INORGANIC
CHEMISTRY DIVISION
COMMISSION ON NOMENCLATURE OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Names for muonium and hydrogen atoms and their ions (IUPAC
Recommendations 2001)
W. H. Koppenol
Laboratorium für Anorganische Chemie, Eidgenössische
Technische Hochschule, Zürich, Switzerland
Abstract: Muons are short-lived species with an
elementary positive or negative charge and a mass 207 times that of
the electron. These recommendations concern positive muons, given the
short lifetime of negative muons. A positive muon mimics a light hydrogen
nucleus, and names are given in analogy to existing names for hydrogen-containing
compounds. A particle consisting of a positive muon and an electron
(µ+ e -) is named "muonium" and has the symbol Mu. Examples:
"muonium chloride," MuCl, is the equivalent of deuterium chloride,
2 HCl or DCl; "muoniomethane", CH 3 Mu, is the product of
the muoniation of methane;and NaMu is "sodium muonide."
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