Correct way to type NiMH

homestarmy

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Apr 16, 2004
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Is it:

Nickel Metal Hydride

Nickel-Metal Hydride

or something else?

I am using it in a paper and would like to make sure it is correct.

Also, I know you capitalize elements, but do you capitalize things like Oxide when talking about a compount like Cobalt Oxide or Iron Phosphate.
 

homestarmy

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Apr 16, 2004
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I don't want the abbreviation, and I don't want it all lowercase, because I am fairly certain that is incorrect.

Any chemistry scholars in here?
 

fishmonger12

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Sep 14, 2004
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Nickel Metal Hydride. This isn't a chemical compound, it's just a type of battery. Quote from wikipedia on the "metal" in Nickel Metal Hydride:

The "metal" in a NiMH battery is actually an intermetallic compound. Many different compounds have been developed for this application, but those in current use fall into two classes. The most common is AB5, where A is a rare earth mixture and/or titanium and B is nickel, cobalt, manganese, and/or aluminum. Higher-capacity "multi-component" electrodes are based on AB2 compounds, where A is titanium and/or vanadium and B is zirconium or nickel, modified with chromium, cobalt, iron, and/or manganese.

So as you can see, Nickel Metal Hydride is not so much the name of the substances within the battery but a classification of the battery type.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_metal_hydride_battery
 

homestarmy

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Thanks for the info, but I was looking for something a bit more definitive (not that it matters that much).

For the ones who gave idiotic responses, go piss up a rope.
 

DivideBYZero

Lifer
May 18, 2001
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Originally posted by: homestarmy
Thanks for the info, but I was looking for something a bit more definitive (not that it matters that much).

For the ones who gave idiotic responses, go piss up a rope.

PiUARp.
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
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Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Originally posted by: homestarmy
Thanks for the info, but I was looking for something a bit more definitive (not that it matters that much).

For the ones who gave idiotic responses, go piss up a rope.

PiUARp.
:thumbsup:
 

slackwarelinux

Senior member
Sep 22, 2004
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Well, I did a google fight, and the results were:
Nickel Metal Hydride: 2,430,000 results
Nickel-Metal Hydride: 1,550,000 results

Then, I searched google scholar, which searches research papers, and found tons of interesting ways of spelling it.
nickel--metal hydride
nickel/metal hydride
nickel/metal-hydride
nickel metal hydride
nickel-metal hydride

Note, I fond them in both capitalized and uncapitalized form.
Uh.. good luck!
 

TreyRandom

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2001
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Not sure I'm an authoritative source, but I hold a BS in Chemistry, then never used it in the "real world" - made my career in IT.

Correct usage, as I understand it, is "nickel metal hydride", no hyphens.

Nickel is an metallic element represented by the symbol Ni. Metal represents a metal combination that works for the battery. Hydride specifies that the compound contains hydrogen and a more electropositive element (for example, NaH, or sodium hydride).

EDIT: chemical names are generally written in lowercase (such as "carbon dioxide"), but I've often seen Nickel Medal Hydride capitalized, so you'd probably be OK with either title case or lowercase.
 

interchange

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
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Originally posted by: homestarmy
I don't want the abbreviation, and I don't want it all lowercase, because I am fairly certain that is incorrect.

Any chemistry scholars in here?

Uhm, this isn't biology. There aren't caplitalization rules for naming compounds, just for chemical formulas. Aside from that, NiMH isn't a real formula, anyway.
 

homestarmy

Diamond Member
Apr 16, 2004
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Thanks for the info guys. I already printed and just left them all capitalized with no hyphens.

This is for a PR class about the Dell battery crisis, so it's not a big deal. I just was curious if there was a rule, because I hate ambiguity.
 

Rubycon

Madame President
Aug 10, 2005
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Nickelodian Hydroxide.

:laugh:

I heard someone say that before - I'm not kidding!
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
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I always wondered about the Metal part, I mean, Nickel is a metal, hydrite is just hydrite, I didn't see why we needed the metal in the middle of the name, but I guess it is not a chemical compound per se, so NiMH is fine.
 

TreyRandom

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2001
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Originally posted by: sdifox
I always wondered about the Metal part, I mean, Nickel is a metal, hydrite is just hydrite, I didn't see why we needed the metal in the middle of the name, but I guess it is not a chemical compound per se, so NiMH is fine.

Because there's usually another metal (typically Titanium or a rare earth type) present, in combination with nickel and/or another metal.
 

allisolm

Elite Member
Administrator
Jan 2, 2001
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LOL
You've got to love people who ask for help, are given correct information, and who then say "no, that's not right."
 

DivideBYZero

Lifer
May 18, 2001
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Originally posted by: homestarmy
When I ask for the non-abbreviated version, and someone gives me the abbreviated version, what should I say?

The first post was non-abreviated.

GO YOU!