Chemical Element Names

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The chemist who discovered gallium (Ga) named it after his homeland. Which one?

• Correct answer: France.
• Your answer:

Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran was a French chemist who discovered gallium. Lecoq refers to the cock (coq in French means cock, in Latin, gallus), which is a French national symbol.

Bromine (Br) got its name from the Greek word bromos, which would be translated as ...

• ... stench.
• Your answer:

Nickel (Ni) is named after an evil spirit from Germanic mythology who allegedly created "fake copper ore". Which of the following elements is also named after Germanic mythological villains?

• Cobalt (Co).
• Your answer:

The name cobalt is derived from kobold, a dwarf from Germanic mythology. The miners believed he had created an ore that caused big pollution and became toxic when melting.

Chromium (Cr) from the Greek word chroma means color. Rubidium (Rb), discovered by the inventor of the lab burner, Robert Bunsen, is also named after its color. Which one?

• Red.
• Your answer:

Rubidus in Latin means dark red.

Chlorine (Cl) is also associated with one color. Which one?

• Yellowish green.
• Your answer:

In Greek, khloros in the literal translation means "light green." Chlorine is often said to be yellowish green or green yellowish.

Naming chemical elements by geographical area is common: europium, americium, polonium. The elements are also named after distinguished scientists: nobelium, einsteinium, mendelevium, etc. We have already mentioned the names of mythological origin: thorium, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, etc. Where does the meaning of the word ammonia come from?

• Salt from the ancient Libyan province of Amon.
• Your answer:

The Romans called sal ammoniacus ("salt from Amon") the supplies of ammonium chloride they had accumulated near the shrine to the god Jupiter Amon.

Which of the following elements is named after the Greek word meaning "hidden"?

• Krypton (Kr). 
• Your answer:

Kryptos or "hidden".

Lithium (Li) from the Greek word lithos, which is known for lithography, means ...

• ... stone.
• Your answer:

Lithography is a graphic technique of printing a drawing from a stone slab onto paper.

Many people would think that the element barium (Ba) was named after the Italian city Bari. In fact, the name is derived from the Greek word baros meaning "heavy". Another element whose name relates to weight was discovered in 1781 by Carl W. Scheele. He gave the element a Scandinavian name, which means "heavy stone" in translation. It is better known to us by another name. Which element is this?

• Tungsten (W). 
• Your answer:

"Tungsten," as Scheele named it, has the highest boiling point of all metals. Most of all, it is known for its use in filament bulbs.

What chemical element was named in English after the method of extraction, so that the ashes of plants were evaporated in iron vessels?

• Potassium (K). 
• Your answer:

Besides lithium potassium is the lightest element in the solid aggregate state.