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Controversies, compromises and the common chemical language

Nature Chemistry volume 11, pages 853–856 (2019)Cite this article

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The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry — whose 100th anniversary fittingly falls during the International Year of the Periodic Table — is most recognized for its role in the naming of new elements. This is part of a wider effort to help create a common chemistry language for humans and machines alike.

From the late 19th century — a key moment in the development of the chemical industry — the need for the harmonization of chemical nomenclature was clear. An increasing number of elements were known, yet their names and symbols varied, typically because they were given different names by different discoverers1. Element 4, for example, was isolated in its elemental form and named beryllium in 1828, despite the fact that this element had already been known as glucinium since 1798, as a component of an oxide obtained in by Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin from emerald and beryl minerals. Similarly, niobium and columbium co-existed as alternative names for element 41. Beryllium and niobium were chosen in 1949, though glucinium lingered for a while longer, and columbium is still encountered today in metallurgy in the United States.

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Fig. 1: List drawn up by F. A. Kekule of the diverse formulas for acetic acid that were used before 1861.
Fig. 2: Periodic tables published in 1919.
Fig. 3: The number of elements discovered since the 1600s has increased at a surprisingly regular pace.

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  1. Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain

    Javier García-Martínez

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  1. Javier García-Martínez
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Correspondence to Javier García-Martínez.

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García-Martínez, J. Controversies, compromises and the common chemical language. Nat. Chem. 11, 853–856 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-019-0336-4

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