# Four elements named after a town? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 18, 2001, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-elements-named-after-a-town/54934 "2001-02-18T00:55:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2001, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-elements-named-after-a-town/54934/1 "2001-02-18T00:55:50Z")
I apologize in advance for not searching about this… But my Pocket Pharmacopoeia asks for a town that has 4 elements from the periodic table named after it. Anyone? Diver ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2001, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-elements-named-after-a-town/54934/2 "2001-02-18T01:04:48Z")
Ytterby, Switzerland: ytterbium, erbium, terbium and yttrium ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2001, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-elements-named-after-a-town/54934/3 "2001-02-18T01:07:53Z")
Damn! I meant Sweden! All rare earth elements, which were isolated from many unusual minerals which occur in a quarry there. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2001, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-elements-named-after-a-town/54934/4 "2001-02-18T01:10:59Z")
Thank you ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2001, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-elements-named-after-a-town/54934/5 "2001-02-18T21:55:52Z")
elements named for places on the Earth[ul][li]Americium for America[/li][li]Berkelium for Berkeley, California [also the University there][/li][li]Californium for California [also for the University of California][/li][li]Copper for Cyprus (indirectly)[/li][li]Erbium for Ytterby, Sweden[/li][li]Europium for Europe[/li][li]Francium for France[/li][li]Gallium for Gaul (Latin Gallia, loosely France) [or perhaps after its discoverer, LeCoq, whose Latinized name was Gallus][/li][li]Germanium for Germany[/li][li]Hafnium for Copenhagen (Latin Hafinia)[/li][li]Holmium for Stockholm (Latin Holmia)[/li][li]Lutetium for Paris (Latin Lutetia)[/li][li]Magnesium for Magnesia (an ancient district of Greece, indirect derivation)[/li][li]Manganese for Magnesia (indirectly)[/li][li]Polonium for Poland (Latin Polonia)[/li][li]Rhenium for the Rhine (Latin Rhenus)[/li][li]Ruthenium for Russia (Latin Ruthenia)[/li][li]Scandium for Scandinavia (Latin Scandia)[/li][li]Strontium for Strontian, Scotland[/li][li]Terbium for Ytterby, Sweden[/li][li]Thulium for Thule (ancient Greek name for Scandinavia)[/li][li]Ytterbium for Ytterby, Sweden[/li][li]Yttrium for Ytterby, Sweden[/ul][/li] elements named for bodies of the solar system[ul][li]Cerium for the asteroid Ceres[/li][li]Mercury for the planet Mercury (or perhaps the god Mercury)[/li][li]Neptunium for the planet Neptune[/li][li]Palladium for the asteroid Pallas[/li][li]Phosphorus for the planet Venus (Phosphoros was the ancient Greek name for Venus as a morning star)[/li][li]Plutonium for the planet Pluto[/li][li]Selenium for the moon (Greek Selene)[/li][li]Tellurium for the planet Earth (Latin tellus) [or perhaps after the substance earth][/li]Uranium for the planet Uranus [/ul] ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2001, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-elements-named-after-a-town/54934/6 "2001-02-18T22:00:34Z")
Oh, I forgot one. Helium is named for the sun. ---
**Author:** ![keeper0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@keeper0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeper0)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2001, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-elements-named-after-a-town/54934/7 "2001-02-18T22:00:59Z")
**BP** please tell me that was cut and pasted from someplace, and not off the top of your head. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2001, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-elements-named-after-a-town/54934/8 "2001-02-18T22:07:56Z")
I distilled the information from the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, the American Heritage Dictionary, and the New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-elements-named-after-a-town/54934/9 "2001-02-18T22:21:57Z")
I hope this is not too far off from the OP, but here goes… From 1997 (when element 106 was named by the IUPAC) until his death in 1999, Glenn Seaborg was the only person on Earth who could list his “address” with chemical symbols: Sg, Bk, Cf, Am Seaborgium, Berkelium, Californium, Americium ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2001, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-elements-named-after-a-town/54934/10 "2001-02-18T22:44:54Z")
Nice compilation, **bibliophage** , but your list apparently didn’t include the more recent transuranian elements, so you can add: Dubnium (105) - named for the Joint Nuclear Institute at Dubna Hassium (108) - Latin Hassius for Hess, the German state. A very good source for anything having to do with elements and the periodic table: [http://www.webelements.com](http://www.webelements.com) ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2001, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-elements-named-after-a-town/54934/11 "2001-02-18T22:57:36Z")
Hmmmm. I saw the thread title and thought “Someone must be reading the fine print on the back of title page of a Tarascon’s Pocket Pharmacopeia.” Imagine my shock when I was right. 🙂