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Inverting the names makes sense. Wikipedia: Oxygen > Lavoisier renamed 'vital air' to oxygène in 1777 from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys) (acid, literally 'sharp
by NeoTar 2y ago
Inverting the names makes sense.
Wikipedia: Oxygen
> Lavoisier renamed 'vital air' to oxygène in 1777 from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys) (acid, literally 'sharp', from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter), because he mistakenly believed that oxygen was a constituent of all acids.
Hydrogen comes from ‘water’, which contains hydrogen and oxygen.
So, since all acids must have Hydrogen, Oxygen is actually a better name for Hydrogen. This then leaves the name Hydrogen free for Oxygen.