxide is the primary industrial source of molybdenum. It is used as a catalyst, pigment, and precursor for molybdenum …

Neodymium oxide is the precursor for neodymium metal used in the strongest permanent magnets. These NdFeB magnets are in every …

Nickel(II) oxide is a green-black crystalline solid used in ceramics, nickel alloy production, and as a catalyst. It exhibits interesting …

Niobium pentoxide is used in high-refractive-index optical coatings, capacitors, and as a catalyst. Niobium is considered a critical raw material.

Nitrogen dioxide is a reddish-brown toxic gas with a sharp, biting odor. It is a major air pollutant from vehicle …

Phosphorus pentoxide is the most powerful desiccant (drying agent) known. It is so hygroscopic that it reacts violently with water, …

Plutonium dioxide is used in mixed oxide (MOX) nuclear fuel and in radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) that power deep space …

Silicon dioxide (silica) is the most abundant mineral in Earth's crust. Quartz, sand, and glass are all forms of SiO₂.

Strontium oxide is a strong base that reacts with water to form strontium hydroxide. It is used in CRT glass …

Sulfur dioxide is a toxic gas with a pungent smell, produced by volcanic eruptions and industrial processes. It is a …

Sulfur trioxide is a key intermediate in sulfuric acid production via the contact process. It reacts vigorously with water.

Tantalum pentoxide is a high-dielectric material used in electronic capacitors and as an anti-reflective coating for camera lenses. It is …

Tin(II) oxide is a blue-black solid used in tin plating and as a reducing agent. It is an amphoteric oxide …

Tin(IV) oxide is the most important tin ore (cassiterite) and has been mined since the Bronze Age. It is a …

Titanium dioxide is the most widely used white pigment due to its brightness and high refractive index. It is used …

Tungsten trioxide is a yellow powder that is the primary intermediate in tungsten metal production. It is reduced with hydrogen …

Uranium dioxide is the standard nuclear fuel used in most commercial nuclear reactors. It has a remarkably high melting point …

Vanadium pentoxide is a yellow to red crystalline solid that is the most important commercial vanadium compound. It is the …

Vanadium pentoxide is the most important industrial vanadium compound, primarily used as a catalyst for sulfuric acid production by the …

Water is the most abundant compound on Earth's surface and essential for all known forms of life. It is a …

Yttrium oxide is a white powder used in YAG lasers, phosphors for TVs, and as a stabilizer for zirconia ceramics.

Zinc oxide is a white powder used in sunscreens, rubber, ceramics, and electronics. It is one of the most versatile …

Zirconium dioxide is a white crystalline oxide with the highest melting point of any metal oxide. In its cubic form …