Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Elemental Names (or Nominal Elements?)

I admit, I'm always looking for ways to make fun namesake posts. I already did female scientists (nowhere near a comprehensive list), and have been looking for some way to do a more guy-centered list about science--difficult, since well, there have been quite a few more male scientists than female, and they've gotten much more attention for their works.
I think I found a fun way, though: here are the people--male, female; fictional or real--who've had elements named for them (albeit occasionally in a round-about way). :)

  • Albert Einstein--German physicist; Einsteinium (Es, 99)
  • Alfred Nobel--Swedish chemist; Nobelium (No, 102)
  • Cadmus (m)--figure in Greek mythology; Cadmium (Cd, 48)
  • Ceres--Roman goddess; Cerium (Ce, 58)
  • Dmitri Mendeleev--Russian chemist; Mendelevium (Md, 101)
  • Enrico Fermi--Italian physicist; Fermium (Fm, 100)
  • Ernest Lawrence--American physicist; Lawrencium (Lr, 103)
  • Ernest Rutherford--British physicist; Rutherfordium (Rf, 104)
  • Glenn T. Seaborg--American chemist; Seaborgium (Sg, 106)
  • Iris--Greek goddess; Iridium (Ir, 77)
  • Johan Gadolin--Finnish chemist; Gadolinium (Gd, 64)
  • Lise Meitner--Austrian physicist; Meitnerium (Mt, 109)
  • Marie Curie--French chemist; Curium (Cm, 96)
  • Mercury--Roman god; Mercury (Hg, 80)
  • Neptune--Roman god; Neptunium (Np, 93)
  • Nicolaus Copernicus--Polish astronomer; Copernicium (Cn, 112)
  • Niels Bohr--Danish physicist; Bohrium (Bh, 107)
  • Niobe (f)--figure in Greek mythology; Niobium (Nb, 41)
  • Pallas--alternate name for the goddess Athena; Palladium (Pd, 46)
  • Pierre Curie--French chemist; Curium (Cm, 96)
  • Pluto--Greek god; Plutonium (Pu, 94)
  • Prometheus--Greek god; Promethium (Pm, 61)
  • Tantalus (m)--figure in Greek mythology; Tantalum (Ta, 73)
  • Thor--Norse god; Thorium (Th, 90)
  • Uranus--Greek god; Uranium (U, 92)
  • Vanadis--alternate name for the goddess Freyja; Vanadium (V, 23)
  • Vasili Samarsky-Bykhovets--Russian mining engineer; Samarium (Sm, 62)
  • Wilhelm Roentgen--German physicist; Roentgenium (Rg, 111)


I admit, I was expecting more historical figures, and fewer mythological ones. Hmmph.

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