Plasma/Phoron and the renaming thereof

[Carver]

Hello! I've noticed there has been an ever constant debate regarding the name of Plasma, and that often it's noted that neither Plasma or Phoron truly fit as a proper name for this element. Plasma being the fourth state of matter, and Phoron being a spice. So I decided to speak to Jackboot, and he suggested I create a thread discussing possible options.

In my research on the traditional naming patterns of elements, I've noted the two most common sources are either the individual who discovered it, or the location of discovery. As the wiki page on Plasma provides no direct individual at the present time, I can only provide a limited array of suggested names based on the location.

Names I pondered were 'Romanovium', after the Romanovich Cloud, or 'Archimedium' after the Comet in which it was discovered, though that name (Archimedium) works less so due to the fact there's a (real life) business group currently named such.

Feel free to provide your own suggestions below, or discuss the ones I've presented.

Suggested reads:

http://aurorastation.org/wiki/index.php?title=Plasma

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naming_of_elements

[Mofo1995]

Finally. This is something I've been wanting for a very long while now. Romanovium would be amazing, I would like it a lot.

[Dreviore]

So we're looking to rename Phoron? I'm down for naming it after the comet honestly.

[Nanako]

I don't see an issue with phoron. It may be a spice, but that's a completely different field of influence, i don't see a conflict for reusing the name acrss spheres.

Calling it plama however, is silly. that's a direct conflict, and "solid plasma" is just silly

[Butterrobber202]

Solid plasma could easily be possible 500 years from now,

---

Romanovium

But I'd want a shortened version and a periodic table entity

E.g

Rm

X

Romanovium

X

Then have this on a wall near the toxins lab with a short summary of what Romanovium is, I would also like a slang word for it, BECQUSE Romanovium IS TO DAMN LONG

[Nanako]

Solid plasma could easily be possible 500 years from now,

no it couldn't, plasma is a state of matter. Solid is also a state of matter. It's about as possible as a solid gas.

Id we ever invent something that behaves like both plasma and solid, then we'll invent a new fifth state of matter to describe it

[Carver]

Solid plasma could easily be possible 500 years from now,

---

Romanovium

But I'd want a shortened version and a periodic table entity

E.g

Rm

X

Romanovium

X

Then have this on a wall near the toxins lab with a short summary of what Romanovium is, I would also like a slang word for it, BECQUSE Romanovium IS TO DAMN LONG

One fella I talked to thought it'd be interesting to call it Romano as a slang term, if you're still into the whole 'food stuffs' thing. In general I can think of a lot of little slang terms, but it's more interesting to see what people come up with.

[Nikov]

Romanovium will never be called that; I'd start calling it plasma.

Phoron is a short enough word it can compete with plasma. It sounds scifi, vaugely like fluorine (the World-Immolator) or boron (magical star-metal), and catchy enough to be a trade name for a molecule. What do we call this mystery gas containing fluorine and boron, marketing team? I know, PHORON.

Incidentally the actual gas BF3 is somewhat phoron-like. http://voltaix.com/images/doc/Msb023_BF3_mix_16.1_to_91.7percent_H2.pdf

Plasma has always been a bad term because of its actual use in physics and medicine.

If you wanted to really rename it, call it Boron Trifluoride. Everyone will just call it by the trade-name Phoron.

[Carver]

Phoron is a short enough word it can compete with plasma. It sounds scifi, vaugely like fluorine (the World-Immolator) or boron (magical star-metal), and catchy enough to be a trade name for a molecule. What do we call this mystery gas containing fluorine and boron, marketing team? I know, PHORON.

Marketing teams do not name elements.

 

The word boron was coined from borax, the mineral from which it was isolated, by analogy with carbon, which it resembles chemically.

Boron was inspired partially by where it was found, and partially by a similarity to another element.

 

In 1529, Georgius Agricola described fluorite as an additive used to lower the melting point of metals during smelting. He penned the Latin word fluorés (fluo, flow) for fluorite rocks. The name later evolved into fluorspar (still commonly used) and then fluorite.

Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele repeated the experiment in 1771, and named the acidic product fluss-spats-syran (fluorspar acid). In 1810, the French physicist André-Marie Ampère suggested that hydrogen and an element analogous to chlorine constituted hydrofluoric acid. Sir Humphry Davy proposed that this then-unknown substance be named fluorine from fluoric acid and the -ine suffix of other halogens.

Fluorine was named partially via a latin word, and through a long period of further research, was refined to adopt the -ine common to it's fellow halogens.

Compared to both these elements, 'Plasma' holds very little similarities. Especially in it's usage. Mind that all (good) sci-fi must hold a basis in reality.

[Guest]

Supporting the scientific redesignation of plasma/phoron. Anything that seeks to remedy and improve upon the silliness of the core SS13 lore is fine by my book. Archemedium sounds a bit catchier but I'd go with the other one, too.

[Zundy]

I'd say rename it Romanovium with its working/commercial name being Phoron.

[Guest]

>commercial name

>science station where no other company actually knows how to distill or work with phoron

NT holds the handle on plasma/phoron. No one else.

[Zundy]

>commercial name

>science station where no other company actually knows how to distill or work with phoron

NT holds the handle on plasma/phoron. No one else.

 

Romanovium is a terrible name for a product mayn.

[Dreviore]

>commercial name

>science station where no other company actually knows how to distill or work with phoron

NT holds the handle on plasma/phoron. No one else.

 

Romanovium is a terrible name for a product mayn.

 

The point he's trying to make is that it's an element name and wouldn't have a commercial name.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Its name is a matter of player engagement. It could be called "Hitleriite" and functionally be no different. Nanotrasen holds the monopoly and secrets of plasma - if you want to use bluespace, you have to use Nanotrasen products to utilize plasma correctly.

Nanotrasen can call it whatever they want because they own it. It's something that would be catchy and well identified, a household name.

Phoron and Plasma are household names for SS13, so I prefer it being one of these two things.

[Carver]

Phoron and Plasma are household names for SS13, so I prefer it being one of these two things.

Then it's settled. Shut down and bin the thread, loremeister has spoken and made a decision.

[Nanako]

Phoron and Plasma are household names for SS13, so I prefer it being one of these two things.

Then it's settled. Shut down and bin the thread, loremeister has spoken and made a decision.

 

Well i still think there is an issue here.

Like i've said, i agree with phoron, it's good and it works. Plasma is an incorrect name.

I'd like to see us settle on phoron fully, and remove all references to "plasma" in the strings and code

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

omg i gave my opinion not an official declaration.

[UnknownMurder]

https://m.imgur.com/a/wLOGU

Also, we already have two same substances which has a similar name. It would be too confusing to give it a new name.

[Zundy]

Hmm I do really like the idea of applying an actual scientific name to Plasma though m8.

I also like the idea of its marketed name being Phoron because it's well known OOC and sounds coolies in general.

It frees up plasma as a name to be applied to the state of matter we know and love for things like weapons, fuel cells etc as well.

Plus I like Romanovium. It tickles my pickle <3~°

[Nikov]

I get less tickle out of Romanovium than the word knickers, and as an American, that puts it somewhere around Unathi-on-Skrell Deviant Art crayon porn.