A limit on long last names—somehow

Longer last names take more space than shorter ones. If a last name gets too long, it may not fit on a name tag or into a fill-out form anymore. Very long names also fill up a lot of space in author lists of article headings and reference sections in publications—without contributing to the subject. What should the maximum length of a last name be? In Germany, a supreme court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) decision (May 5, 2009) reinstated the existing regulation of having no more than two names. After marriage, a couple may combine their two names, but only, if each partner has a single name. Well, how long can a single name be? Two long single names combined can be longer than a chain of three or four short names!

Naming a flu: from 'swine flu' to '2009 H1N1 flu'

In April 2009, a flu outbreak in Mexico City, spreading into other areas and countries, made headlines. In the beginning, this flu was generally termed swine flu, although affecting humans. The H1N1 strain of the flu virus was found to be a mixture of genetic material from swine, bird and human flu strains. U. S. public health officials dropped the term swine flu in favor of 2009 H1N1 flu, which is a neutral and descriptive notation. The World Health Organization (WHO) decided to stick with the term swine influenza. Other suggested terms such as North American flu and Mexican flu are controversial and inappropriate and shoud be avoided—as most people will probably agree.

The adjectives alternate and alternative

The adjectives alternate and alternative may look and sound similar, but have different meanings:

alternate: occurring in a successive or replacing manner
alternative: different from the usual, conventional or accepted

The word alternative can also be a noun, as in the following sentence:
An alternate traveling route is suggested as an alternative to the most frequently taken route.

Ph vs. pH

Upper and lower case is often critical. In chemistry, the symbol Ph is frequently used to represent a phenyl group, whereas pH stands for potentium Hydrogenium (Latin for potential of hydrogen). The pH value of a solution measures its acidity or basicity. The quantity pH is dimensionless and defined as the negative value of the decimal logarithm of the hydrogen ion activity, a_H, in an aqueous solution:

pH = -log₁₀ a_H

For pH details see: IUPAC Gold Book/pH quantity

steric, sterical and sterically

The words steric and sterical are both adjectives, having the same meaning: relating to the spatial arrangement of atoms and groups in a molecule or ligands in a chemical complex. The corresponding adverb is sterically. The derived adverb stericly is not often used. Common phrases are sterically hindered and sterically stabilized.

pasteurisation vs. pasteurization

English spelling: pasteurisation
American spelling: pasteurization
This differently spelled name for the process that slows microbial growth in milk and other foods is derived from the name of the French chemist and microbiologists Louis Pasteur.

Suggested Reading
Bryn Nelson: The Lingering Heat over Pasteurized Milk. Chemical Heritage, Spring 2009, Volume 27, Number 1, pages 26 to 31.
Internet: www.chemheritage.org/pubs/magazine/feature_pasteurization_p1.html

liquefy or liquify

The words liquefy and liquify are different spellings of a verb with the following meaning: to turn a material into the liquid state. Common derivatives:
liquefied, liquified; liquefying, liquifying; liquefication, liquification.
These words are frequently used in the physics, chemistry, and engineering context.