The Name neodymium means "new twin" (from the Greek words neo = new and didymos = twin), because it is quite similar to lanthanum. It is famous for strong magnets, which are made of an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron.
Thulium was named after the ancient mythical place called Thule, which stands for either Scandinavia or an island in the North Atlantic – depending upon interpretation.
The element cerium was named after the dwarf planet Ceres, which itself was named after the Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility. Even though it belongs to the rare earth elements, it is not so rare on earth. It is even more abundant than tin or lead – just not in its pure form but always in compounds. It is used for example in lighter flints.
The name ruthenium is derived from the Latin word Ruthenia for Russia, because it was first discovered there. As a noble metal it doesn't like to react with other elements and can rarely be found on earth.
Even though xenon is the rarest non-radioactive element on earth, it is used for many purposes, for example in xenon arc lamps, which are often found in car headlights. Its name is derived from the Greek word xénos, meaning "strange" or "foreign".
The name iridium is derived from the greek word Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow, because iridium-compounds are very colourful. It is supposed to be the most corrosion-resistant element. It is used in many appliances, where persistence is important, for example in pen tips.
Technetium is the smallest radioactive element and thus a great exception among its neighbouring elements. It was the first artificially made element leading to its name: the Greek word technētós means "artificial".
Technicus the monster looks like put together from various spare parts. It wants to belong to the "good guys". But because of its radioactivity the other monsters avoid it.
The name barium is derived from the Greek word barys, meaning "heavy", because of the density of its mieral baryte. It has only a few special technical applications. Barium is essential only for a particular species of green algae.
This metal belongs to the rare earth elements as well as to the group of lanthanides. Named after the continent it can be found on Euro banknotes. Its fluorescent properties are used to make them forgery-proof.
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