4. Nomenclature of elements

NOMENCLATURE OF ELEMENTS WITH ATOMIC NO. MORE THAN 100

There are around 118 elements in the modern periodic table.Out of 118 elements that have been discovered by scientists, 24 are synthetically developed by mankind and the rest are naturally occurring elements. Few of the elements from the 24 man-made elements were discovered much before and few others were discovered recently by a team that was headed by Glen Seaborg at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in Berkeley, California.

The names and the symbols that are given to these elements are still not used universally. Some of them even had two names and symbols. For example, the element with the atomic number 104 was discovered by America as well as the Soviet Union. The American Scientist gave it the name  Rutherfordium (Rf) whereas the name Kurchatovium (Ku) was established by scientists of the Soviet Union. In a similar manner, another element with the atomic number 107 is named Neilsbohrium (Ns) as well as Bohrium (Bh).  

Thus a committee named commission on nomenclature of inorganic chemistry (CNIC) was issued by the IUPAC so that a particular IUPAC naming process should be assigned for the elements whose atomic number is greater than or equal to 100. In the year 1997, after an elaborate discussion with all the scientists around the world, IUPAC decided on the official names for elements with atomic numbers 104 to 110 and proposed a method for naming the elements. 

In this article, you will get to know about the nomenclature of the elements above 100 and their IUPAC names as well.  Generally, the discoverer of the element is given the honour to name the element discovered. The name of the chemical element comes from the physical or chemical properties, its origin, or mythical characters. The recommended name of an element is then consented to by the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry).

How The Elements With The Atomic Number (Z) Above 100 Assigned Names?
Most of the chemical elements have been assigned their symbols and names but still are not used universally. While studying the nomenclature of elements with an atomic number greater than 100, it was found that some elements are given two symbols or names. 

For instance, an element with atomic number=104 was claimed by both Soviet and American scientists. The Americans assigned the element with the name Rutherfordium (Rf) whereas the Soviets named it Kurchatovium (Ku). Similarly, the element with Z=107 is assigned with the name Bohrium (Bh)

In 1978, IUPAC made a CNIC (Commission on Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry) to eradicate the element naming and symbol issues. The IUPAC gives a clear rule of the systematic nomenclature of elements with an atomic number above 100. 

The Commission claimed that the elements must be named methodically by following the given below rules:

The names of the elements should be short. Additionally, the element name should be related to its atomic number.

Whether an element of atomic number 100 or above or it is a metal or non-metal, its name should end in ‘ium’.

In the systematic nomenclature of elements with atomic number 100, the element symbols should consist of three letters.

The symbol should be derived from the atomic numbers of the element and be visually connected to the names.

The elements with the atomic numbers (Z) from 101 to 103 have trivial names. Additionally, they have consistent two-letter symbols accepted by IUPAC. The chemical element with an atomic number above 100 is also referred to as super heavy elements. 

The Commission mentions the use of three-letter structures for the chemical elements with Z=100 or above it. Because any scientifically derived set of two-letter symbols will tend to duplicate some of the elements of an atomic number less than 104. 

Nomenclature Of Elements With Atomic Number (Z) Greater Than 100
The name of the element is directly derived from its atomic number by using the following numerical roots:

0 = nil (n)
1 = un (u)
2 = bi (b)
3 = tri (t)
4 = quad (q)
5 = pent (p)
6 = hex (h)
7 = sept (s)
8 = oct (o)
9 = enn (e)

The numerical roots are put together according to the digits, which make up the atomic number and end with “ium” to spell out the name. 

The element symbol consists of the initial letters of the numerical roots, which make up the name.

In the name of the element, each root is pronounced separately such that the root ‘un’ should get pronounced with a long ‘u’.

For example, let us find the name of an element with atomic number 120:
Code for 1 is un
Code for 2 is bi
Code for 0 is nil

Hence the name of the element with atomic number 120 is un + bi + nil + ium (ending code), that is; unbinilium. 

However, it is necessary to note that if the last digit code like bi ends with the letter ‘i’ then just add ‘um’. So, the ending, in that case, will be ‘um’ instead of ‘ium’.