megalomania
June 17th, 2003, 04:07 PM
Jumala
Frequent Poster
Posts: 200
From: Germany
Registered: OCT 2000
posted 05-23-2001 09:51 PM
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Perhaps it sounds stupid but I donīt know where the names Sodium and Potassium come from because they donīt fit to their chemical short forms. K for potassium (kalium) or Na for sodium (Natrium).
Does anyone know something?
FadeToBlackened
Frequent Poster
Posts: 201
From: Hell
Registered: MAR 2001
posted 05-23-2001 10:06 PM
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Im guessing they are foreign.. Like Pb is lead, Hg is mercury, Sn is tin, etc...
CodeMason
Frequent Poster
Posts: 383
From: Your Nightmares
Registered: NOV 2000
posted 05-24-2001 03:55 AM
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"Potassium" came from the word "potash", which was a substance, mainly composed of various potassium salts. It was called "potash", because it was the residue left from the burning of certain plants.
"Sodium" came from the word "soda", which described certain sodium salts. I don't know where "soda" itself came from.
John456
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Posts: 105
From:
Registered: MAR 2001
posted 05-24-2001 03:04 PM
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The names are latin, im guessing.
Lagen
Frequent Poster
Posts: 174
From:
Registered: MAY 2001
posted 05-24-2001 06:58 PM
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The Latin 'kalium' comes from Arab 'qali' meaning alkali (prob. caustic potash KOH). The English 'soda' comes from medieval Latin 'sodanum' meaning some sort of headache remedy. I'm not sure about 'natrium', maybe it's from natron, a sodium containing mineral named after the Egyptian Wadi an Natrun where there are large deposits. Just a speculation, though. Davy was the first to deal with those elements in 1807 so he could have made those names up, there probably don't exist any in native Latin.
SATANIC
Frequent Poster
Posts: 237
From: australia
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 05-24-2001 09:10 PM
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They all came from latin - K, Na, Pb, Hg etc.
PYRO500
Moderator
Posts: 1465
From: somewhere in florida
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 05-24-2001 09:21 PM
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I herd several stories about why Latin is used a lot in science today. one says that since a lot of discoveries about science came from the Renaissance in Europe where they spoke Latin and thus kept the original Latin names/symbols to honor the discoverers. another one I heard is that to give the Latin language a purpose for existence because it was extinct, I personally believe the firs over the second.
Arthis
Frequent Poster
Posts: 203
From:
Registered: OCT 2000
posted 05-25-2001 11:14 AM
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Latin is used because first people in Renaissance used to use it, then because it is lot easier to name things with a latin name, and not several different names. Look plants: they all have latin name to take care about each variety, over generic names we use to call them.
Bitter
Frequent Poster
Posts: 290
From: 11 Downing Street, London, England
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 05-25-2001 03:28 PM
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Hg isn't latin it's greek. There are a few others like that aswell.
Frequent Poster
Posts: 200
From: Germany
Registered: OCT 2000
posted 05-23-2001 09:51 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perhaps it sounds stupid but I donīt know where the names Sodium and Potassium come from because they donīt fit to their chemical short forms. K for potassium (kalium) or Na for sodium (Natrium).
Does anyone know something?
FadeToBlackened
Frequent Poster
Posts: 201
From: Hell
Registered: MAR 2001
posted 05-23-2001 10:06 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Im guessing they are foreign.. Like Pb is lead, Hg is mercury, Sn is tin, etc...
CodeMason
Frequent Poster
Posts: 383
From: Your Nightmares
Registered: NOV 2000
posted 05-24-2001 03:55 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Potassium" came from the word "potash", which was a substance, mainly composed of various potassium salts. It was called "potash", because it was the residue left from the burning of certain plants.
"Sodium" came from the word "soda", which described certain sodium salts. I don't know where "soda" itself came from.
John456
Frequent Poster
Posts: 105
From:
Registered: MAR 2001
posted 05-24-2001 03:04 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The names are latin, im guessing.
Lagen
Frequent Poster
Posts: 174
From:
Registered: MAY 2001
posted 05-24-2001 06:58 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Latin 'kalium' comes from Arab 'qali' meaning alkali (prob. caustic potash KOH). The English 'soda' comes from medieval Latin 'sodanum' meaning some sort of headache remedy. I'm not sure about 'natrium', maybe it's from natron, a sodium containing mineral named after the Egyptian Wadi an Natrun where there are large deposits. Just a speculation, though. Davy was the first to deal with those elements in 1807 so he could have made those names up, there probably don't exist any in native Latin.
SATANIC
Frequent Poster
Posts: 237
From: australia
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 05-24-2001 09:10 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They all came from latin - K, Na, Pb, Hg etc.
PYRO500
Moderator
Posts: 1465
From: somewhere in florida
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 05-24-2001 09:21 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I herd several stories about why Latin is used a lot in science today. one says that since a lot of discoveries about science came from the Renaissance in Europe where they spoke Latin and thus kept the original Latin names/symbols to honor the discoverers. another one I heard is that to give the Latin language a purpose for existence because it was extinct, I personally believe the firs over the second.
Arthis
Frequent Poster
Posts: 203
From:
Registered: OCT 2000
posted 05-25-2001 11:14 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Latin is used because first people in Renaissance used to use it, then because it is lot easier to name things with a latin name, and not several different names. Look plants: they all have latin name to take care about each variety, over generic names we use to call them.
Bitter
Frequent Poster
Posts: 290
From: 11 Downing Street, London, England
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 05-25-2001 03:28 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hg isn't latin it's greek. There are a few others like that aswell.