The Lost Elements: The Periodic Table's Shadow Side

577 Pages·2014·10.98 MB·English

by  Marco Fontani

The Lost Elements

The Lost Elements
The Periodic Table’s Shadow Side
Marco Fontani, Mariagrazia Costa, and Mary Virginia Orna
1
1
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fontani, Marco, 1969–
The lost elements : the periodic table’s shadow side / Marco Fontani, Mariagrazia Costa,
and Mary Virginia Orna.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 978–0–19–938334–4 (alk. paper)
1. Chemical elements. 2. Chemical elements—History. 3. Periodic law—History.
4. Chemistry—Nomenclature—History. 5. Chemistry—Humor. I. Costa, Mariagrazia.
II. Orna, Mary Virginia. III. Title. IV. Title: Periodic table’s shadow side.
QD467.F66 2014
546'.8—dc23
2014009191
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
It is appropriate to recall the dedication
that, many years ago, I wrote on the manuscript of my bachelor’s thesis;
for this reason, I renew it with affection:
“To my parents: you were the lions; I have only roared.”
—Marco Fontani
To my beloved nephews,
may they all be attracted to Science.
—Mariagrazia Costa
To Maria Lucia (Grazia) Pulaccini,
my finest teacher and most beloved mentor.
—Mary Virginia Orna

Contents
Preface xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Note to the Reader xxi
Introduction xxiii
Why Collect into One Volume the Discoveries of Elements that Have
Been Shown to be Erroneous or Have Been Forgotten? xxiii
How “an Element” Became a “Chemical Element” xxiv
Is There Any Order to the Discoveries of the Elements? xxviii
The Development of the Periodic Table xxx
Part I: Before 1789: Early Errors and Early Elements
Prologue to Part I 1
I.1. The Beginning of a Long Series of Scientific Blunders 3
I.1.1. Terra Nobilis 3
I.1.2. Siderum and Hydrosiderum 3
I.1.3. Sydneium or Australium 4
I.1.4. The Element That Breathes 6
I.1.5. The Birth of Homeopathy 7
I.2. The Elements Hidden by Alternative Names 12
I.2.1. Metallum Problematicum or Tellurium 12
I.2.2. Ochroite or Cerium 13
I.2.3. Ceresium or Palladium 13
I.2.4. Erythronium, Panchromium or Vanadium 14
Part II: 1789–1869: From Lavoisier to Mendeleev: The First Errors at the Dawn
of the Concept of the Chemical Element
Prologue to Part II 19
II.1. Analytical Methodology from Lavoisier to Mendeleev 21
II.1.1. Blowpipe Analysis 22
II.1.2. Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis 23
II.1.3. Electrolysis 23
II.1.4. Emission Spectroscopy 24
II.2. The Elements of the Kingdom of Naples 27
II.2.1. Ruprecht and Tondi: Two Metallurgists Without Metals 27
II.2.2. Playing Bingo with Five Elements 28
II.2.3. The Extraction Procedure of the New Metals 29
II.2.4. Right or Wrong, Was Tondi the Victim of a Sworn Enemy? 29
II.2.5. The Elements that Replaced Those of Tondi 30
vii
viii Contents
II.2.6. Possible Present-Day Interpretations 31
II.2.7. Revolution Offers a Second Career Possibility 33
II.3. Austrium: One Element, Two Elements, Three Elements, and Finally, Zero
Elements 36
II.3.1. The First Fleeting Attempt to Name an Element Austrium 36
II.3.2. Austrium: A Posthumous Element 36
II.3.3. The “Austrian Element” of a Czech Chemist 38
II.3.4. A Third “Split” for Bohuslav Brauner 41
II.4. The Return of the Olympians: Silene, Aridium, Saturnum, Pelopium,
Dianium, Neptunium, and Plutonium 43
II.4.1. Silene 43
II.4.2. Aridium 44
II.4.3. Saturnum 45
II.4.4. Pelopium 46
II.4.5. Dianium 47
II.4.6. Neptunium 48
II.4.7. Plutonium 49
II.5. The Unfortunate Affair of a Student of Kant: A Career Soldier, but a
Chemist by Passion 53
II.5.1. Niccolanum 53
II.5.2. The Road from Oblivion 54
II.6. André-Marie Ampère Bursts onto the Chemistry Scene 56
II.6.1. “Phtore” 56
II.7. Cadmium: “Bone of Contention” Among Chemical Elements 59
II.7.1. A Related Discovery Increases the Confusion: Vestium 60
II.8. A Fireproof Family of Chemists 62
II.8.1. Chemistry as the Common Denominator 62
II.8.2. The Most Improbable of the Chemical Elements 63
II.9. A Bridge of False Hopes Between Divinity and False Elements 65
II.9.1. Crodonium 65
II.9.2. Wodanium 66
II.9.3. False Elements Exchanged for Another False Element 67
II.9.4. Ptene 69
II.9.5. Donarium 70
II.10. Gahnium, Polinium, and Pluranium 73
II.10.1. Gahnium 73
II.10.2. Polinium and Pluranium 73
II.11. Aberdonia and the “Sweet” Map of Oblivion 77
II.11.1. Donium 77
II.11.2. Treenium 78
II.11.3. The Discovery of an Already Known Element? 79
II.11.4. The Sweet Epilogue Leaves a Bitter Taste in the Mouth 80
II.12. The Brief Parentheses of Four Misleading Elements 82
II.12.1. The Fleeting Existence of Thalium 82
II.12.2. The Meteoric Appearance and Disappearance of Comesium 83
II.12.3. The Mysterious Nature of Ouralium 84
II.12.4. The Brief History of Idunium 85
ix Contents
II.13. Two Imaginary Elements: Sulphurium and Sulfenium 87
II.13.1. Sulphurium 87
II.13.2. The Ancient Modernity of Sulfenium 88
II.14. The Astronomer “Left in the Dark” 91
II.14.1. “Light” as a Means of Chemical Investigation 91
II.14.2. A New Family of Elements from an Old Family of Astronomers 92
II.14.3. Neptunium Is Tempting to a Lot of People 93
II.14.4. Conclusion 93
II.15. Bythium and δ: Two Elements That Arose (and Vanished) via
Electrolysis 95
II.16. The Ghosts of Unnamed Elements 97
II.16.1. 1799: The Element of Fernandez 97
II.16.2. 1852: The Element of Friedrich August Genth 97
II.16.3. 1852: The Element of Carl Anton Hjalmar Sjögren 98
II.16.4. 1861: The Element of the Brothers August and Friedrich Wilhelm
Dupré 98
II.16.5. 1862: The Element of Charles Frederick Chandler 99
II.16.6. 1864: The Elements of William Nylander and Carl Bischoff 101
II.16.7. 1869: The Element of Oscar Loew 102
II.16.8. 1878: The Elements of William Balthasar Gerland 102
II.16.9. 1883: The Element of Theodor Eduard Wilm 103
II.16.10. 1897: The Elements of Gethen G. Boucher and F. Ruddock 104
II.16.11. 1904: The Radium Foil of George Frederick Kunz 104
II.16.12. 1908: The Element of Clare de Brereton Evans 105
II.16.13. 1913: The Element of H. C. Holtz 107
Part III: 1869–1913: From the Periodic Table to Moseley’s Law: Rips and Tears
in Mendeleev’s Net
Prologue to Part III 109
III.1. The Forerunners of Celtium and Hafnium: Ostranium, Norium,
Jargonium, Nigrium, Euxenium, Asium, and Oceanium 111
III.2. The Discoveries of the Rare Earths Approach Their End: Philippium,
Element X, Decipium, Mosandrium, Rogerium, and Columbium 119
III.2.1. Philippium and Element X 119
III.2.2. Mosandrium 121
III.2.3. Decipium and the Complexity of Didymium 122
III.2.4. Rogerium and Columbium 124
III.2.5. Conclusion 124
III.3. Lavœsium and Davyum: The Rise and Fall of Two Metals with Illustrious
Names 128
III.3.1. The Discovery of Lavœsium 128
III.3.2. A Residue of Work on Platinum: Davyum 129
III.3.3. Lavœsium Falls into Oblivion 130
III.3.4. Davyum’s Long Agony 131
III.3.5. Conclusion 132
III.4. The Complex Events Surrounding Two “Scandinavian”
Metals: Norwegium and Wasium 135