NAMES OF 103 of the CHEMICAL ELEMENTS

      Updated from Exploring Chemical Elements and their Compounds
                                     by David L. Heiserman

                                             TAB BOOKS
                                    Blue Ridge Summit, PA
                                                 1992

                             Submitted by Preston Q Boomer
                                        60 Verde Drive
                                  Santa Cruz, CA 95060
                                        408 426-2617
            (Suggestions & corrections welcome for the next update).



Actinium       Greek aktis, ray.  Discovered in 1899 by Debierne.
                          Highly radioactive.
Aluminum      Latin alumen, alum. Isolated by Orsted in 1825.
Americium     For the American continent.  Discovered by
                          Seaborg, James, Morgan, and Ghiorso in 1944.
Antimony      "Not Good for Monks" (it caused pigs to get sick, 
                         then they grew fat and healthy.  When tried on 
                         the Monks, they died.)
                       or from Greek anti-monos, not alone. 
                       From the mineral stibnite.  From ancient times.               
Argon            Greek, Lazy One. Isolated by Rayleigh and Ramsay
                      in 1894.
Arsenic         Latin arsenicum, Greek arsenikon, yellow orpiment
                        (pigment). Identified by Albertus Magnus in 1250.
Astatine        Greek astatos, unstable. Synthesized in 1940 by
                          Corson, MacKenzie, and Segre at Berkeley.
Barium          Greek barys, heavy. Isolated by Sir Humphry Davy
                         in 1808.
Berkelium      For Berkeley, California.  Discovered by Thompson, 
                         Seaborg, and Ghiorso in 1949.
Beryllium      Beryl, a mineral. Isolated by Wolhler and Bussy in 
                       1828.
Bismuth         German bisemutum.  Isolated by Valentine in 1450.
Boron             Arabic for borax. Isolated in 1806 by Gay-Lussac,
                        Thenard and Sir Humphry Davy.
Bromine         Greek bromos, stench. Isolated in 1826 by Balard.
Cadmium        Greek kadmeia, calamine (zinc oxide).  Discovered
                          by Strohmeyer, Hermann, and Roloff in 1871.
Calcium          Latin calx, lime. Isolated by Sir Humphry Davy in
                          1808.
Californium    For UC at Berkeley. Discovered by Seaborg,
                           Street, Thompson, and Ghiorso in 1944.
Carbon            Latin carbo, charcoal. Known from ancient times.
Cesium           Latin coesius, sky blue.  Named for the blue lines
                          of its spectrum.
Cerium            For the asteroid Ceres.  Found by Berzelius,
                          Hisinger, and Klaproth in 1803.
Curium            For Pierre and Marie Curie.  Discovered by Seaborg,
                           James, and Ghiorso in 1944.
Chlorine         Greek chloros, greenish-yellow. Prepared by Scheele
                         in 1774. Recognized as an element by Sir Humphry
                         Davy in 1810.
Chromium      Greek chroma, coloured. Has many colours of
                         compounds. Discovered by Vauquelin in 1797.
Cobalt            Kobald--Goblin (gremlin) (blue stones appearing 
                         in the mines. From ancient times.
Copper           Cuprum (from Cyprus, island of Cyprus). From 
                         ancient times.
Dysprosium    Greek dysprositos, hard to get at.  Discovered by
                         Boisbaudran in 1886.
Einsteinium    For Al.  Synthesized by Ghiorso and others in 1952.
Erbium            For the Sweedish town, Ytterby. Discovered by
                          Mosander in 1843.
Europium        For Europe. discovered and isolated by Demarcay 
                          in 1896.
Fermium        For Enrico Fermi.  Synthesized by Ghiorso and others
                           in 1952.
Fluorine         Latin fluere, to flow. Isolated by Moissan in 1886.
Francium        For France.  Discovered by Perey in 1939.
Gadolinium     The mineral gadolinite named after Johan Gadolin.
                         Discovered by Marignac and Boisbaudran in 1886.
Gallium          Latin Gallia, France.  Predicted by Mendeleev, found
                        by Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1875.
Germanium     Latin Germania, German.  Predicted by Mendeleev
                         in 1871.  Discovered by Winkler in 1886.
Gold               Latin aurium, shining dawn. Gold is Anglo-Saxon in
                           origin.  Discovered in prehistoric times.
Hafnium          Latin for Copenhagen, Hafnia. Discovered by Coster
                          and Hevesy in 1923.
Helium           Element of the Sun (helios).  Discovered in the solar
                         spectrum in 1868 by  Janssen and Lockyer.
Holmium        The Sweedish city Holmia.  Discovered by Cleve
                         in 1879.
Hydrogen       Water Former. Isolated by Henry Cavendish in 1776.
Indium           Latin indicum, the colour indigo.  Discovered in 1863
                         by Richter.
Iodine            Greed ioeides, violet. Discovered by Courtois in 1811.
Iridium          Latin iris, rainbow (colourful compounds).
                           Discovered by Tennant in 1803.
Iron               Anglo-Saxon, iron. Latin ferrum.  From ancient times.
Krypton          Greek kryptos, Hidden One. Discovered by Ramsay and
                         Travers in 1898.
Lanthanum     Greek lanthanein, to lie hidden.  Identified by 
                          Mosander in 1893.
Lawrencium   For Ernest Lawrence, inventor of the cyclotron.
                         Synthesized by Ghiorso, Sikkeland, Larsh, and 
                         Latimer in 1961.
Lead              Anglo-Saxon, lead. Latin plumbum, plumber's metal.
                             From ancient times.
Lutetium       Ancient name for Paris, France, Lutecia.  Discovered
                         by Weisbach and Urbain in 1907.
Lithium         Stone (lithos). Discovered by Arfwedson in 1817.
Magnesium    from Magnesia, Greece.  Isolated by Sir Humphry Davy
                        in 1808.
Manganese     Latin magnes, magnet. Discovered and prepared in 
                        1774  by Scheele and Gahn.
Mendelevium  For Dimitri Mendeleev.  Synthesized by Ghiorso, 
                         Harvey, Choppin, Thompson, and Seagorg in 1955.
Molybdenum    Greek molybdos, lead.  Identified by Scheele in 1778.
Neptunium      God of the Sea. Discovered by McMillan and Abelson
                           in 1940.
Mercury         Latin hydrargyrus, liquid silver. Roman god Mercury,
                         Greek hygronium, water metal. From ancient
                         times.
Neon              New. Discovered in 1898 by Ramsay and Travers.
Neodymium    Greek neos + didymos, new + twin.  Found by
                           Weisbach in 1885.
Nickel           German kupfernickel, "Old Nick", the Devil, 
                         caused miners' sickness. Isolated by Baron
                         Axel Fredrik Cronstedt in 1751.
Niobium         After Niobe, mythological daughter of Tantalus.
                         Discovered by Hatchett in 1801.  Also known
                         as Columbium.
Nitrogen        Nitre former (saltpeter), (soda forming). Discovered
                        in 1772 by Priestley, Daniel Rutherford, 
                        Cavendish, and Scheele.
Nobelium        For Alfred Nobel. Synthesized by Ghiorso, Sikkeland, 
                          Walton, Seaborg in 1958.
Osmium         Greek for stink. Discovered by Tennant in 1803.
Oxygen          Acid former. Discovered 1772 by Scheele and Priestly.  
                        Named by Lavoisier.
Palladium      The asteroid Pallas.  Discovered by Wollaston in 1803.
Phosphorous  Light Bringer. Isolated by Brand in 1669.
Platinum       Spanish platina, silvery.  Discovered by Ulloa in 1735.
Plutonium     God of the Underworld. Discovered by Seaborg in 1941.
Polonium       For Poland.  Discovered by Marie Curie in 1897.
Potassium     From Potash. Latin Kalium, alkali. Discovered and
                        isolated by Sir Humphry Davy in 1807.
Praseodymium Greek prasios + didymos, green twin. Found by
                          Welsbach in 1885.
Promethium  Prometheus, god of fire.  Found by Glendenin and
                          Coryell in 1947.
Protactinium Greek proto + actinium, parent of actinium.
                          Discovered by Fajans and Gohring in 1913.
Radium          Radioactive
Radon            Emanation. Discovered by Dorn in 1900.
Rhenium        Latin rhenus, the Rhine River.  Discovered by Ida and
                         Walter Noddack, and Carl Berg in 1925.
Rhodium        Greek rhodon, rose.  Discovered by Wollaston in 1803.
Rubidium       Latin rubidus, deep red.  Discoverd by Bunsen and
                       Kirchhoff in 1861.
Ruthenium     Latin Ruthenia, Russia. Predicted by Osann in 1828,
                         isolated by Klaus in 1844.
Samarium      The mineral samarskite.  Found by Boisbaudran in 1879.
Scandium       Latin Scandia, Scandinavia. Predicted by Mendeleev
                        in 1871, confirmed by Nilson in 1879.
Selenium       Greek selene, Moon.  Identified by Berzelius in 1818.
Silicon          Sand. Latin silex, flint. Isolated by Berzelius in 1824.
Silver           Anglol-Saxon siolful, silver. Latin argentium.  From
                          ancient times.
Sodium          From Soda Ash. Medieval Latin sodanum, headache 
                        remedy. Latin Natrium, sodium carbonate.
Strontium     Strontian, Scotland.  Noted by Crawford in 1790.
                         Isolated by Sir Humphry Davy in 1808.
Sulfur           Latin sulphur, sulfur.  Brimstone. From ancient times
                        classified by Lavoisier in 1777.
Tantalum       Tantalus, the father of Niobe.  discovered by 
                        Ekenberg in 1802.
Technetium   Greek for artificial.  Discovered by Segre and 
                        Perrier in 1937.  First synthetically produced
                        element.
Tellurium      Latin tellus, earth.  Discovered by Reichenstein in
                         1782.
Terbium         After Ytterby, a Sweedish village.  Discovered 
                         in 1843 by Mosadner.
Thallium        Greek thallos, green twig.  Discovered by Sir William
                         Crookes in 1861. A green branch on the spectrum.
Thorium        For the Norse God of Thunder. Discovered by Berzelius
                         in 1828.
Thulium        Thule, ancient name for Scandinavia.  Discovered 
                         by Cleve in 1879.
Tin                Etruscan god, Tinia.  Latin stannum. From ancient
                       times.
Titanium       The Greek Titans.  Discovered in 1791 by Gregor and
                        Klaproth, isolated in 1910 by Hunter.
Tungsten       Sweedish tung sten, heavy stone. Wolfram. Isolated
                         by Juan & fausto Elhuyer in 1783.
Uranium        Uranus, father of the Titans, Cyclopes, etc.
                          Discovered by Klaproth in 1789.  Its radioactivity
                          discovered by Becquerel in 1896.
Vanadium      Scandinavian goddess Vanadis. Discovered in 1801-
                        1867 by Rio, Roscoe, and Selfstrom.
Ytterbium      Sweedish villiage Ytterby.  Discovered by 
                         Marignac in 1878.
Yttrium         Swedish village, Yttrby.  Discovered in 1789 by 
                        Gadolin isolated by Wohler in 1828.
Xenon            Greek xenos, strange. Discovered by Sir William 
                         Ramsay in 1895.
Zinc               German, zink.  Prehistoric origin.
Zirconium     Gold coloured. Zircon the mineral. Identified by 
                        Klaproth in 1789, isolated by Berzelius in 1824.