Fictional elements, isotopes and atomic particles
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A fictional chemical element is a chemical element, isotope or (sub)atomic particles that exist only in works of fiction (usually fantasy or science fiction). It should be noted that no actual periodic elements end in '-ite', though many minerals have names with this suffix. Some of the materials listed as elements below may indeed be minerals, alloys, or other such combinations, but fictional works are often vague on such distinctions. Grouping is done by what seems most likely.
Contents |
Fictional elements
| Name | Source | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Acoustium | Batman Beyond | Acoustium is a fictional metal featured in the episode Shriek of the Batman Beyond series. Acoustium was found in a metal alloy of a sonic device able to generate soundwaves potent enough to demolish whole buildings. It's not clear what acoustium exactly does, except increasing the acoustic properties when included in a metallic alloy. |
| Administratium | Joke | Slows down chemical reactions; a reaction normally complete in less than a second will take several days in its presence. This element is a joke, a spoof on the bureaucracy of scientific establishments and on descriptions of newly discovered elements. |
| AM2 | Sten series by Allen Cole and Christopher Bunch | Anti-matter mineral from parallel universe (only known to Emperor), the unique energy source that provides all power needs of mankind and the Earth Empire. |
| Amazonium | DC Comics | Found only on the island of Themyscira, this metal is used in alloys to create extremely strong and lightweight armor. An example of an Amazonium alloy is found in Wonder Woman's bracelets. |
| Atmospherium | The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra | An extremely rare element, abundant in outer space, which among many other uses is a power source and capable of raising the dead. If obtained and researched, it would certainly have countless benefits for Science! |
| Bolonium or Bolognium | Futurama, The Simpsons, others | A fictional element used to describe something as impossible or nonsensical: "Your explanations are pure, weapons-grade bolonium!" According to Oscar Mayer's promotional periodic table of elements in The Simpsons, the atomic weight of bolonium is "delicious" or "snacktacular", |
| Balthorium ("Balthorium-G") | Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb | A fictional element used in the Russians' doomsday device. It is possible that this is a mispronounciation on the part of actor Peter Bull of the words "Cobalt-Thorium G," as both (real) elements can be used in atomic weapons to increase the amount of dangerous nuclear fallout, which agrees with the sense in which "Balthorium" is used in the movie. |
| Basidiumite (also Brumblium) | Eleanor Cameron's Mushroom Planet series | A slightly greenish solid, twice the density of uranium. Infragreen spectrum. Makes up the blue-green planet Basidium. |
| Byzanium | Raise the Titanic | A highly powerful radioactive element transported in a safe aboard the sunken Titanic |
| Calculon | Tintin, "Destination Moon" | Discovered by Professor Cuthbert Calculus. This substance has a silicon base and can resist very high temperatures. It was one of the scientific discoveries that enabled Professor Calculus to plan a manned mission to the Moon. |
| Carmot | mythology, alchemy | The material which the Philosopher's stone is said to be made of. Both items may be one and the same. |
| Cavorite | H.G. Wells' The First Men in the Moon; also used in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and A Deepness in the Sky | Cavorite is impervious to gravity and can shield other materials from its effects. It is used to shield a craft from Earth's pull, allowing easy flight. It was named after its discoverer, Mr. Cavor, who used its levitational properties to travel to the Moon. |
| Chelonium | The Science of Discworld | A material which according to the Unseen University wizards mostly makes up the world-bearing turtle "Great A'Tuin." Since they can do a test to determine its (non)existence in Roundworld they are probably correct. |
| The Colour Out of Space | H. P. Lovecraft's horror tale "The Colour Out of Space" | Toxic and mutagenic element, of indescribable colour and unknown spectrum, from a meteorite that lands in a field. |
| Dalekanium | Doctor Who | A metal used by the Daleks as a component of their armoured casings. Also, in an alternate reality, an unstable explosive powerful enough to penetrate those casings. The two may not be the same substance. |
| Disgruntium | Joke | An element which attracts and absorbs all levity, humor, and joy. It is highly toxic on direct contact but also radiates an unknown particle or field which affects the emotional state of nearby individuals. |
| Elephantigen | The Science of Discworld | A material which according to the Unseen University wizards makes up the four world-bearing elephants: Berilia, Tubul, Great T'phon and Jerakeen. Since they can do a simple test to determine whether it exists in Roundworld they are probably correct. |
| Eternium | DC Comics | An ore that is said to be a major source of magic power. Comes from only one location: the Rock of Eternity, the home of the wizard Shazam and guarded by all members of the Marvel family. The Rock was destroyed in the 30th century, causing the fourth Captain Marvel to search for the pieces. |
| Etherium | Castle in the Sky | A bright blue mineral present in small amounts in all rocks in the location Castle in the Sky takes place in. Pure crystals of etherium, which are very difficult to manufacture, are capable of repelling gravity to a degree, causing objects to float. It also stimulates plant growth. |
| Femium | Wonder Woman TV Series | Element found only on Paradise Island. Prolonged exposure to radiation from ore gives women immortality and superstrength; has no effect on men. Ore can be fashioned into a bulletproof metal, but is usually used for jewellry, such as bracelets.
Feminum was created for the TV series only and is not canonical in the DC Universe, where it is an analog to Amazonium (see above). |
| Froonium | Farscape | A substance created by series producer Richard Manning while he still worked on Star Trek to represent any esoteric material. Appeared in Farscape as an in-joke in several episodes. Manning's Fandom nickname is "Froonium Ricky". |
| Handwavium | bad science fiction | Handwavium (as distinct from Unobtainium) is a substance used to violate the laws of physics or otherwise conveniently fill a plot hole without requiring effort on the part of the author. See "handwaving." Unobtainium, by contrast, is a substance that could (but is not known to) theoretically exist, or is impossible to obtain.
See also this site. |
| Illudium Phosdex | Looney Tunes | Also known as the shaving cream atom, it was found only on Planet X, which was unfortunately destroyed when both Duck Dodgers and Marvin the Martian tried to conquer it for Earth and Mars, respectively. |
| Imperium X | Sten series by Allen Cole and Christopher Bunch | Highly inert element that does not annihillate when comes in contact with AM2. Is used to contain and store AM2. |
| Japanium | Mazinger Z | Extremely strong material used in the construction of Mazinger Z. Discovered by Doctor Tanaka. See also Super Alloy Z |
| Jumbonium | Futurama | Each atom of this element is large enough to be easily visible to the naked eye, with marble-sized nucleons and electrons. |
| Kryptonite | DC Comics | Crystalline material, originally in various colours with separate effects, harmful to Kryptonians and created during the destruction of Superman's home planet Krypton; synthesis is also possible. Green Kryptonite was established as the sole variety, element 126 on the periodic table of the elements, in John Byrne's retcon of the DC Comics universe. |
| Laconia | Phantasy Star videogame series | Valuable metal used in the construction of weapons and armor, described as the strongest material in Algol. Found in great quantities on the planet Dezolis. |
| Lux | Arcot, Wade, and Morey novels by John W. Campbell | Material created from light; indestructible and transparent. Used in the hull of the heroes's spaceships. See also Relux. |
| Metatron | Zone of the Enders | It serves functions similar to those of silicon, forming computer chips, but is much more advanced, capable of creating completely self-aware artificial intelligence. |
| Mithril | Middle-earth, several video games and role-playing games | A light, silvery metal that is as strong as steel, but very light and easy to work. While mithril has properties similar to those of titanium or aluminium alloy, the fact that it was mined in native form in Moria suggests it has no direct real-world analogue. It is used for making superb chain-mail armour and other means of protection. It can also be worked into other forms (much as iron ore can be used to make various grades of iron and steel) with unusual properties (reflecting only the light of the moon, for instance). An alternate spelling, "Mythril", appears in the video game series Final Fantasy with basically the same properties as mithril. Also, "Mithral" used in D&D books to avoid copyright infringement claims, and "Milrith" in Simon the Sorceror. |
| Naqahdah | Stargate SG-1 | A heavy metal used by the Goa'uld and others as a power source. |
| Narrativium | The Science of Discworld and The Science of Discworld II: The Globe | An element unique to the Discworld; proto-substance from which all things spring forth. It is the fundamental element of Story, and is how things know what they're meant to be. |
| Necronium | GURPS Technomancer | A magical, radioactive metal, similar to Uranium in all applications. It is produced artificially in nuclear reactors, and it radiates oz particles. Depleted Necronium is dense metal devoid of all magic, very toxic to magical creatures. |
| Octiron | Discworld | A dense black metal that is a large part of the Discworld's crust. It is highly magical with a melting point above the range of metal forges. The gates of Unseen University are made out of it. A needle made of octiron will always point to the Hub, the centre of the Discworld's magical field; it will also darn its owner's socks by itself. The University tower bell ("Old Tom") is made of it, and rings audible silences. Coin's staff in Sourcery was made out of it. In its natural state it releases considerable quantities of magical radiation, but if it becomes negatively polarized, it can be used to absorb such radiation. Octiron under pressure generates significant amounts of heat, which accounts for most of the volcanic geological processes on Discworld (At least, that's what UU thinks on the matter). |
| Octogen | Discworld | A gas of otherwise unknown nature, it continuously releases a considerable amount of magical radiation. |
| Omega | Star Trek: Voyager | An unstable and vastly dangerous molecule capable of destructive explosions that also disrupt subspace, making warp travel impossible. |
| Orichalcum | Mythology (Atlantis), Fate of Atlantis, several video games | A reddish metal mined in Atlantis, used to make structures and walls. May be based on an actual mineral or gold/copper alloy, possibly Auricupride. Used to power the machinery in Atlantis in the Indiana Jones adventure game. It appears in several video games, usually as a material better than "ordinary" mithril. Orichalcum also appears as an alloy in several fictional settings; see below. |
| Oxyale | Final Fantasy I | A strange liquid that produces oxygen. Used to breathe underwater. |
| Phazon | Metroid Prime | A blue or occasionally orange mutagenic and (in high quantities) toxic ore. |
| Phlogiston | Dungeons & Dragons' Spelljammer campaign series | A highly-flammable medium, similar to the real-world interstellar medium, in which crystal spheres containing whole planetary systems are suspended; travel is conducted by "spelljammer ships", vessels more akin to old sailing ships than science fiction starships. Named after the Phlogiston theory, an obsolete scientific theory of combustion. |
| Phostlite | Tintin, "The Shooting Star" | Discovered by Professor Decimus Phostle. Exposure to this element causes living things to grow rapidly to enormous size. |
| Plutonite | Oakley | Oakley uses this name for the polycarbonate lenses in their sunglasses. |
| Protonite | Piers Anthony's The Apprentice Adept series | A mineral found only on the planet Proton, it was used throughout the galaxy as a powerful energy source. On Proton's magical alternate world, Phaze, it was Phazite, the source of magic energy. |
| Pyreal | Asheron's Call | Fictional metal found on the planet Auberean and used as currency and to forge weapons. |
| Relux | Arcot, Wade, and Morey stories by John W. Campbell | Material created from light; indestructible and totally reflective. Used in the hull of the heroes's spaceships, among other things. See also Lux. |
| Sinisite | Sinistar videogame series | A high-energy material occurring naturally in crystalline form, it is found in white (1983 original game) or blue and green (1999's Sinistar: Unleashed) variants, usually mined from asteroids. It is used in the building of pieces of technology, or purified to form the high-explosive weapons known as Sinibombs. |
| Stupidium | Various | Used in several circumstances, many times to make fun of scientific jargon, especially of the use of names of elements with the suffix "-ium". |
| Supermanium | DC Comics | "The strongest metal known to science!...forged by him (Superman) from the heart of a mighty star!" A metallic ore designed to mimic Superman’s powers, as well as absorb red-sun light and Kryptonite radiation. Apparently doesn't exist post-Crisis on Infinite Earths. |
| Tibanna | Star Wars | A metallic gas mined from the gas giant Bespin, the gas is used in weapons systems. |
| Thyrium | Matthew Reilly's Temple | This rare-earth element came from a meteor and was to be used in a doomsday bomb. |
| Tronium | Super Robot Wars (Video Game) | An alien mineral several times more radioactive than Uranium, it is used as a power source for the RTX-011 Hückebein Mk III, R-2 Powered, R-GUN Powered, and SRX. It is also the ammunition used in the battleship Hagane's Tronium Buster Cannon. Only six chunks of this material are said to exist on Earth. |
| Turbonium | Volkswagen Commercial | The focal point of the first commercial for the turbo-charged version of the New Beetle. In theory, it was the element from which the turbo version of the car was forged. |
| Unobtainium | The Core, many thought experiments | Unobtainium is really any material that is unobtainable (for example, titanium was called "unobtainium" during the '60s within American aerospace due to the Soviets' cornering the market); although it can be that it possesses properties that are unlikely or impossible for any real material to possess and is hence completely unobtainable. It is also an informal name for an improbably strong material found in works of science fiction, only used explicitly in The Core. It is typically used to fill a plot hole, allowing characters to do things that may not be physically possible even in principle; thus a possibly more correct term is "handwavium." |
| Upsidaisium | The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show | Upsidaisium is a metal that is lighter than air and can be obtained by mining in upsidaisium-rich areas. |
| Uridium | Uridium computer game, 1986 | Name for the game's top level, a metallic element the developer thought existed. |
| Vibranium | Marvel Comics | An extraterrestrial metal that exists in two forms. Wakandan vibranium absorbs vibrational energy (e.g. sound). The more energy it stores the tougher it becomes, due to the energy reinforcing its molecular bonds. If the bonds are broken, all the energy is released, causing an explosion. It is found only in the African nation of Wakanda, ruled by the Black Panther. The other form, Antarctic vibranium, emits a vibration that separates the bonds of other metals, liquifying them. |
| Vik-ro | Carson of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs | One of the two components of Lor (see below), which when combined with Yor-san results in total annihilation of the Lor, releasing tremendous energy. |
| Vizorium | Dirty Pair | A rare metal used in the construction of warp engines in the Dirty Pair universe. First referenced in the Dirty Pair movie, Project EDEN. |
| Wellstone | The Wellstone by Wil McCarthy | Formally known as Quantum Wellstone, it is a quantum dot, programmable substrate that can emulate the properties of other elements, including the copyrighted atom Bunkerlite, impervium, and various other superreflectors and superabsorbers. |
| X | E. E. Smith's Skylark of Space series | Mysterious platinum-group metal which, when plated upon another metal such as copper, allowed that other metal to be converted entirely from mass into energy in the presence of the radiation of DuQuesne's "whatsitron". |
| Yor-san | Carson of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs | One of the two components of Lor (see below) which when combined with Vik-ro results in total annihilation of the Lor, releasing tremendous energy. |
| Yuanon | Crest of the Stars novels | A massive subatomic particle that emits a constant stream of energy (on the order of 500MW). It is the "closed" form of a planespace Sord (the open form being the 1000km wide, whitehole-like gateway into planespace). |
| Zexonite | Earthbound | An elemental ore not found on Earth, it is taken from a meteorite and used to complete the Phase-Distorter, a machine capable of time travel. |
| Zphiroude Crystal | Super Robot Wars | An elemental alien material found on the planet Balmar. Named after the Balmarian god of creation and divine justice, Zphiroude crystals are capable of self-replication and radiate energy that can be harnessed as a power source. The crystals also gain sentience in large numbers and are thus used by the Ze Balmary empire in its giant robots as a power source. Their most advanced mech, also named Zphiroude, can change its form to adapt to its enemies. In the Original Generation series, a large chunk of Zphiroude crystals assumed sentience and called itself the Septuagint. It appeared as the final boss of the aforementioned game. |
| Zuunium | Legion of Superheroes | A rare element in metallic form, found on the planet Zuun. One of the strange effects of its radiation is that it gives anyone exposed to it the powers of lycanthropy. One such "victim" of exposure became the Legionnaire Timber Wolf. |
Fictional isotopes of real elements
| Name | Isotope of | Source | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curium-82 | Curium | Brødrene Dal og Spektralsteinene | Although this isotope could never actually appear anywhere, as all Curium has at least 96 nucleons, it is used in the Norwegian film 'Brødrene Dal og Spektralsteinene' as a McGuffin. Professor Slatters claims that with it he can find a cure/vaccine for the common cold, and he and the Dal brothers go on an expedition to search for a meteorite with a sufficient amount of it. They do find one, although it is there alloyed with 'Umulium' (loosely translated from Norwegian: 'Impossibilium'), making the Curium-82 unobtainable. |
| Quadium | Hydrogen | The Mouse that Roared | Common hydrogen has one proton, one electron, and no neutrons. Deuterium and tritium have, respectively, one and two neutrons per atom, and are used for hydrogen bombs. Quadium, following logic, must have three neutrons, and is, in the story, capable of blasting an entire continent off the face of the Earth. |
| Plutonium-186 | Plutonium | The Gods Themselves | An isotope of plutonium which is too unstable to exist in our universe but which exists naturally in parallel universes whose strong nuclear forces are more intense. |
| Quantium-40 | Potassium | Babylon 5 | Essential to the functioning of jumpgates. According to the Unofficial Babylon 5 Technical Manual, the rare and expensive substance is formed when ordinary matter is subjected to the stresses of a star going nova, pushing some of its electron pair-bonds into hyperspace. Any element can become a quantium; the most commonly-found form is derived from an isotope of potassium with an atomic weight of 40, hence Quantium-40. The name was coined by a member of GEnie's Science Fiction RoundTable, David Strauss, in response to a request from the show's creator. |
Isotopes of fictional elements
| Name | Isotope of | Source | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illudium Q-36 | Illudium Phosdex | Looney Tunes | Used by Marvin the Martian as a planet-destroying explosive. |
| Naqahdriah | Naqahdah | Stargate SG-1 | A highly unstable variant of Naqahdah with greater explosive properties. It can also be used for the powering of highly efficient hyperspace engines. Naqahdriah is formed from Naqahdah in an artificial chain reaction. The only known planet containing Naqahdriah is Langara (the home of Jonas Quinn) where large deposits were accidentally created from natural Naqahdah deposits when a bomb using a relatively small amount of the material was tested by Jonas and a team of human scientists, radiation from the explosion started the chain reaction. It was originally created in relatively small amounts millennia ago by an unknown Goa'uld scientist. Unprotected exposure can lead to brain damage, delusions and/or schizophrenia. |
| Thyrium-261 | Thyrium | Matthew Reilly's novel Temple | This isotope is found only in the Pleiades, a binary star system. It is capable of generating enormous power in the right reactor configuration. It leaves no radioactive waste byproducts after use. It is also capable of forming a subcritical mass, detonating with enough power to vaporise a third of the Earth's mass, propelling it out of orbit, away from the sun. |
Fictional (sub)atomic particles
| Name | Source | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Flavour | Discworld | Particles that combine to make up resons. Similarly to real-world quarks, they come in at least five different types: Up, down, sideways, sex appeal and peppermint. |
| Kingon, Queon | Discworld | Particles that travel faster than light and transmit 'monarchy', since when a monarch dies, the successor is instantly the new monarch. These particles are occasionally intercepted by an anti-particle, or republicon. The theory that this method could be used for really fast information transmission (by carefully torturing a lesser king) was never fully developed, because at that point, the bar closed. |
| Reson | Discworld | Roughly translated as thingy, these particles combine to make up thaums |
| Thaum | Discworld | Long thought to be the smallest possible magical particle, the thaum has recently been proven to be made up of resons. The thaum is also a measuring unit for the density of a magical field, and it is the normal way to quantify the power involved in a magic spell. This unit (defined as the power needed to create three standard billiard balls or one small white pigeon) is currently (among young wizards, at least) being replaced by the Prime unit (defined by the power needed to move one pound of lead one foot), according to The Discworld Companion. Possibly this is to avoid confusion between the particle and the unit, which seems logical considering that it is only since the construction of the High Energy Magic building of Unseen University that anyone has taken an interest in the particle. |
| Oz | GURPS Technomancer | A particle that carries magical energy, found in places where boundaries between alternate possible realities are thin. Mages are able to control the flow of particles through spells, effectively reshaping the universe as they see fit. |
See also
- Archive of fictional things
- Fictional chemical substance
- Fictional applications of real materials
- List of discredited substances
- List of fictional medicines and drugs
To be added
- Daturon (toxic agent, unhealthy variant of the all-encompassing "ether" of space in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story "The Poison Belt" [1] -- which features Professor Challenger and the other discoverers of Doyle's "Lost World" [2] --; poisons all life to deathlike stupor when the Earth passes through a belt of this substance; daturon possesses some traits of a gas that's heavier than air -- concentrates first in lower regions like valleys or plains, inhalation of oxygen-superenriched air works as antidote -- and some traits of radiation -- can pass through hermetically sealed-off rooms and containers)
- Durium: A sapphire blue super-alloy made of ultra elements with a nucleus of neutrons and negatrons (and orbital protons instead of electrons) from the "Mightiest Machine"/"Incredible Planet" series by John W. Campbell, Jr. Resistium was the "hydrogen" of the ultra elements.
- Radium X: The extra-terrestrial radioactive element which was brought to Earth by a meteor in the science-fiction film "The Invisible Ray"
- Starmetal: Five Magic Materials. Meteoric Iron, crafted from the essence of dead gods and thrown from Heaven unto the earth. This material is used in artefacts that must foresee the future, and armour made from it will grow thicker where it predicts a strike will land (From the Roleplaying game "Exalted")
- Inertron (Legion of superheroes): Chemical element that is resistant to all known forms of chemical, and electromagnetic interaction. It’s essentially indestructible.
- Dracheneisen (from the 7th Sea roleplaying game): Strong, durable material that resembles silvery steel in its worked and tempered form, but is much harder. Dracheneisen is actually a lightweight ceramic (“as dense as cork—a full suit of armor weighs less than 10 pounds”) formed from a rare clay found only in the nation of Eisen. This makes dracheneisen ore the national treasure of Eisen and the foundation of every ruler and noble’s power base.
- Transuranic iron ore: the unrefined, radioactive form of the Thanagarian metal substance Nth metal from the DC Comics universe. Shown to have atomic number 676 (although it's possible that this is incorrect and could actually be the element's atomic weight).
- Vespene gas, found in the StarCraft universe.
- Neutronium: In astrophysics, a phase of matter occurring near the core of neutron stars, composed primarily of neutrons under intense gravitational pressure. With one teaspoonful weighing millions of tons, real neutronium does not lend itself to constructive purposes. However, neutronium appears in name with various properties in science fiction, for example in the Star Trek and Stargate universes, most famously as the invulnerable hull of the "planet eater" in the Star Trek episode "Doomsday Machine".
External links
- Elements from DC Comics Legion of Super-heroes
- Periodic Table of Comic Books - lists comic book uses of real elements
- Periodic table from the BBC comedy series Look Around You.
