The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) confirmed today the new names for the transuranium elements 114 and 116: flerovium (Fl) and livermorium (Lv). The new names were announced in December 2011, but there followed a statutory period of five months during which chemists had a chance to object to the new names. Click here for the official announcement from IUPAC.

I am particularly pleased about this announcement, because a book I have been writing is going to print any day, and I have been hoping that I would be able to use the new names, rather than the systematic names given to newly-discovered (created) elements. The systematic names for elements 114 and 116 were ununquadium (Uuq) and ununhexium (Uuh).

Click here is the book, for you to pre-order – it’s called The Elements – the New Guide to the Building Blocks of our Universe. It will be published on 2 October 2012.

Incidentally, I have another book being published tomorrow, 1 June 2012. It’s The Story of Science, and it’s a ‘complete’ history of science in 25,000 words! Aimed at readers of 11 plus (but interested adults could learn a lot, too, I think!). You can click here to buy that from Amazon (it’s available elsewhere, of course).