Secondary Chemical Elements: Symbols

Question 1

Name the symbol.

Answer 1

Rubidium was discovered by Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff in 1861.

Question 2

Name the symbol.

Answer 2

Strontium was named after the Scottish village of Strontian and was discovered by Adair Crawford in 1790.

Question 3

Name the symbol.

Answer 3

Yttrium is a silvery-metallic transition metal and was named after the Swedish village of Ytterby.

Question 4

Name the symbol.

Answer 4

Zirconium was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789.

Question 5

Name the symbol.

Answer 5

Niobium was named after Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus from Greek mythology, based on its similar chemical properties to Tantalum.

Question 6

Name the symbol.

Answer 6

Molybdenum was named after the Greek word for lead, “molybdos,” because early philosophers believed all lead ores contained molybdenum.

Question 7

Name the symbol.

Answer 7

Technetium is the first element to be produced artificially and was discovered by Emilio Segrè and Carlo Perrier in 1937.

Question 8

Name the symbol.

Answer 8

Ruthenium is named after the Latin name for Russia, Ruthenia, because it was discovered by a Russian scientist, Karl Klaus, in 1844.

Question 9

Name the symbol.

Answer 9

Rhodium was named after the Greek word for rose, “rhodon,” because of the rose-red color of some of its compounds, and was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1803.

Question 10

Name the symbol.

Answer 10

Palladium was named after the asteroid Pallas, which was discovered at around the same time as the element, and was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1803.

Question 11

Name the symbol.

Answer 11

Cadmium was discovered by Friedrich Strohmeyer in 1817 and was named after the Greek word for calamine, a zinc carbonate mineral.

Question 12

Name the Symbol.

Answer 12

Indium was discovered by Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymous Richter in 1863 and was named after the Latin ‘indicium’, meaning violet or indigo.

Question 13

Name the symbol.

Answer 13

Tin was discovered around approximately 2100 BC, and has Anglo-Saxon name origins.

Question 14

Name the symbol.

Answer 14

Antimony was discovered around 1600 BC, and gets its name from the Greek ‘anti - monos’, meaning ‘not alone’.

Question 15

Name the symbol.

Answer 15

Tellurium was named after the Latin word ‘tellus’, meaning ‘Earth’, and was discovered by Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein in 1782.

Question 16

Name the symbol.

Answer 16

Xenon was named after the Greek word “xenos,” meaning stranger, and was discovered by William Ramsay and Morris Travers in 1898.

Question 17

Name the symbol.

(or Caesium)

Answer 17

Caesium was named after the Latin word “caesius,” meaning sky blue, and was discovered by Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff in 1860.

Question 18

Name the symbol.

Answer 18

Barium was named after the Greek word “barys,” meaning heavy, and was discovered by Sir Humphry Davy in 1808.

Question 19

Name the symbol.

Answer 19

Lanthanum was named after the Greek word “lanthanein,” meaning to lie hidden, and was discovered by Carl Gustav Mosander in 1839.

Question 20

Name the symbol.

Answer 20

Cerium was named after the asteroid Ceres and the Roman goddess of agriculture. It was discovered by Jöns Jakob Berzelius and Wilhelm Hisinger in 1803.

Question 21

Name the symbol.

Answer 21

Praseodymium was named after the Greek phrase “prasios didymos” meaning ‘green twin’, and was discovered by Carl Auer von Welsbach in 1885.

Question 22

Name the symbol.

Answer 22

Neodymium was named after the Greek words “neos,” meaning new, and “didymos,” meaning twin, and was discovered by Carl Auer von Welsbach in 1885.

Question 23

Name the symbol.

Answer 23

Promethium was discovered in 1945 by Jacob A. Marinsky, Lawrence E. Glendenin, and Charles D. Coryell.

It is named after Prometheus of Greek mythology who stole fire from the Gods and gave it to humans.

Question 24

Name the symbol.

Answer 24

Samarium was named after the mineral samarskite, which itself was named after Vasili Samarsky-Bykhovets, and was discovered by Paul Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1879.

Question 25

# Name the symbol.

Answer 25

## Footnote Europium was named after the continent of Europe and was discovered by Eugène-Anatole Demarçay in 1901.

Question 26

# Name the symbol.

Answer 26

## Footnote Gadolinium was named after Johan Gadolin and was discovered by Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac in 1880.

Question 27

# Name the symbol.

Answer 27

## Footnote Terbium was named after the village of Ytterby, Sweden, and was discovered by Carl Gustaf Mosander in 1843.

Question 28

# Name the symbol.

Answer 28

## Footnote Dysprosium was named after the Greek word "dysprositos," meaning hard to get, and was discovered by Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1886.

Question 29

# Name the symbol.

Answer 29

## Footnote Holmium was discovered by Marc Delafontaine and Jacques-Louis Soret in Switzerland in 1878, as well as Per Teodor Cleve independently in Sweden. It was named after the Latin word "Holmia," meaning Stockholm.

Question 30

# Name the symbol.

Answer 30

## Footnote Erbium was named after the village of Ytterby, Sweden, and was discovered by Carl Gustaf Mosander in 1843.

Question 31

# Name the symbol.

Answer 31

## Footnote Thulium was discovered by Per Teodor Cleve in 1879, and was named after the ancient name for Scandinavia, 'Thule'.

Question 32

# Name the symbol.

Answer 32

## Footnote Ytterbium was named after the village of Ytterby, Sweden, and was discovered by Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac in 1878.

Question 33

# Name the symbol.

Answer 33

## Footnote Lutetium was named after the Latin name for Paris (Lutetia) and was discovered by Carl Auer von Welsbach and Georges Urbain in 1907, as well as Charles James independently in the USA.

Question 34

# Name the symbol.

Answer 34

## Footnote Hafnium is a lustrous, silvery-gray transition metal that was discovered by Dirk Coster and George Charles de Hevesy in 1923.

Question 35

# Name the symbol.

Answer 35

## Footnote Tantalum is a dense, blue-gray metal that was discovered by Anders Gustaf Ekeberg in 1802. It is often used in electronic components, such as capacitors, due to its ability to store and release electrical energy.

Question 36

# Name the symbol.

Answer 36

## Footnote Tungsten is a hard, dense metal that was discovered by Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1781. It has the highest melting point of all metallic elements and is used in X-ray tubes, alloys for aerospace and military applications, and used to be commonly found in light bulb filaments before more energy-efficient alternatives were implemented.

Question 37

# Name the symbol.

Answer 37

## Footnote Rhenium is a dense, silvery-white transition metal that was discovered by Walter Noddack, Ida Tacke, and Otto Berg in 1925. It has the second highest melting point of the metallic elements, and is used in high-temperature superalloys, catalysts, and electrical contacts.

Question 38

# Name the symbol.

Answer 38

## Footnote Osmium is a hard, brittle, bluish-white transition metal that was discovered by Smithson Tennant in 1803. It has the highest density among the elements and has limited uses such as fountain pen tips, electrical contacts, and as a catalyst in certain chemical reactions.

Question 39

# Name the symbol.

Answer 39

## Footnote Iridium is a rare, lustrous, silvery-white transition metal that was discovered by Smithson Tennant in 1803. It is one of the most corrosion-resistant metals and is used in spark plugs, crucibles, and as a coating for other metals to improve wear resistance.

Question 40

# Name the symbol.

Answer 40

## Footnote Platinum is a dense, malleable, silvery-white transition metal that was 'discovered' by Antonio de Ulloa in 1735, but was used by The Mayans before this. Now, it is widely used in jewelry and in various chemical applications due to its resistance to corrosion and high catalytic activity.

Question 41

# Name the symbol.

Answer 41

## Footnote Thallium is a soft, gray post-transition metal that was discovered by Sir William Crookes in 1861. It is toxic to living organisms and has limited commercial applications.

Question 42

# Name the symbol.

Answer 42

## Footnote Bismuth is a brittle, pinkish-white post-transition metal that was known to ancient civilizations. Its symbolic name is derived from 'Bisemutum', a corruptiom of the German 'weisse masse' meaning 'white mass'. Bismuth compounds are used in cosmetics and various medical applications.

Question 43

# Name the symbol.

Answer 43

## Footnote Polonium is a highly radioactive, silver-gray metal that was discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. It is named after Marie Curie's home country, Poland, and is mainly used in scientific research and occasionally in static eliminators.

Question 44

# Name the symbol.

Answer 44

## Footnote Astatine is a highly radioactive halogen that was discovered by Dale R. Corson, Kenneth Ross MacKenzie, and Emilio Segrè in 1940. It is a member of the halogen group.

Question 45

# Name the symbol.

Answer 45

## Footnote Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that was discovered by Friedrich Ernst Dorn in 1899. It is formed as a decay product of radium and is a significant contributor to indoor air pollution, especially in areas with high levels of uranium in the soil.

Question 46

# Name the symbol.

Answer 46

## Footnote Francium is a highly radioactive alkali metal that was discovered by Marguerite Perey in 1939. It is extremely rare and unstable, with a half-life of only 22 minutes, and so francium has no significant commercial uses.

Question 47

# Name the symbol.

Answer 47

## Footnote Radium is a highly radioactive alkaline earth metal that was discovered by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie in 1898. It is named after the Latin word for "ray" due to its strong emission of radiation. Radium was once used in luminescent paint, but due to its health risks, its use has been restricted.

Question 48

# Name the symbol.

Answer 48

## Footnote Actinium is a silvery-white radioactive metal that was discovered by André-Louis Debierne in 1899. It is a member of the actinide series and is mainly used in scientific research to study the properties of nuclear reactions and decay.

Question 49

# Name the symbol.

Answer 49

## Footnote Thorium is a weakly radioactive, silvery-white metal that was discovered by Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1829. It is named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder, and is primarily used as a fuel in nuclear reactors and as a catalyst in certain chemical reactions.

Question 50

# Name the symbol.

Answer 50

## Footnote Protactinium is a dense, silvery-gray metal that was discovered by Kasimir Fajans and Oswald Helmuth Göhring in 1917. It is highly toxic and has no significant commercial applications, but it is used in scientific research to study nuclear reactions.

Question 51

# Name the symbol.

Answer 51

## Footnote Uranium is a silvery-white, weakly radioactive metal that was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789. It is widely known for its use as a fuel in nuclear reactors and its role in the production of nuclear weapons.

Question 52

# Name the symbol.

Answer 52

## Footnote Neptunium is a radioactive, silvery-gray metal that was discovered by Edwin McMillan and Philip H. Abelson in 1940. It is named after the planet Neptune and is used in research on nuclear reactions.

Question 53

# Name the symbol.

Answer 53

## Footnote Plutonium is a highly radioactive, silvery-white metal that was discovered by Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin McMillan, Joseph W. Kennedy, and Arthur C. Wahl in 1940. It is named after the dwarf planet Pluto.

Question 54

# Name the symbol.

Answer 54

## Footnote Americium is a radioactive, silvery-white metal that was discovered by Glenn T. Seaborg, Ralph A. James, Leon O. Morgan, and Albert Ghiorso in 1944, and is named after the continent of North America.

Question 55

# Name the symbol.

Answer 55

## Footnote Curium is a radioactive, silvery metal that was discovered by Glenn T. Seaborg, Ralph A. James, and Albert Ghiorso in 1944. It is named after Marie and Pierre Curie, pioneers in the field of radioactivity.

Question 56

# Name the symbol.

Answer 56

## Footnote Berkelium is a radioactive, silvery metal that was discovered by Glenn T. Seaborg, Stanley G. Thompson, and Albert Ghiorso in 1949. It is named after the University of California, Berkeley, where the discovery was made.

Question 57

# Name the symbol.

Answer 57

## Footnote Californium is a radioactive, silvery-white metal that was discovered by Stanley G. Thompson, Kenneth Street Jr., Albert Ghiorso, and Glenn T. Seaborg in 1950. It is named after the state of California and is primarily used for scientific research.

Question 58

# Name the symbol.

Answer 58

## Footnote Einsteinium is a synthetic, silvery-white metal that was discovered by Albert Ghiorso and his team in 1952. It is named after Albert Einstein and is primarily used for scientific research and in the synthesis of heavier elements.

Question 59

# Name the symbol.

Answer 59

## Footnote Fermium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Albert Ghiorso and his team in 1952. It is named after physicist Enrico Fermi.

Question 60

# Name the symbol.

Answer 60

## Footnote Mendelevium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Albert Ghiorso and his team in 1955. It is named after Dmitri Mendeleev, the Russian chemist who developed the periodic table.

Question 61

# Name the symbol.

Answer 61

## Footnote Nobelium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Georgy Flerov and colleagues, as well as Albert Ghiorso and his team independently around 1958. It is named after Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist and inventor of dynamite. However, the Russian team originally proposed the name Joliotium, which caused contention amongst other disagreements between the two groups due to the underlying Cold War tensions.

Question 62

# Name the symbol.

Answer 62

## Footnote Lawrencium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Georgy Flerov and his colleagues, as well as Albert Ghiorso and his team independently around 1961. It is named after Ernest O. Lawrence, the American physicist who invented the cyclotron. Much like Nobelium, there was conflict between the soviet and western teams over who correctly synthesised the element first, however the IUPAC ultimately awarded the discovery to Ghiorso's group.

Question 63

# Name the symbol.

Answer 63

## Footnote Rutherfordium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Albert Ghiorso and his team, as well as Georgy Flerov and his colleagues independently around 1964. It is named after Ernest Rutherford, the New Zealand physicist who is known for his work on atomic structure. Again, like other elements preceding it, there was contension surrounding who successfully discovered the element first. the IUPAC eventually acknowledged both teams as successfully doing so in the 90s.

Question 64

# Name the symbol.

Answer 64

## Footnote Dubnium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Georgy Flerov and his colleagues, as well as Albert Ghiorso and his team around 1968 - 1970. It is named after Dubna, the Russian town where the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research is located, which was decided later by the IUPAC following the tensions which arose yet again between these two research groups.

Question 65

# Name the symbol.

Answer 65

## Footnote Seaborgium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Albert Ghiorso and his team in 1974. It is named after Glenn T. Seaborg, the American chemist who discovered several transuranium elements. The Russian team led by Georgy Flerov and Yuri Oganessian discovered isotopes 259 and 260 around this same time.

Question 66

# Name the symbol.

Answer 66

## Footnote Bohrium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Peter Armbruster, Gottfried Münzenberg, and their colleagues in 1981. It is named after Niels Bohr, the Danish physicist who made significant contributions to the understanding of atomic structure.

Question 67

# Name the symbol.

Answer 67

## Footnote Hassium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Peter Armbruster and Gottfried Münzenberg in 1984. It is named after Hesse, the German state where the discovery was made.

Question 68

# Name the symbol.

Answer 68

## Footnote Meitnerium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Peter Armbruster, Gottfried Münzenberg, and their team in 1982. It is named after Lise Meitner, the Austrian physicist who made significant contributions to nuclear physics.

Question 69

# Name the symbol.

Answer 69

## Footnote Darmstadtium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Peter Armbruster, Gottfried Münzenberg, and Sigurd Hofmann in 1994. It is named after Darmstadt, the German city where the discovery was made.

Question 70

# Name the symbol.

Answer 70

## Footnote Roentgenium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Sigurd Hofmann, Peter Armbruster, Gottfried Münzenberg, and their team in 1994. It is named after Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, the German physicist who discovered X-rays.

Question 71

# Name the symbol.

Answer 71

## Footnote Copernicium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Sigurd Hofmann, Victor Ninov, and their team in 1996. It is named after Nicolaus Copernicus, the Polish astronomer who proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system.

Question 72

# Name the symbol.

Answer 72

## Footnote Nihonium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by the RIKEN collaboration team in Japan and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia in 2004. It is named after 'Nihon', the Japanese name for Japan.

Question 73

# Name the symbol.

Answer 73

## Footnote Flerovium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Yuri Oganessian and his team in 1998. It is named after Georgy Flerov, founder of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Russia.

Question 74

# Name the symbol.

Answer 74

## Footnote Moscovium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Yuri Oganessian and his team in 2003, as well as other independent American teams from the Livermore National Laboratory in California, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. It is named after Moscow Oblast, the region where the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research is located.

Question 75

# Name the symbol.

Answer 75

## Footnote Livermorium is a synthetic, radioactive metal that was discovered by Yuri Oganessian and his team in 2000 as well as scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, California. It is named after the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Question 76

# Name the symbol.

Answer 76

## Footnote Tennessine is a synthetic, radioactive element that was discovered by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the United States in 2010. It is named after the state of Tennessee, where Oak Ridge National Laboratory is located.

Question 77

# Name the symbol.

Answer 77

## Footnote Oganesson is a synthetic, radioactive element that was discovered by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the United States in 2006. It is named after Yuri Oganessian, the Russian nuclear physicist who made significant contributions to the discovery of transactinide elements.