Francium (Fr)
Francium (Fr), heaviest chemical element of Group 1 (Ia) in the periodic table, the alkali metal group. It exists only in short-lived radioactive forms. Natural francium cannot be isolated in visible, weighable amounts, for only 24.5 grams (0.86 ounce) occur at any time in the entire crust of Earth. The existence of francium was predicted by Russian chemist Dmitry I. Mendeleyev in his periodic classification of the elements.