I've received multiple questions about the naming of element 13, which I call aluminum and most of the world calls aluminium. Why are there two names? Sir Humphry Davy proposed the name aluminum, back before the element was officially discovered. However, the name 'aluminium' was adopted to conform with the -ium names of most other elements. In 1925, the American Chemical Society decided to go back to the original aluminum, so the United States uses a different name from most other countries. The IUPAC periodic table lists both spellings.

Still confused? Here's a little more about the history of aluminum's naming and discovery. Guyton de Morveau (1761) called alum, a base which had been known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, by the name alumine. In 1808, Humphry Davy identified the existence of the metal in alum, which he at first named alumium and later aluminum. Davy knew aluminum existed, but he didn't isolate the element. Friedrich Wöhler isolated aluminum in 1827 by mixing anhydrous aluminium chloride with potassium. Actually, though, the metal was produced two years earlier, though in impure form, by the Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Ørsted. Depending on your source, the discovery of aluminum is credited to either Ørsted or Wöhler.

Pictures of Famous Chemists | Aluminum (or Aluminium) Facts
Image: Sir Humphry Davy. Engraving taken from "The Life of Sir Humphry Davy" by John A. Paris, London: Colburn and Bentley, 1831.

Have you noticed a significant proportion of my science magic tricks involve fire? I don't actually go around my house lighting things on fire, though I do confess to a certain fondness for those types of projects. I collected my fire magic magic tricks into their very own section, so if you are into fire demonstrations or elemental magic you can find the fire magic tricks in one place. Enjoy!

May 20^th is Eduard Buchner's birthday. Buchner was a German chemist who worked with the process of alcohol fermentation. Fermentation is the process that occurs when a carbohydrate like sugar is broken into alcohol. Many fermentation processes involve yeast to increase the rate of fermentation and was believed to be the catalyst for the reaction. Buchner showed there were enzymes in the yeast, which he named zymase, that actually worked as the catalyst and not the yeast itself. This distinction was a step away from the popular philosophy of vitalism, in which biochemical reactions need biological catalysts, and was important enough to earn him the 1907 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Find out what else occurred on this day in science history.

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One of the most common questions I have been asked about the SpaceX Dragon flight is, "Why is it important?" There are a couple of quick answers to that question. First, SpaceX is poised to make history as the first private company to meet up with the International Space Station. That is a very big deal! Getting to the ISS, successfully connecting with it and returning safely home is an extremely complex series of tasks.

The other important aspect of the Dragon launch is that its first mission will transport experiments to the space station. These experiments are part of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). These are scientific experiments that have been designed by students from across the United States. This is real scientific research. Students submitted proposals for their projects, designed experiments and competed for the opportunity to fly their experiments in low Earth orbit. The focus of the program is on the students, but they don't go it alone. Each project is a community endeavor, requiring cooperation between students, parents, teachers and businesses.

I got the opportunity to meet some of the students and members of their teams, representing SSEP at the May 19, 2012 SpaceX launch attempt:

Co-Investigators Jack Barth, JP Peerbolte, Cameron Zandstra
Lake County, IN SSEP Community
"The Effect of Microgravity on the Quality and Nutritional Value of the Seed Sprout of a Germinated 92M72 Genetically-Modified Soy Bean"

Pioneer very graciously sponsors this team. Not only did Pioneer provide seeds for the project, but they also gave team members these cool shirts and paid their expenses so that the students could attend the launch of their experiments.

Photo: Representatives of the Lake County, Indiana SSEP team pose with the NASA logo before the May 19th launch attempt of SpaceX Dragon / Falcon 9. (Anne Helmenstine)

Principal Investigator Emily Soice
Houston, TX SSEP Community
"Hepatocyte Development in Bioscaffolds Infused with TGFB3 in Microgravity"

"I am very excited and honored that I get to be a part of the first commercial payload."
~Emily Soice (Grade 8, Houston, TX)

Photo: Principal Investigator Emily Soice (Grade 8, Johnston Middle School, Houston) is fitted with a microphone so she can explain her SSEP research project on NASA TV. (Anne Helmenstine)

Ryan Puri, Co-Investigator
San Marino, CA SSEP Community
"Effect of Microgravity on the Antibacterial Resistance of P. aeruginosa"

Ryan and the other student representatives explained their experiments to the press. The students gave interviews and were videotaped for NASA TV. Ryan displayed the poise of a veteran researcher, clearly explaining the significance of his project and describing the excitement of having an experiment go into space.

Photo: SSEP Co-Investigator Ryan Puri (Grade 10, San Marino High School, San Marino CA) explains his flight experiment to NASA TV and member of the press at the SpaceX Dragon launch attempt on May 19, 2012 at Kennedy Space Center, FL. (Anne Helmenstine)

There are 15 SSEP experiments flying on SpaceX Dragon's Mission 1 to the ISS. The SSEP program is ongoing, so if you are are a student interested in flying an experiment, visit the website and get started!