Four new elements have been named on the same day.

I think the first time in the history of the periodic table it's happened.

One of the elements

was created in Japan and has a Japanese name.

So it's a great excuse to wear my periodic table happi.

This is made by one of our fans in Japan.

And if you look, it has the space to put the names, the new symbols of the four elements.

And as well, today happens to be the 8th birthday of Periodic Videos,

8 years since we shot the first video.

Welcome to our Periodic Table videos.

This is an experiment for me, just as much as it will be for you when you're watching.

And I just wanted to begin by showing you my office

and explaining what the periodic table means to chemists like me.

So now for the names.

The first element, number 113

over here, was

discovered or first synthesized in Japan

has been called Nihonium with the symbol "Nh"

in honor of Japan.

The second element, number 115 is Moscovium

named after Moscow, the capital of Russia,

which is not far from Dubna, where the element was synthesized.

115 and the symbol is "Mc" which might actually appeal to our viewers in Scotland

because as you know, many surnames in Scotland begin "Mc."

So it's a sort of Russian-Scottish element.

The third element -- number 117

-- is one of the halogens.

Now you know the halogens fluorine, chlorine, bromine, astatine all end in "-ine."

So element 117 has been named Tennessine after the American state, Tennessee,

where many of the elements were discovered at Oak Ridge, the National Laboratory.

I'm not sure whether it's intended to be pronounced "Tenneseen" or "Tennesign"

I prefer "Tenneseen."

The last element, 118, is one of the noble gases.

Now all the noble gases, apart from helium, end in "-on."

Neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon.

And this one, has been called "oganesson."

Now that's quite a strange name, and you might be a bit surprised.

Let me tell you the symbol is "Og"

It's named after academician, Yuri Oganessian.

Who is an Armenian working in Russia and is director

of the institute where many of these elements were discovered.

BRADY: Is he alive?

He is alive.

Which makes him only the second person in the history

of the periodic table to have an element named after them while they're still alive.

The other one was named after Seaborg: seaborgium.

Though there is a rumor that Einstein may have known

about einsteinium before the name was made public.

But he was dead when it went public.

These names are provisional, as are the symbols.

And there are six months for people to comment or object.

And in some cases, like the element copernicium,

the symbol was changed from "Cp" to "Cn."

So it's possible that some of these may change.

I suspect that nobody is going to object to them but we'll have to see.

BRADY: What do you think of the four names?

I think they're all great.

I think the Oganesson is perhaps slightly hard for some people to pronounce.

But, it's quite fun.

Now of course, some people think the periodic table is complete

but, if you look at the sleeve of my Japanese happi,

you can see that there's spaces for elements 119 and 120.

Keep watching Periodic Videos and I hope quite soon

there might be some other new elements, so we can continue completing my sleeve.

BRADY: Professor, does that mean if we react moscovium with oxygen

we'll have McOxygen?

[laughs] Uhm...