The Native Elements
Image left: A copper penny. Image in the public domain.
The Native Elements is the category of the pure elements, or minerals composed of atoms from a single element. Most minerals are made up of a combination of chemical elements. In this group, a single element, like the copper penny shown above, are found in a naturally pure form. It is often the metals seen in this category but semi-metals like bismuth, arsenic, and antimony are also in the ranks as are nonmetals like sulfur and carbon (as graphite and diamond).