Tungsten Names, Wolfram Controversy and Americium Discovery: IUPAC’s Element Naming in Chemistry World Editorial

Podcast at a Glance

The Chemistry World Editorial delves into how element names are decided, using tungsten as a central example to explore language, history, and the decisions behind IUPAC nomenclature. The episode also recounts the surprising origin of americium’s public hint on a radio quiz show and previews a future episode on the element’s story.

• How IUPAC governs element naming and why language matters
• The tungsten/Wolfram naming clash rooted in mineralogy and history
• The Dalhuyer brothers and the 2005 IUPAC decision naming tungsten
• The americium discovery tale linked to Seaborg and a radio show

Overview of Element Naming and IUPAC Authority

The podcast opens with questions about what we call elements, whether names are consistent across languages, and who makes those decisions. It explains that naming falls to IUPAC, the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry, and that the answers to how names are chosen can depend on linguistic and historical context. The host emphasizes that the naming process is not just about labels but about historical lineage and educational clarity, noting that symbols can diverge from English element names and that students may learn some chemistry history in the process of mastering the periodic table.

Tungsten, Wolfram and the Naming Controversy

The focal case is element 74, known in English as tungsten, with the symbol W. In many European languages the element is called Wolfram. The etymology traces tungsten to a Swedish mineral name for a heavy stone, while Wolfram derives from Wolframite, a mineral with high tungsten content. Both names appeared in the Red Book of IUPAC nomenclature for a long time, but a 2005 IUPAC update dropped Wolfram and established tungsten as the official name. The episode highlights the Spanish chemists' resistance, because the Dalhuya (or Dalhuyer) brothers—credited with isolating the element—had proposed the name Wolfram in their original paper, arguing it drew from wolframite and matched European language usage. IUPAC counters that its working language is English and thus tungsten is the most appropriate name, while also noting that symbols like W for tungsten are historically rooted and justify a bit of metaphorical explanation for students learning the symbol’s origin.

Applications, History and Symbolic Memory

The discussion extends to tungsten’s modern applications, including its hardness, density and melting point, which underpin its use in heavy metal alloys, ballast, electrical components, and even supersonic weaponry. The host asserts the case for the English name as a practical compromise, noting that historical and linguistic threads shape how chemistry is taught and remembered. The piece also touches on other element symbols that do not align with their English names, such as potassium and silver, illustrating that symbol-history can be distinct from common naming.

Americium and a Radio Show Hint of Discovery

The episode shifts to americium, recounting how the first hint of the element’s existence surfaced not in a journal, but on NBC’s Quiz Kids radio show in 1945. Seaborg, slated to announce americium, let slip its existence five days before the formal announcement, linking the element to plutonium and neptunium in a revealing moment of scientific discovery meeting popular culture. The host teases that Brian Clegg will tell the americium story in a future Chemistry in Its Element episode, keeping listeners engaged with the historical narrative of nuclear chemistry.

Closing Remarks and What Comes Next

The editorial closes by acknowledging the ongoing evolution of chemistry’s naming conventions and invites listeners to join the next episode for more on americium, maintaining the series’ momentum and educational aims. The host signs off, offering a snapshot of the program’s broader goal to celebrate the historical roots of chemistry while highlighting how terminology travels through languages, cultures and time.