What Is the Origin of the Name Aluminum?

In England, aluminum is called "aluminium."

Officially discovered by Hans Christian Oersted in Denmark in 1825 and used by the ancient Greeks and Romans in early civilization, aluminum is a mineral found in the earth's crust. Aluminum is most often used in kitchen utensils, building decor and construction materials.

Latin Derivation and French Influence

The term "aluminum" stems from the Latin word "alumen," or "alum." In 1761, Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau, a French chemist, isolated aluminum for the first time and called his discovery "alumine."

Cornish and German Influence

Humphry Davy, a Cornish chemist and inventor, is credited with renaming "alumine" to "alumium" in 1807. This was later altered to "aluminum" in 1827, when the German chemist, Friedrich Wohler, isolated Oersted's 1825 discovery. Two years later, in 1829, "-ium" was added to the end of the name to create "aluminium," because of its new mineral status.

American Influence

The "-ium" in "aluminium" was dropped in 1925 by the American Chemical Society, which led to the creation of the modern-day word, "aluminum." In England and in some other parts of the world, the name "aluminium" is still widely used.

References

• Environmental Chemistry: Element Aluminum Al
• Los Alamos National Laboratory's Chemistry Division: Aluminum