A proposed or theoretical chemical element, now obsolete; a false identification once thought to be a new element.
From Latin auster (south) + -ium (chemical element suffix). This term emerged in 19th-century chemistry when scientists were discovering new elements and sometimes made premature or incorrect claims.
This is a ghost element—like a scientific false alarm—chemists announced elements that turned out to be impure samples or misidentified compounds; austrium is a humbling reminder that even experts can be wrong.
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