Science textbooks around the world have become suddenly out of date. Four new chemical elements(元素)have been added to the periodic table. A big decision now lies ahead-elements 113,115,117 and 118 need to be given their official names and symbols.
New elements can be named after a mythical(神话的) concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property(性质) or a scientist. The names have to be unique and maintain “historical and chemical consistency”. This means a lot of “-iums”.
“They're Latinising the name,” explains chemist Andrea Sella. “The most recent tradition is to name them after places or people.” The places chosen tend to be where the element was discovered or first produced.
No one has yet named an element after themselves but many elements are named in honour of important scientists. Albert Einstein was given einsteinium. This can also be a way of righting the wrongs of the past. “Lise Meitner was really the chemist who spotted nuclear fission(核裂变)but she was never really recognised for it because she was Jewish and a woman, ” says Sella. “Giving an element a name that reminds us of her is greatly important. ”
The naming process isn't quick. The scientists who discovered them will start things off by suggesting a name. But it will be down to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) to approve it. A special division of the US-based group has to accept the suggestion. Then there is a public review period of five months before the IUPAC gets the final approval. Once it's ready, the name is announced in the scientific journal Pure and Applied Chemistry.
Naming an element is not just about functionality. Names are always important.
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