In defense of etymological speculation

[Robert Fitzke]

Received the following the other day and pass it along with one comment:
Speculation about the origins of the following words ("names") could drive
the speculator nuts.

Snippets From    http://welcome.to/the_jim_experience

Molecules with Silly or Unusual Names

Believe it or not, some chemists do have a sense of
humour, and this page is a testament to that. Here
we'll show you some real molecules that have unusual,
ridiculous or downright silly names.

Arsole
Yes, believe it or not, there is actually a molecule called Arsole... and
it's a ring! It is the arsenic equivalent of pyrrole, and although it is
rarely found in its pure form, it is occasionally seen as a sidegroup in the
form of organic arsolyls. For more
minformation, see the paper with probably the best title of any scientific
paper I've ever come across:
"Studies on the Chemistry of the Arsoles", G. Markl and H. Hauptmann, J.
Organomet. Chem., 248 (1983) 269.
Contrary to popular belief, however, the arsoles are not aromatic...

Moronic Acid
This is a triterpenoid organic acid that is found in Pistacia resin, and is
therefore of interest to people studying archaeological relics, shipwrecks
and the contents of ancient Egyptian jars. But why it's called moronic acid
is still unknown... Derivatives of this are called moronates, as in 'which
moron-ate the contents of this jar?'

Fukalite
This wonderfully named mineral gets its name from the Fuka mine in the Fuka
region of southern Japan. It is
very rare, and is a form of calcium carbonate, with formula
Ca4Si2O6(CO3)(OH,F) 2.

Erotic Acid
No, this isn't the world's best aphrodisiac. Its correct name is orotic
acid, but it has been misspelt so often in the chemical literature that it
is also known as erotic acid! Another name for it is vitamin B13.
Apparently, if you add another carbon to it, it
becomes homo-erotic acid...

But, it would be better if you visit the site and read fully; two long pages
of it.