We already know things like oxygen, carbon and hydrogen play a pretty important role in human existence.

But what about the elements you don’t know so well that make life possible, and also just more convenient?

In honour of National Periodic Table Day, meet these five unsung heroes of the periodic table.

Lithium

But it isn’t just easily recharged personal devices that benefit from the lightest metal.

Lithium compounds are also used as medication for psychiatric disorders, especially in cases of depression and bipolar disorders when other lines of treatment have been unsuccessful.

That’s a pretty wide range of uses for one metal. Good job, lithium.

Tin

Along with indium and oxygen, tin is spread over glass in a transparent film that conducts electricity from your fingers.

Tin also comes in handy for the delicate soldering that goes into making smartphones.

However, it is a conflict mineral and to buy it some companies may need to do business with mining firms which could potentially fund and perpetuate warfare.

Indium

It’s one of the softest metals around and has low melting and boiling points.

This makes it easy to solder with, and its other weird properties make it transparent in thin film form and easy to evaporate on to glass – and great for those touchscreens.

Indium also coats solar cells and is used in LEDs, plasma screens and sensor coatings.

Neodymium

Thanks to a high magnetic force-to-size ratio, which is greater than iron oxide-based magnets, it can make in-ear headphones lighter than they might be otherwise.

Smaller magnets means smaller ear bud headphones. Thanks, neodymium!

Europium

But the element is incorporated into euro banknotes to help prevent forgery. The type of europium in the banknotes glows red under UV light.

An overall good guy element, it is also put into low-energy lightbulbs to help give the blue-tinged light a little more red.