Letters: February 2019

With regard to the editor comment on the letter published about use of the word ‘radioisotope’ in the last issue (Chemistry World, January 2019, p4) I was dismayed to see that the writers point was considered etymological.

The writer was clearly stating that regardless of the root of the word it was being used to describe something incorrectly.

While the evolution of everyday language is fascinating and perhaps even to be encouraged scientific terms have precise meanings that relate to a specific thing and cannot and should not be interchanged. The atom may now be recognised as being divisible but we all know what an atom is and it allows us to communicate effectively as scientists.

The misuse of technical terms with specific meanings is in no way etymology and I would expect the Royal Society of Chemistry to understand that.