The Chemical Elements
Their Discovery and the Origins of their Names
This is an effort to present the history of the discovery
of the chemical elements and the origins of their names in a way that
is both useful and interesting. In some cases enough
information is provided so that with adequate caution,
an interested chemist might duplicate some of the historical
chemistry that led to our current understanding. It is hoped that the following screens provide an enjoyable way to
learn more about the chemical
elements that comprise our world.
You can know the name of a bird (or element) in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird (or element)... So let's look at the bird to see what it's doing—that's what counts. I've learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.
—Richard Feynman
This project originated in 1990 when the author, having read an
article by Vivi Ringnes about the origins of the
element names, speculated that the computer might provide a better way to present that information. The author of this site
used HyperStudio® to create a series of hypermedia stacks
using the Apple IIgs computer platform. The following web
pages are a translation of those stacks to HTML, an effort which was
launched on the last day of the old millennium, 2000.
(Some people celebrate such events differently!)
The information has been updated to include recently discovered
elements and greatly expanded to include information about the
discoveries and the people responsible.
While the author believes it paramount to preserve historical
accuracy, there is a risk in condensing history that unintentional
errors occur. If any error is found, please use the e-mail link
found at the bottom of every screen to propose a correction.
Enjoy!
To proceed, click on any element below or on one of the catagories for naming.
References
- Vivi Ringnes, (University of Oslo,
Oslo Norway), Origin of the Names of
Chemical Elements, Journal of Chemical Education, 66:
9, September 1989. (with permission)
- Vivi Ringnes, Senter For
Realfagundervisning Nr. 7, 1988, Postboks, Oslo.
- Dave Trapp, Element
Names, Journal of Chemical Education: Software IVA, 2,
December 1991: the original Apple IIgs hyperstack using
HyperStudio, Roger Wagner Publishing.
- Additional sources are referenced on each screen.
For Additional Information
Peter van der Krogt (Delft, The
Netherlands) has an extensive etymology of the names of the
chemical elements, their names in over 70 languages, and some photographs
at www.vanderkrogt.net/elements.
Selected by the SciLinks program,
a service of National Science Teachers Association.
Copyright 1999-2009.
click icon to link the SciLinks.
|
Selected by PSIgate, (now subsumed in intute)
a former service of the University of Manchester, UK.
click icon to link to intute, their index and search function
|