# What will the new elements be called? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2001, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888 "2001-10-02T02:46:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/1 "2001-10-02T02:46:36Z")
As far as I can remember, all elements past 107 (not sure thats the exact number) are still awaiting names from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists. What are the odds on favorites in the chemistry community? What major chemists are left to get stuff named after them? Seaborg, Bohrs, Rutherford, Mendelev and Einstein already have their names in elements. Will there be a “Planckium” or “Paulium”? I think we can rule “Heisenburgium” since he was a Nazi. What about “Moselium” (refering to Mosely)? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/2 "2001-10-02T03:41:52Z")
Itanium Vibranium Adamantium ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/3 "2001-10-02T03:57:07Z")
Unhilseptium unhiloctium unhilnonium unhildecium etc ---
**Author:** ![scampering\_gremlin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@scampering\_gremlin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scampering_gremlin)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/4 "2001-10-02T04:25:48Z")
Element 109 has been named Meitnerium in honor of Lise Meitner. Working with Otto Hahn she discovered nuclear fission. She was one of the most prominent physicists to refuse to help build a nuclear bomb. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/5 "2001-10-02T04:54:11Z")
All this from [1978](http://www.chem.qmw.ac.uk/iupac/AtWt/element.html). Cool. Of course these are temporary until they find a good name for it. ---
**Author:** ![Casey\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ba8739/32.png) [@Casey\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey_Primate)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/6 "2001-10-02T05:01:31Z")
My best guess? BillGatesium? ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/7 "2001-10-02T05:36:02Z")
Cecilium? What’s with these odball names like ununnilium, unununium, ununbium, ununquadium, etc.? I presume these are “un” because they’re unnamed, and just given a stupid placeholder name until a proper name is assigned. I still think one of these heavy elements should just be called “beer.” I always wanted to see a physicist seriously declare with a straight face “I have succeded in splitting the Beer atom.” ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/8 "2001-10-02T06:39:08Z")
Check my link, they merely stand for the number 0 = nil 3 = tri 6 = hex 9 = enn 1 = un 4 = quad 7 = sept 2 = bi 5 = pent 8 = oct So element 1,000,000,000 will be unnilnilnilnilnilnilnilnilnilium until they give it a proper name. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/9 "2001-10-02T07:57:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chas.E \* > \*\*I still think one of these heavy elements should just be called “beer.” I always wanted to see a physicist seriously declare with a straight face “I have succeded in splitting the Beer atom.” \*\* ‘Young Einstein’ was a truly dreadful film though, wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/10 "2001-10-02T12:00:39Z")
To add to the confusion, how about Yuckyium? ---
**Author:** ![Nyrath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/919ad9/32.png) [@Nyrath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyrath)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/11 "2001-10-02T16:25:42Z")
I vaguely remember a schema using the prefix _“eka-”_. Under the schema, a new element is referred to by the element above it on the periodic table, with the eka- prefix. So element 110 would be eka-Platinum. ---
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/12 "2001-10-02T16:37:31Z")
Well, my handly little credit card-sized periodic table (given to me about a week ago by the ACS) has 108 as Bh (I have no idea what the full name is; I only have the symbols here) and 109 as Mt (explained above). 109-112 still have placeholder names. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/13 "2001-10-02T16:45:45Z")
Might just as well refer to everything past 112 as **unobtainium**. ---
**Author:** ![Glenoled](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Glenoled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glenoled)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/14 "2001-10-02T17:55:10Z")
**ickiickiickiickipatangaipboing** ium ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/15 "2001-10-02T18:08:17Z")
I would suggest one of [these](http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/99aug/9908elements.htm), or a couple of more that occurred to me: Opprobrium Tantrum Sanctimony Valium Argentine Funicular Ursula George[sup]\*[/sup] \*[sub](I have a Warner Brothers vision of a physics researcher announcing that he will “Love him and squeeze him and call him George.”)[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/16 "2001-10-02T18:29:00Z")
Is **upsidaisium** too much to hope for? ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/17 "2001-10-02T20:07:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Myrr21 \* > \*\*Well, my handly little credit card-sized periodic table (given to me about a week ago by the ACS) has 108 as Bh (I have no idea what the full name is; I only have the symbols here) and 109 as Mt (explained above). > 109-112 still have placeholder names. \*\* Bh = Bohrium I believe. Named after Neils Bohr. Not sure about the spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/18 "2001-10-02T20:12:11Z")
One thing to clarify my OP: I meant the permanent names. The “uninilhexanium” stuff is temporary I hope. If not future chem students have a tough road ahead of them. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/19 "2001-10-02T20:43:22Z")
104: Rf [Rutherfordium](http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Rf/key.html) 105: Db [Dubnium](http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Db/key.html) 106: Sg [Seaborgium](http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Sg/key.html) 107: Bh [Bohrium](http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Bh/key.html) 108: Hs [Hassium](http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Hs/key.html) 109: Mt [Meitnerium](http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Mt/key.html) [http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/periodic-table/key.html](http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/periodic-table/key.html) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888/20 "2001-10-02T20:52:45Z")
I don’t know where Bohrium came from - i’ve only ever seen it as Neilsbohrium: 104 Unnilquadium 105 Hahnium 106 Unnilhexium 107 Neilsbohrium 108 Hassium 109 Meitnerium Funny that element #s 104 and 106 havent been assigned names, according to this webpage: [http://home.online.no/~kstordah/pte/pnumen.htm](http://home.online.no/~kstordah/pte/pnumen.htm) There is no element Bh, or maybe there is : according to this page [http://www.sulzerorthopedics.com/us/product/material/Elements/Neilsbohrium.htm](http://www.sulzerorthopedics.com/us/product/material/Elements/Neilsbohrium.htm), which is about Neilsbohrium, its also called Bohrium. Its still at atomic number 107, though, not 108. I think Iupac hasnt decided officially yet, so its still a little up in the air. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-the-new-elements-be-called/84888.md?page=2)