transition metal

noun

: any of various metallic elements (such as chromium, iron, and nickel) that have valence electrons in two shells instead of only one

called also transition element

Examples of transition metal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The ore contains the rare transition metal niobium, which is used in steel production and becomes a superconductor when cooled to low temperatures. Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024 In other cases, e-waste might represent a significant supply of a specialized energy transition metal. Maddie Stone / Grist, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024 Materials to replace or work alongside silicon, such as transition metal dichalcogenides, have been the subject of research by scientists for decades. Belle Lin, WSJ, 12 Jan. 2024 Some of the new materials include transition metals, which are much more abundant and easier to obtain than iridium, while other promising candidates still contain iridium but as part of a different structure that makes the entire material more reactive than pure iridium. IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2023 Jariwala and colleagues are researching solar cells made of the 2D semiconductors called transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), which include materials such as tungsten selenide and molybdenum disulfide. IEEE Spectrum, 15 June 2023 And in the subsurface, suddenly transition metals in the middle of the periodic table, like become active for them. Jeffery Delviscio, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2023 MXenes are a large family of nitrides and carbides of transition metals, arranged into two-dimensional layers. IEEE Spectrum, 22 Feb. 2023 In the December 2021 issue of Nature Communications, one of the authors, Koosha Nassiri Nazif, from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, said that the team used emerging transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), which have excellent electrical and optical properties. Jennifer Kite-Powell, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'transition metal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from their being transitional between the more highly and the less highly electropositive elements

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of transition metal was in 1929

Dictionary Entries Near transition metal

Cite this Entry

“Transition metal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transition%20metal. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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