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By Michael Banks
Unobtanium, collossium and fibonaccium. Those were just some of your suggestions for the name of element 112 following its confirmation two years ago.
In the end researchers, led by Sigurd Hofmann and his group at the Centre for Heavy Ion Research (GSI) in Darmstadt, Germany, went for copernicium, which was finally approved by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC in July 2009.
Now we want your suggestions for two new elements – 114 and 116 – after they were added to the periodic table following a three-year review by the IUPAC, which develops standards for naming new elements and compounds.
Currently element 114 is known as ununquadium with element 116 named ununhexium.
The elements were spotted by researchers at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia, back in 2004, but only confirmed last year by scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California and the GSI lab.
Researchers at the JINR will now get the chance to name the new elements. They will submit their suggestions to the IUPAC who will then publish them on its website for six months giving scientists and the public time to scrutinize and comment on the new name.
So physicsworld.com readers what are your suggestions?
Element 116
Newtonium
After Isaac Newton
Element 118
Linusium
After Linus Pauling
How about Newtonium and Feynmanium?
i think one of them name should be cosmosium.but it hasnt cause…
faithfully…
Ahmadium and Kassisium as tributes to Asian nuclear physics development.
Schrödingerium
Sagium. After Carl Sagan
-1 for Newtonium, sounds too much like Newtonian.
114: Freenium
116: Sagium (copied from above)
Deccalium, Mehdium, Isaium.
I think I agree with Newtonium for 116. Newton deserves an element. Feynman was a great guy, but Feynmanium is hard to pronounce. 114 should be Gibbsium (after Josiah Williard Gibbs, (Gibbs free energy, Gibbs effect)). But I may be somewhat biased towards this name…
116 could be Teslium
and 118 Paracelsium
I would name element 114 faradium after Michael Faraday and element 116 should be ghiorsium after Albert Ghiorso.
114 – Sakharovium
116 – Oppenheimerium
to honour great scientists and dissidents in east and west
Suggestion 12 is good
Another possibility..
114-Ramanium
116-Bosenium
One of the two elements should be called Meitnerium. It is time Lise Meitner got credit for her work. Many of the other suggested physicists were greater but they did not work in nuclear physics.
Obamium
Obamium
Ladenium
suitable name of element 114 should be Berkenium & element 116 should be Sigurdium.
suitable name of element 114 should be Berkenium & element 116 should be Sigurdium.
Um, don’t wanna be rude Lars, but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meitnerium ? I share your love for Lise though!
114 – This is a bit obscurist, but bear with me: since 114 is the number of Sutras in the Koran, we could have a shout out to the Arabic world?
Anyone fancy Khwarizmium? (would also be good in Scrabble) http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/3924/ancient-arabic-scientists?page=0%2C1 or Jabirium (possibly better as he was an early Chemist)
116 – I second Saganium.
And the obligatory comedy choices:
Thinkingtimeium
Umerumium
My flatmate suggests, and I agree, that at some point Blackadder should be memorialized with the element ‘Green’ (depending on appropriate spectral characteristics, natch).
Oh, final thought:
Inspiracium and Perspiratium