NAMING OF ELEMENTS OF ATOMIC NUMBERS GREATER THAN 100

It is a generally accepted convention that the discoverer of an element has the honour of naming it. The inspiration often comes from origin, mythical characters, place, physical or chemical properties, and more recently to commemorate the names of eminent scientists. Of course, the suggestion has to be ratified by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

Newly discovered or undiscovered superheavy elements are often referred to in the scientific literature but until they have received permanent names and symbols from IUPAC, temporary designators are required.

In 1978 IUPAC Commission on the Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry decided that it is necessary to have a systematic naming for the elements with atomic number greater than 100 (Z > 100), even for those which had not been discovered. The Commission decided that these elements would be best named systematically and that names should accord with the following rules:

1. The name is derived directly from the atomic number of the element using the following Latin numerical roots:

   Number	Root
   0	nil
   1	un
   2	bi
   3	tri
   4	quad
   5	pent
   6	hex
   7	sept
   8	oct
   9	enn

2. The roots are put together in the order of the digits which make up the atomic number and terminated by 'ium' to spell out the name. The final 'n' of 'enn' is elided when it occurs before 'nil', and the final 'i' of 'bi' and of 'tri' when it occurs before 'ium'.
3. The symbol of the element is composed of the initial letters of the numerical roots which make up the name.
4. The root 'un' is pronounced with a long 'u', to rhyme with 'moon'. In the element names each root is to be pronounced separately.

Here are a few examples of the names generated for elements with atomic numbers 101 to 900.

Bibliography:

1. Recommendations for the Naming of Elements of Atomic Numbers Greater than 100, Pure Appl. Chem., Vol. 51, No. 2, (1979) 381-384. - Full text
2. Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry - Recommendations 1990 ('Red Book'), ed. G.J. Leigh, Blackwell Science, Oxford, 1990.