VicS
Well-Known Member
Which did you think was correct? ...... before checking Wikipedia or the latest interactive Periodic Table from the Royal Society of Chemistry. http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table.
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Sulphur or sulfur ?
- Thread starter VicS
- Start date
Felixcat
Active Member
This side of the Atlantic we spell it with a "ph". If it was the Royal Society of Words they would still be wrong.
prv
Well-Known Member
Without looking it up I know that normal people use ph but chemists are supposed to use f. I guess it's a quid pro quo for getting our spelling of aluminium in 
Pete
Pete
LittleSister
Well-Known Member
What would chemists know about spelling? They spell lead with a p for goodness sake!
armchairsailor
Well-Known Member
Good God man! Are you American or something? Websters Dictionary has a lot to answer for...
Tomahawk
Well-Known Member
Spelling is noy my strong point....
(neither is typing on an iPad)
but I wonder who voted for F ?
(neither is typing on an iPad)
but I wonder who voted for F ?
macd
Well-Known Member
I guess it's a quid pro quo for getting our spelling of aluminium in
The use of "aluminum" is more than just American sloppiness. When Humphry Davy was trying to isolate the metal 200 years ago he gave it precisely that name, so you can blame a Cornishman, not the Yanks. It was later officially named "aluminium" to bring it into line with other usages (although molybdenum, to name but one, already had, and continues to have, the "-um" ending).
snowleopard
Well-Known Member
Scientists enjoy changing names. When I studied chemistry C2H4 was ethylene, now it's ethene. When my daughter had her appendix out I spoke to the doctor's receptionist about her appendectomy and the snotty cow corrected me saying 'it's appendicectomy'.
Don't get me started on a billion losing 3 zeros.
Don't get me started on a billion losing 3 zeros.
jimi
Well-Known Member
how about a billion000?
John.edwards
Well-Known Member
not just the royal society of chemistry i'm afraid. IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry - the world authority on chemical nomenclature, terminology, standardized methods for measurement, atomic weights and other critically evaluated data ; http://www.iupac.org/) says Sulfur
Tomahawk
Well-Known Member
macd
Well-Known Member
A Trillion (US version).
At least the Yanks know the difference between a muffin and an "English muffin", which is more than the Brits seem to these days.
mjcoon
Well-Known Member
Looks like kow-towing to the Yanks, to me.
They'll have to relinquish their "Royal" tag if they don't stick to the Queen's Spelling!
Mike.
Burnham Bob
Well-Known Member
so have they changed the spelling of sulphuric acid too?
VicS
Well-Known Member
Yes. All names derived from sulphur/sulfur now spelt with an f.
History from the change by IUPAC in 1990 to its adoption by QCA in 2000 and its subsequent use on GCSE exam papers is documented in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur#Spelling_and_etymology.
AntarcticPilot
Well-Known Member
The correct answer, by International Agreement, is sulfur. However, I'd still use the traditional spelling in non-technical writing, just as I use haematite for the mineral; in the same way, the international agreement is hematite.
Mistroma
Well-Known Member
not just the royal society of chemistry i'm afraid. IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry - the world authority on chemical nomenclature, terminology, standardized methods for measurement, atomic weights and other critically evaluated data ; http://www.iupac.org/) says Sulfur
Yes, but loads of text books and common usage still make it sulphur. It was changed to avoid people becoming confused. Perhaps they should stick to Media studies and leave Chemistry alone.
I think teaching in schools simplifies equations using "Word Equations". It just means kids won't learn universally understood form for these equations.
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ffiill
Well-Known Member
Its sulphur just as its a window Sill NOT CILL thats a gaelic version of the latin cell.
Suprising how many double glazing firms use window cills.
Suprising how many double glazing firms use window cills.
matelot
Well-Known Member
No question. The English spelling has ph in it - the other is yanky vernacular. Why the RSC has erred on that and spelled aluminium in the English way I do not know.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that the different american spellings were the result of a serious planned exercise to make more sensible the weird english spellings, and not just divergent cultures. And I also seem to remember that aluminium was discovered by a yank and the historically correct spelling is the yankee one.
Mistroma
Well-Known Member
Nope, as mentioned earlier it was attributed to Sir Humphry Davy (of Gas lamp fame) who first identified that there was a metal in alum (hence various names all starting alum...).
Certainly not an American, though unusual at that time in that is was a Cornishman and not a Scot. Though I'm certain a bit more digging will reveal it was actually discovered by a Russian.
