# Two new elements named **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 31, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682 "2012-05-31T18:14:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/21 "2012-05-31T21:19:28Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > Well, I think there might be a scientific and practical point in finding an [island of stability](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_stability) - a string of elements in the periodic table that are more long-lived than the ones we’re making now. Yes I have heard of the predicted “island of stability,” but, of course, it is only stability relative to the elements leading up to it. The elements there will still be extremely short lived. Now, tell me what the practical or scientific significance of actually synthesizing any of them might be? What ramifications is it likely to have for the rest of science? Precious few, so far as I can see. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/22 "2012-05-31T21:25:56Z")
Enh, discover for discovery’s sake isn’t a bad thing. Labelling it, same. It just creates a structure, which I assume will forever be changing, within which to experiment. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/23 "2012-05-31T21:55:38Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Not all of them, of course. Americans call the light metal _aluminum_, but the British, with an (arguably) foolish love of consistency, call this _aluminium_. If you want to annoy them, ask them why they don’t say _platinium_. There is an interesting anecdote in the aforementioned _Disappearing Spoon_ about aluminum vs. aluminium. Apparently the pronunciation was changed in the US to make it sound more like platinum, because before an economical method for smelting aluminum was developed, it was scarce and was being marketed as a luxury metal. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/24 "2012-05-31T22:03:25Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > There is an interesting anecdote in the aforementioned _Disappearing Spoon_ about aluminum vs. aluminium. Apparently the pronunciation was changed in the US to make it sound more like platinum, because before an economical method for smelting aluminum was developed, it was scarce and was being marketed as a luxury metal. Did not know that! :eek: See, I love this place; you really DO learn something new every day! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/25 "2012-05-31T22:12:05Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > If Frink discovered anything, wouldn’t it have to be called Glavinium? 😃 I would have thought “Freunlavium”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/26 "2012-05-31T22:36:51Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Yes I have heard of the predicted “island of stability,” but, of course, it is only stability relative to the elements leading up to it. The elements there will still be extremely short lived. Now, tell me what the practical or scientific significance of actually synthesizing any of them might be? What ramifications is it likely to have for the rest of science? Precious few, so far as I can see. We won’t know if we don’t look. And according to the Wiki article some might have half lives in the order of millions of years. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/27 "2012-05-31T23:15:15Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Yes, it’s Latin. It comes from the names of metals and I think it just became tradition at some point. > [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Here ya go- > [http://wordinfo.info/units/index/I/page:6](http://wordinfo.info/units/index/I/page:6) > > Info says it’s a metallic element suffix, but it’s also in Helium (from Helios, meaning sun) which of course isn’t a metal, tellurium, and germanium, which are metalloids. Sites I looked at say selenium’s a nonmetal with borderline metalloid properties. > > With the preceding exceptions, all elements ending in -ium are metals. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > Not all of them, of course. Americans call the light metal _aluminum_, but the British, with an (arguably) foolish love of consistency, call this _aluminium_. If you want to annoy them, ask them why they don’t say _platinium_. > > Besides, there are plenty of elements that end in neither _-ium_ or _-um_ – _Nickel, Cobalt, Gold…_. > [@freckafree](#): > > There is an interesting anecdote in the aforementioned _Disappearing Spoon_ about aluminum vs. aluminium. Apparently the pronunciation was changed in the US to make it sound more like platinum, because before an economical method for smelting aluminum was developed, it was scarce and was being marketed as a luxury metal. Now THAT’S what I love. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/28 "2012-05-31T23:26:50Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Yes I have heard of the predicted “island of stability,” but, of course, it is only stability relative to the elements leading up to it. The elements there will still be extremely short lived. Now, tell me what the practical or scientific significance of actually synthesizing any of them might be? What ramifications is it likely to have for the rest of science? Precious few, so far as I can see. What good is a baby? Faraday said this to somebody who asked your question about a foolish and obscure thing he was experimenting with – electricity. It’s hard to know, is the problem, and our species has thrived by trying stuff, ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/29 "2012-05-31T23:30:39Z")
Hasselhofnium Burtonium Could work… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/30 "2012-06-01T00:22:34Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > And more work for Tom Lehrer. And there may be many others, but they haven’t been discahvered. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/31 "2012-06-01T00:31:02Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Yes I have heard of the predicted “island of stability,” but, of course, it is only stability relative to the elements leading up to it. The elements there will still be extremely short lived. Now, tell me what the practical or scientific significance of actually synthesizing any of them might be? What ramifications is it likely to have for the rest of science? Precious few, so far as I can see. It would definitely be of value to be able to synthesize elements up through the proposed island of stability, enough to observe their properties. It would either confirm the theory about this island, or refute it. Either would be very important for nuclear physicists. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/32 "2012-06-01T00:40:06Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Not all of them, of course. Americans call the light metal _aluminum_, but the British, with an (arguably) foolish love of consistency, call this _aluminium_. If you want to annoy them, ask them why they don’t say _platinium_. > > Besides, there are plenty of elements that end in neither _-ium_ or _-um_ – _Nickel, Cobalt, Gold…_. As I recall Helium was discovered in the optical absorption lines in the Sun’s visible spectrum before it was isolated on Earth. Naming an element discovered that way as “Sun Metal”, from Helios & ium, is not so crazy. For consistency with the other Noble Gasses Helium should be renamed Helion. But who’s going to change all the textbooks? Some hellion, I suppose … Several metallic elements were common enough in ancient times to have, and keep, their common names: iron, cobalt, copper, silver, gold, zinc, mercury. I’d have to look up how Tungsten ended up with a non “ium” name, but work calls. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/33 "2012-06-01T01:57:41Z")
> [@Typo\_Knig](#): > > As I recall Helium was discovered in the optical absorption lines in the Sun’s visible spectrum before it was isolated on Earth. Naming an element discovered that way as “Sun Metal”, from Helios & ium, is not so crazy. For consistency with the other Noble Gasses Helium should be renamed Helion. But who’s going to change all the textbooks? Some hellion, I suppose … > > Several metallic elements were common enough in ancient times to have, and keep, their common names: iron, cobalt, copper, silver, gold, zinc, mercury. I’d have to look up how Tungsten ended up with a non “ium” name, but work calls. Tungsten is a great example, because it has an alternate name, _Wolfram_, wehich is even weirder. It’s the German name, for the metal, as well, and it explains the element’s abbreviation, **W**. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/34 "2012-06-01T02:04:19Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > And there may be many others, but they haven’t been discahvered. Too much science & not enough piano…? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/35 "2012-06-01T02:13:27Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Besides, there are plenty of elements that end in neither _-ium_ or _-um_ – _Nickel, Cobalt, Gold…_. Great. Now I’m allergic to this thread. Twice. Stupid contact dermatitis. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/36 "2012-06-01T05:18:13Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Yes I have heard of the predicted “island of stability,” but, of course, it is only stability relative to the elements leading up to it. The elements there will still be extremely short lived. Now, tell me what the practical or scientific significance of actually synthesizing any of them might be? What ramifications is it likely to have for the rest of science? Precious few, so far as I can see. The scientists at Livermore would be interested in developing new materials with which to build [longer-lasting lightbulbs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_Light). ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2012, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/37 "2012-06-01T10:58:28Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > It would definitely be of value to be able to synthesize elements up through the proposed island of stability, enough to observe their properties. It would either confirm the theory about this island, or refute it. Either would be very important for nuclear physicists. Yes, and if it does exist, being able to measure just how stable they are or aren’t would help us refine our picture of nuclear structure and nuclear binding forces. Not to mention being able to measure the physical characteristics (ie density, color, binding to other elements) if we make enough. Still on the ‘what good is a newborn baby’ level in that we can’t come up with specific practical benefits, but I figure that enough physics ‘newborn babies’ have grown up to do really great things that we can give these ones some slack. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/38 "2012-06-02T11:01:58Z")
I think it’s cool the way humans work. We like square, symmetrical things. We put together the periodic table but the existing elements left it lopsided. So we just started making the missing stuff to complete our table. 🙂 (I know there are other reasons, but I like that one. Go Scientists!) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/39 "2012-06-02T11:59:30Z")
Making up missing stuff is the big success of Mendeleev’s first periodic table: [Mendeleev's predicted elements - Wikipedia](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendeleev's_predicted_elements) One could have asked at the time “What good are these predicted elements?” Gallium is used in compound semiconductors for the lasers in CD/DVD/Blu Ray players, for LED lights, and for the lasers used in fiberoptic communications all over rhe world. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682/40 "2012-06-02T12:18:56Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Here ya go- > [http://wordinfo.info/units/index/I/page:6](http://wordinfo.info/units/index/I/page:6) > > Info says it’s a metallic element suffix, but it’s also in Helium (from Helios, meaning sun) which of course isn’t a metal, tellurium, and germanium, which are metalloids. Sites I looked at say selenium’s a nonmetal with borderline metalloid properties. > > With the preceding exceptions, all elements ending in -ium are metals. Oh yeah? What about [Geranium](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geranium)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-new-elements-named/623682.md?page=3)