Sequanium Explained

Sequanium was the proposed name for a new element that Romanian physicist Horia Hulubei reported he had discovered in 1939.^{[1] [2]} The name derived from the Latin word Sequana for the river Seine running through Paris where Hulubei worked at that time.

Hulubei thought he had discovered element 93 in a tantalite sample from the French region Haute-Vienne. Element 93 was synthesised in 1940 and named neptunium.^[3] It does in fact occur in nature in trace amounts, but it is not commonly believed that Hulubei actually discovered it.

Notes and References

1. Marco. Fontani. Marco Fontani . The Twilight of the Naturally-Occurring Elements: Moldavium (Ml), Sequanium (Sq) and Dor (Do). Fifth International Conference on the History of Chemistry. DOC. 6–10 September 2005. Lisbon. https://web.archive.org/web/20060224090117/http://5ichc-portugal.ulusofona.pt/uploads/PaperLong-MarcoFontani.doc. 2006-02-24.
2. Nouvelles recherches sur l'élément 93 naturel. H.. Hulubei. Cauchois, Y. . Comptes rendus. 1939. 209. 476–479.
3. 10.1103/PhysRev.57.1185.2. Radioactive Element 93. 1940. Mcmillan, Edwin. Physical Review. 57. 1185. Abelson. Philip. 1940PhRv...57.1185M. 12 . free.