transition element

Noun

 * 1)  Any element in the d block of the periodic table (i.e. groups 3 to 12 inclusive).
 * 2)  The same, but excluding the group 12 elements (i.e. groups 3 to 11 inclusive).
 * 3)  Any of the group of metallic elements that have an incomplete inner (d) electron shell, having multiple valencies and forming coloured compounds and stable complex ions.

Usage notes

 * The group 12 elements zinc, cadmium, mercury (and copernicium) are sometimes excluded from this group. The IUPAC 2005 Red Book allows for this, but not the IUPAC 2011 Principles of Chemical Nomenclature.

Hyponyms
scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, yttrium, zirconium, niobium (columbium), molybdenum, technetium, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, cadmium, lutetium (cassiopeium), hafnium, tantalum, tungsten (wolfram), rhenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, gold, mercury, lawrencium, rutherfordium (kurchatovium, dubnium), dubnium (hahnium, nielsbohrium, joliotium), seaborgium (rutherfordium), bohrium (nielsbohrium), hassium (hahnium), meitnerium, darmstadtium, roentgenium, copernicium

Translations

 * Afrikaans: oorgangselement
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:
 * Finnish: siirtymäalkuaine
 * Romanian: element de tranziție
 * Serbo-Croatian: prijelazni element
 * Spanish: elemento de transición