Element Names and Their Origins

Element Names

• The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is responsible for approving the official names of elements.
• Elements are named based on their properties, discovery, or the scientist who discovered them.
• Some elements are named after:
  • Mythological figures (e.g., Titanium, Tantalum)
  • Places (e.g., Francium, Germanium)
  • Properties (e.g., Oxygen, Iodine)
  • Scientists (e.g., Curium, Rutherfordium)
• Elements with atomic numbers 1-10 have Latin roots:
  • Hydrogen (hydrogenium)
  • Helium (helium)
  • Lithium (lithium)
  • ...and so on
• Elements with atomic numbers 11-30 have Latin roots with Greek prefixes:
  • Sodium (natrium)
  • Magnesium (magnesium)
  • Aluminum (aluminium)
  • ...and so on
• Elements with atomic numbers 31-103 have a combination of Latin and Greek roots:
  • Germanium (germanium)
  • Arsenic (arsenicum)
  • Selenium (selenium)
  • ...and so on
• Elements with atomic numbers 104 and above have temporary names based on their atomic number:
  • Unnilquadium (104)
  • Unnilpentium (105)
  • ...and so on