Who has the final say in the naming the elements?

Question

Like what governing body has a final say on the names of the elements.?

Answer 1

Usually the discoverer names it, but the final decision is up to IUPAC, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. The heaviest known elements were discovered during the Cold War, and of course the Americans and Soviets both claimed to have discovered them first and tried to name them after their scientists, so IUPAC stepped in and named the new elements with a numeric code. That's why those elements have such odd names, like unnilquadium or unnilpentium. It's just Latin for "element number 104" or "element number 105". Some periodic tables still use the American names but most use IUPAC's.

Answer 2

I like the thoughtful history behind Drake, but the rapper association would be annoying to me. What about Silas Drake Matthews?

Answer 3

I'm pretty sure that one is up to whoever discovered it first.