From George Willoughbey
I congratulate Michael Brooks on a splendidly imaginative article on the
synthetic heavy elements
(2 October, p 38).
I shuddered, however, at his reference to the naming of these elements after the
scientists or institutions responsible for their creation.
Many years ago, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
proposed a system for the naming of newly synthesised elements based on a
combination of Greek and Latin prefixes chosen to provide a unique symbol for
each element. For example, element 114 would be ununquadium (symbol Uuq),
element 198 would be unennoctium (Ueo), and so on.
Unfortunately, the simplicity of this scheme upset the delicate digestive
system of the average scientist and was rejected, despite its obvious
advantages.
Enderby, British Columbia Canada
