Scientists might be close to producing a new, incredibly heavy element called “element 120.” This element would be so massive that it would need a new row on the periodic table, which is the chart that organizes all known elements.
If this element is in fact produced, it could lead to huge changes in our understanding of chemistry, especially about heavy elements.
Today, we know of 118 elements on the periodic table, which starts with hydrogen, the lightest element, which has just one tiny particle, called a proton, in its center.
The heaviest known element, oganesson, has 118 protons and many other tiny particles in its core. Scientists named oganesson in 2016, making it the most recent addition to the table.
Superheavy elements ununennium and unbinilium
Scientists believe that even heavier elements may exist somewhere in the universe. They have already made predictions about what these elements might look like and how they could behave.
But scientists will have to either invent new methods to produce these elements in labs on Earth or explore our solar system to see if these elements naturally occur somewhere out there.
The two leading candidates for new elements are element 119, called ununennium, and element 120, known as unbinilium. These elements are so large they don’t fit into the current seven rows of the periodic table.
If scientists succeed in producing them, the elements would be placed in an entirely new, eighth row on the chart. So far, despite many attempts, scientists have not yet managed to create either of these superheavy elements.
A recent study published on October 21st in Physical Review Letters shows a new method for creating the superheavy element livermorium, or element 116. Scientists achieved this by hitting plutonium-244—a form of plutonium with extra particles in its core—with tiny, electrically charged particles of titanium.
Researchers believe this method could also be helpful in producing unbinilium, or element 120, by using the same titanium particles on another heavy element, californium, which is even larger than plutonium. According to scientists, this study is a major step forward, providing experts with a promising approach in their search for this new element.
Superheavy elements are highly unstable
“This reaction had never been demonstrated before, and it was essential to prove it was possible before embarking on our attempt to make [element] 120,” said Jacklyn Gates, the study’s lead author and a nuclear scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. “Creation of a new element is an extremely rare feat. It’s exciting to be a part of the process and to have a promising path forward.”
But the production of unbinilium may still be a long way off. In this study, it took more than 22 days to produce just two atoms of livermorium in Berkeley Lab’s 88-inch Cyclotron machine, which continuously fired titanium particles at plutonium. Making unbinilium could take even longer.
Superheavy elements usually decay almost instantly after they are created because they are very unstable. However, scientists believe that if these elements reach a certain size, they might arrive at an “island of stability.” This would allow them to remain intact much longer than any superheavy elements currently known.
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