List of chemical elements named after places
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This list of chemical elements named after places includes elements named both directly and indirectly for places. 41 of the 118 chemical elements have names associated with, or specifically named for, places around the world or among astronomical objects. 32 of these have names tied to the Earth and the other 10 have names connected to bodies in the Solar System. The first tables below list the terrestrial locations (excluding the entire Earth itself, taken as a whole) and the last table lists astronomical objects which the chemical elements are named after.[1]
Terrestrial locations
Astronomical objects
Location | Element | Symbol | Z |
---|---|---|---|
Sun | Helium | He | 2 |
Mercury* | Mercury* | Hg | 80 |
Venus** | Phosphorus** | P | 15 |
Moon | Selenium | Se | 34 |
Pallas (asteroid) | Palladium | Pd | 46 |
Earth | Tellurium | Te | 52 |
Ceres (dwarf planet) | Cerium | Ce | 58 |
Uranus | Uranium | U | 92 |
Neptune | Neptunium | Np | 93 |
Pluto (dwarf planet) | Plutonium | Pu | 94 |
* - The element mercury was named directly for the deity, with only indirect naming connection to the planet (see etymology of mercury).
** - Phosphorus was the Ancient Greek name for the planet Venus. (see etymology of phosphorus).
See also
References
- ^ Page of Kevin A. Boudreaux and Angelo State university
- ^ [1] - "named after the continent of North America"
- ^ [2] - "Ideas received by the program and submitted to Seaborg..."
- ^ "C&En: It's Elemental: The Periodic Table - Americium".
- ^ [3] - "The element was named after the United States of America."
- ^ [4] - "Four other countries have elements named after them: francium for France, germanium for Germany, polonium for Poland, and americium for the United States."
- ^ [5] - "Americium (95 Am): Named for (the United States of) America, the land where the element was discovered during the course of the Manhattan Project, the US-led World War II programme that would develop the first atomic bomb."
- ^ [6] - "The element is named after America, especially the United States of America."