Atomic NoName of
elementChemical
symbolOrigin of name89ActiniumAcFrom the Greek word aktinos (ray)13AluminiumAlFrom the Latin word alumen (alum)95AmericiumAmFrom America where it was discovered51AntimonySbFrom the Greek words anti + monos meaning not alone18ArgonArFrom the Greek word argos meaning inactive33ArsenicAsFrom the Greek word arsenikon meaning yellow orpiment (orpiment is arsenic trisulphide)85AstatineAtFrom the Greek word astatos meaning unstable56BariumBaFrom the Greek word barus meaning heavy97BerkeliumBkNamed after Berkeley, USA where it was discovered4BerylliumBeFrom the Greek word beryllos meaning beryl83BismuthBiFrom the German word bisemutum107BohriumBhNamed after Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist5BoronBFrom the Arabic word buraq or the Persian word burah35BromineBrFrom the Greek word bromos meaning stench48CadmiumCdFrom the Latin word cadmia or Greek word kadmeia both meaning calamine55CaesiumCsFrom the Latin word caesius meaning sky blue20CalciumCaFrom the Latin word calx meaning lime96CaliforniumCfNamed after the University of California, USA where it was discovered6CarbonCFrom the Latin word carbo meaning charcoal58CeriumCeNamed after the Asteroid Ceres, which had been discovered in 1801, two years before the element17ChlorineClFrom the Greek word chloros meaning pale green24ChromiumCrFrom the Greek word chrome meaning colour27CobaltCoFrom the German word kobald meaning goblin or evilspirit29CopperCuFrom cuprum, the Latin name for the island of Cyprus96CuriumCmNamed after Pierre & Marie Curie110DarmstadiumDsNamed after Darmstadt, Germany where it was discovered105DubniumDbNamed after Dubnia, USSR where it was discovered66DysprosiumDyFrom the Greek word dysprositos meaning hard to obtain99EinsteiniumEsNamed after Albert Einstein68ErbiumErNamed after the village of Ytterby in Sweden, where the mineral from which it was extracted came from63EuropiumEuNamed after Europe100FermiumFmNamed after Enrico Fermi, the Italian physicist9FluorineFFrom the Latin word fluere meaning to flow87FranciumFrNamed after France64GadoliniumGdNamed after Johan Gadolin, the Finnish chemist and mineralogist31GalliumGaFrom the Latin word Gallia meaning France32GermaniumGeFrom the Latin word Germania meaning Germany79GoldAuFrom the German word gold, which was itself derived from an earlier word meaning yellow72HafniumHfFrom the Latin word Hafnia meaning Copenhagen108HassiumHsFrom the Latin word Hassium, for the German State of Hess2HeliumHeFrom the Greek word helios meaning sun67HolmiumHoFrom the Greek word Holmia meaning Sweden1HydrogenHFrom the Greek words hydro genes meaning water and generator49IndiumInNamed after the indigo line in its atomic spectrum53IodineIFrom the Greek word iodes meaning violet77IridiumIrFrom the Greek word iris meaning rainbow26IronFeFrom isarn the old Saxon word for iron36KryptonKrFrom the Greek word kryptos meaning hidden57LanthanumLaFrom the Greek word lanthanein meaning to lie hidden103LawrenciumLrNamed after Ernest O. Lawrence, the inventor of the cyclotron82LeadPbFrom the Anglo-Saxon word lead3LithiumLiFrom the Greek word lithos meaning stone71LutetiumLuFrom the Greek word Lutetia meaning Paris12MagnesiumMgFrom the Greek word Magnesia, a district of Thessaly25ManganeseMnFrom the Latin word magnes meaning magnet108MeitneriumMtNamed after Lise Meitner, the Austrian physicist101MendeleviumMdNamed after Dimitri Mendeleev, the Russian chemist80MercuryHgNamed after the planet Mercury42MolybdenumMoFrom the Greek word molybdos meaning lead60NeodymiumNdFrom the Greek words neos didymos meaning new twin10NeonNeFrom the Greek word neon meaning new93NeptuniumNpNamed after the planet Neptune28NickelNiFrom the German word kupfernickel meaning devil's scopper41NiobiumNbNamed after Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus in Greek mythology7NitrogenNFrom the Greek words nitron genes meaning nitre and forming102NobeliumNoNamed after Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist76OsmiumOsFrom the Greek word osme meaning smell8OxygenOFrom the Greek words oxy genes meaning acid and forming46PalladiumPdNamed after the asteroid pallas which was discovered at about the same time. Derived from Pallas Athene, the Greek goddess of wisdom15PhosphorusPFrom the Greek word phospheros meaning bringer of light78PlatinumPtFrom the Spanish word platina meaning silver94PlutoniumPuNamed after the planet Pluto84PoloniumPoNamed after Poland, birthplace of Marie Curie19PotassiumKFrom the English word potash, the ashes remaining in the pot after plant leaves were burnt and from which potassium carbonate was obtained59PraseodymiumPrFrom the Greek words prasios didymos meaning greentwin61PromethiumPmNamed after Prometheus, who stole fire from heaven and gave it to humans, according to Greek mythology91ProtactiniumPaFrom the Greek word protos meaning first86RadonRnNamed after the element radium, from which it was derived88RadiumRaFrom the Latin word radius meaning ray75RheniumReFrom Rhenus, the Latin for river Rhine, where one of the discoverers was born45RhodiumRhFrom the Greek word rhodon meaning rose111RoentgeniumRgNamed after Wilhelm C. Roentgen, the German physicist37RubidiumRbFrom the Latin word rubidius meaning dark red44RutheniumRuFrom Ruthenia, the Latin word for Russia104RutherfordiumRfNamed after Ernest R. Rutherford, the New Zealand physicist and chemist62SamariumSmNamed after samarskite the mineral from which it was isolated21ScandiumScFrom the Latin word Scandia meaning Scandinavia106SeaborgiumSgNamed after Glen T. Seaborg, the American nuclear chemist34SeleniumSeFrom the Greek word selene meaning moon14SiliconSiFrom the Latin word silicis meaning flint47SilverAgFrom siluvar, the Old Saxon word for silver11SodiumNaFrom soda, the English word for sodium carbonate38StrontiumSrNamed after Strontian, Scotland where the mineral from which it was isolated was found16SulphurSFrom sulphurium, the Latin word for sulphur73TantalumTaNamed after King Tantalus, the father of Niobe in Greek mythology43TechnetiumTcFrom the Greek word technikos meaning artificial52TelluriumTeFrom the Latin word tellus meaning earth65TerbiumTbNamed after Ytterby a town in Sweden where its ore was found81ThalliumTlFrom the Greek word thallos meaning green twig90ThoriumThNamed after Thor, the Scandinavian God of war69ThuliumTmNamed after Thule the ancient name for Scandinavia50TinSnFrom the Anglo-Saxon word tin22TitaniumTiNamed after the Titans, the elder gods who ruled the earth before the Olympian gods, in Greek mythology74TungstenWFrom the Swedish words tung sten meaning heavy stone92UraniumUNamed after the planet Uranus23VanadiumVNamed after Vanadis, the goddess of beauty in Scandinavian mythology54XenonXeFrom the Greek word xenon meaning stranger70YtterbiumYbNamed after the village of Ytterby in Sweden where its ore was found39YttriumYNamed after the village of Ytterby in Sweden where its ore was found30ZincZnFrom the German word zink40ZirconiumZrFrom the Arabic word zargun meaning goldcolourAtomic NoName of
elementChemical
symbolOrigin of name
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