what is the basis for naming the element helium,plutonium and cerium?
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what is the basis for naming the element helium,plutonium and cerium?
what is the basis for naming the element helium,plutonium and cerium?
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elements have been named after a number of things including their attributes, the compound or ore from which they were isolated, how they were discovered or obtained, mythological figures, places, and famous people. Some elements have descriptive names based on an attribute of the element.
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The three aforementioned elements all share a common naming origin—they are all named after celestial/heavenly bodies. Any object found in space is considered a celestial body.
Helium was named from the Greek word helios, which means sun, since it was first discovered in the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere, or the corona. On the other hand, Plutonium was named after the dwarf planet Pluto following its discovery. If you look at the periodic table, the 92nd element is Uranium (from the planet Uranus), the 93rd element is Neptunium (from the planet Neptune), and the 94th element is Plutonium (from planet Pluto). These three are named after the planets in the solar system. Similar to Plutonium, Cerium is also named after another dwarf planet called Ceres.