Element Oddities: 11 Chemical Symbols that is confusing Explained

A lot of the chemical symbols for elements when you look at the regular dining table make sense; you can find a tiny selection, but, that seem to bear no regards to their element’s title. Following the regular dining table of refused element names a couple of days ago, questions regarding these elements arrived up, so right here’s a review of their confusing symbols, combined with the causes of them.

Sodium – Natrium (Na)

Sodium’s Latin name, ‘natrium’, derives through the Greek ‘nítron’ (a true title for salt carbonate). Its initial supply may very well be the work ‘natrun’ that is arabic. Lots of contemporary languages still call the element natrium in place of salt, plus it’s this title that its chemical expression, Na, originates from.

Potassium – Kalium (K)

‘Kalium’ is potassium’s Latin name, and derives from the Arabic ‘al qal ī y’, meaning “calcined ashes” (the ashes remaining whenever plant material is burned). Much like salt, a wide range of contemporary languages nevertheless relate to potassium as kalium, plus the title lends the element its chemical icon, K.

Iron – Ferrum (Fe)

Iron’s Latin name, ‘ferrum’, offers it its sign Fe; it simply means ‘iron‘sword’ or’, and it is possibly of Semitic origin. The element is well known by an array of different names in numerous languages, with a few sources suggesting there are over 200 names that are different it. There’s an inventory of 213 of these right right right right here.

Copper – Cuprum (Cu)

There’s no shortage of elements known as after places, but copper’s title is more simple than many. Copper’s Latin title had been ‘cyprium’, which it self originates from ‘kypros’, the Greek title for Cyprus. The area of Cyprus had been centuries that are famous because of its copper reserves. The title ended up being ashleymadison fundamentally simplified to ‘cuprum’, and also this sooner or later morphed in to the English variation, copper.

Silver – Argentum (Ag)

The Latin title for silver, ‘argentum’, is thought to derive initially from A indo-european language, most most likely referring into the metal’s shininess. The united states Argentina is termed after silver (albeit indirectly as mention of the Río de la Plata) and it is the only nation to be called after a chemical element, as opposed to the other means around.

Tin – Stannum (Sn)

Tin’s Latin title, ‘stannum’, could be produced by the Indo-European ‘stag’ (dripping) because tin melts at the lowest heat. There’s also speculation it may be produced by the Cornish ‘stean’ as a result of Cornwall’s tin that is famous, though likewise, other people declare that this term is simply produced from the Latin.

Antimony – Stibium (Sb)

The Latin ‘stibium’ derives through the Greek word ‘stíbi’, meaning attention paint, talking about the application of antimony substances as a historical eye cosmetic. This term is in turn likely produced by Arabic or Egyptian. Few nations relate to antimony as stibium today, despite its expression.

Tungsten – Wolfram (W)

Wolfram ended up being known as following the mineral it had been present in, wolframite. This will be from the German ‘wolf rahm’, or ‘wolf’s foam’, talking about the quantity of tin ‘eaten’ by the steel during its removal. Wolfram continues to be utilized in a few languages. Tungsten is from Swedish, and means hefty rock – significantly apt, since it’s the 7th element that is densest into the regular dining dining table.

Silver – Aurum (Au)

The Latin title for gold had been ‘aurum’, meaning ‘yellow’, derived through the word ‘aurora’ (‘dawn’). The name ‘gold’, used in Germanic languages, means ‘yellow, shining metal’; other European languages utilize derivatives of aurum.

Mercury – Hydrargyrum (Hg)

Mercury’s initial Latin title was actually ‘argentum vivum’ (living silver), but Latin later borrowed through the Greek ‘hydrargyros’ (fluid silver) to offer ‘hydrargyrum’. The initial English title for the element ended up being ‘quicksilver’. Alchemists considered that it is near to gold, and due to this they known as it Mercury, following the earth closest into the Sun. A few of the other metals understood since antiquity received names corresponding to your planets, too, but Mercury’s is the only person that’s stuck.

Lead – Plumbum

Lead’s Latin title, ‘plumbum’, most likely originally derives from a language Ancient that is pre-dating Greek. This Latin name normally the origin of this English words ‘plumbing’ and ‘plumber’, as a result of the historic utilization of lead in water pipelines.

References & Further Reading