Chemical elements named after places
This is a list of chemical elements named after places. For a list of other toponyms, i.e., names derived from a place or region, see List of words derived from toponyms.
- americium - America
- berkelium - city of Berkeley, California, home of the University of California
- californium - state of California and University of California, Berkeley
- copper is probably named after Cyprus
- darmstadtium - Darmstadt, Germany
- dubnium - Dubna, Russia
- erbium - Ytterby, Sweden
- europium - Europe
- francium - France
- gallium - Gallia, Latin for France. Frenchman Lecoq de Boisbaudran, who was the discoverer of the metal, named it after his country and also subtly for himself. Lecoq (rooster) in Latin is gallus.
- germanium - Germany
- hafnium - Hafnia, Latin for Copenhagen
- hassium - Hesse, Germany
- holmium - Holmia, Latin for Stockholm
- lutetium - Lutetia, Latin for Paris
- magnesium - Magnesia prefecture in Thessaly, Greece
- polonium - Poland
- rhenium - Rhenus, Latin for Rhine
- ruthenium - Ruthenia, Latin for Rus' (Russia, Ukraine and Belarus)
- scandium - Scandia, Latin for Scandinavia
- strontium - from the mineral strontianite, in turn named after Strontian, Scotland
- terbium - Ytterby, Sweden
- thulium - Thule, a mythical island in the far north, perhaps Scandinavia
- ytterbium - Ytterby, Sweden
- yttrium - Ytterby, Sweden
Note: Ytterby in Sweden has given its name to four elements: Erbium, Terbium, Ytterbium and Yttrium.
Additionally, the following elements are named after astronomical objects:
[] See also
This is a list of chemical elements named after places. For a list of other toponyms, i.e., names derived from a place or region, see List of words derived from toponyms.
- americium - America
- berkelium - city of Berkeley, California, home of the University of California
- californium - state of California and University of California, Berkeley
- copper is probably named after Cyprus
- darmstadtium - Darmstadt, Germany
- dubnium - Dubna, Russia
- erbium - Ytterby, Sweden
- europium - Europe
- francium - France
- gallium - Gallia, Latin for France. Frenchman Lecoq de Boisbaudran, who was the discoverer of the metal, named it after his country and also subtly for himself. Lecoq (rooster) in Latin is gallus.
- germanium - Germany
- hafnium - Hafnia, Latin for Copenhagen
- hassium - Hesse, Germany
- holmium - Holmia, Latin for Stockholm
- lutetium - Lutetia, Latin for Paris
- magnesium - Magnesia prefecture in Thessaly, Greece
- polonium - Poland
- rhenium - Rhenus, Latin for Rhine
- ruthenium - Ruthenia, Latin for Rus' (Russia, Ukraine and Belarus)
- scandium - Scandia, Latin for Scandinavia
- strontium - from the mineral strontianite, in turn named after Strontian, Scotland
- terbium - Ytterby, Sweden
- thulium - Thule, a mythical island in the far north, perhaps Scandinavia
- ytterbium - Ytterby, Sweden
- yttrium - Ytterby, Sweden
Note: Ytterby in Sweden has given its name to four elements: Erbium, Terbium, Ytterbium and Yttrium.
Additionally, the following elements are named after astronomical objects:
[] See also
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