Chemists often used geography for naming inspiration when isolating new elements, frequently tying discoveries to the location where mineral samples were found. Several elements trace their origins to the Nordic countries, a region whose geology and scientists contributed significantly to early rare-earth element research. While multiple elements have ties to this northern European area, only one element is named directly after the region as a whole.
Scandium: The Element Named After the Region
The element named directly after the Scandinavian region is Scandium (Sc), atomic number 21. This silvery-white transition metal was discovered in 1879 by Swedish chemist Lars Fredrik Nilson while analyzing the minerals euxenite and gadolinite. Nilson named the newly isolated oxide scandia, after Scandia, the Latin name for Scandinavia, honoring the source region.
The discovery of Scandium validated the Periodic Law, as Dmitri Mendeleev had accurately predicted its existence and properties ten years earlier. Mendeleev called this hypothetical element eka-boron, expecting it to fit between calcium and titanium. Although Scandium is the 50th most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, it is classified as rare because it rarely concentrates into large, mineable deposits. It is typically found in trace amounts across more than 800 different minerals.
The metal is relatively soft, exhibits a high melting point, and tarnishes when exposed to air. Its primary modern use is in the aerospace industry, where it is alloyed with aluminum. Adding a small amount of Scandium significantly increases the strength and durability of aluminum, making these alloys useful for aircraft components and high-end sporting goods. Scandium iodide is also added to high-intensity mercury vapor lamps to produce a bright, white light that closely mimics natural sunlight.
The Unique Legacy of the Ytterby Mine
While Scandium is named for the entire region, four other elements are named after the small Swedish village of Ytterby, located near Stockholm. The Ytterby mine is considered the world’s richest source of elemental discoveries, with seven elements first found in minerals extracted from its quarry. Discoveries began in 1787 when Lieutenant Carl Axel Arrhenius found an unusually heavy, black rock near the mine.
Finnish chemist Johan Gadolin later analyzed this mineral, determining that 38% of its composition was a new, unknown metal oxide. The mineral was named gadolinite in his honor, and the new oxide was called yttria. Yttria led to the first element named after the village, Yttrium (Y). Complex analysis of this single mineral sample over the next several decades led to the isolation of several other rare earth elements.
As separation techniques improved, chemists repeatedly re-analyzed the original yttria sample, extracting new, chemically similar elements. This process led to the discovery of three additional elements named directly after Ytterby: Terbium (Tb), Erbium (Er), and Ytterbium (Yb). These staggered discoveries, spanning from 1794 (Yttrium) to 1878 (Ytterbium), highlight the complexity involved in separating these rare earth elements.
Elements Named After Nordic Locations and Mythology
Beyond Scandium and the Ytterby elements, two additional elements have strong geographical or mythological ties to the Nordic area. This reflects that much early rare earth and transition metal research was conducted by Scandinavian scientists or in regional laboratories.
Hafnium (Hf), atomic number 72, was named after Hafnia, the Latin name for Copenhagen, Denmark. Discovered in 1923 by Dirk Coster and George de Hevesy, the element was identified in a zirconium mineral sample from Norway. The naming honored Copenhagen, the city where the discovery took place and the home of physicist Niels Bohr.
Thulium (Tm), atomic number 69, was discovered by Per Teodor Cleve in 1879. Thulium was named after Thule, an ancient term for a mythical land often associated with the farthest north, generally interpreted as Scandinavia or Iceland. Cleve isolated the element’s oxide from the mineral erbia, an early compound of Erbium, and named the new compound thulia.