An element of bother among sailors (5)
I believe the answer is:
radon
'an element' is the definition.
(chemical element)
'bother among sailors' is the wordplay.
'bother' becomes 'ado' (I've seen this in another clue).
'among' indicates putting letters inside.
'sailors' becomes 'RN' (abbreviation for Royal Navy).
'ado' going into 'rn' is 'RADON'.
'of' is the link.
(Other definitions for radon that I've seen before include "Colourless gas, atomic number 86" , "Radioactive gas, linked to granite" , "Gaseous element, Rn" , "A radioactive gas, symbol Rn" , "gets no reaction" .)