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CHEMISTRY
New Element Confirmed
May 2, 2014 | by Stephen Luntz
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photo credit: OTNL. We can't see the new element 117, but the berkelium used to make it is held between
these tweezers
The periodic table has been extended, with the announcement of the confirmation of the yet
to be named element 117.
In 2010 a US Russian collaboration announced they had produced atoms of an element
with 117 protons, filling a gap that appeared when 118 was made four years earlier.
However International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) insists on corroboration
by two independent teams before it allows new elements to be added to the Periodic Table,
although a temporary name of Ununseptium is in use until confirmation has been made. It
has taken four years, but this appears to have finally arrived.
“Making element 117 is at the absolute boundary of what is possible right now,” says
Professor David Hinde of the Australian National University, one of the authors of a paper
published today in Physics Review Letters “That’s why it’s a triumph to create and identify
even a few of these atoms.”
Hinde was part of a team at the GSI laboratory in Germany who fused calcium 48 and
berkelium 249. This is not easy, because berkelium 249 is both hard to produce in
substantial quantities and has a half life of 320 days. Less than half of any amount
produced will still be around a year after it was made, which means transportation and
purification can't wait. The resulting product, like all atoms heavier than lead, was unstable.
By watching the alpha particles emitted the team concluded that these were the product of
two decay chains, both originating with 117, that is an atom with 117 protons and 177
neutrons. One of the chains included the isotopes Db and Lr, the latter adding four
neutrons to the previous highest isotope of lawrencium.
Chemistry
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In general large atoms have shorter half lives, that is decay more quickly through radiation,
as their masses become greater. However, what are know as islands of stability exist, and
the authors believe the one hour half life of 270Db “marks an important step towards the
observation of even more long-lived nuclei of superheavy elements located on an “island of
stability.'”
The manufacturing process was hardly efficient. More than 1019 atoms of 48Ca, not a
common isotope in its own right, were fired at the berkelium to produce just four atoms of
117. Nevertheless, Hinde says, “On the basis of this paper it is likely that element 117 will
be accepted.”
Element 117 is the most recent of six elements first announced by the Joint Institute for
Nuclear Research in Russia. Of these 113, 115 and 118 remain unconfirmed, although
claims have been made for the first two.
Such a small sample does not allow us to learn much about the chemistry of element 117.
Ununseptium's position on the periodic table places it under the halogen gases such as
fluorine and chlorine, but the strong capacity to capture electrons that makes these so
reactive weakens as you go down the table, and in fact it is thought if one could ever
produce enough to observe chemical interactions it would be more likely to lose electrons
than gain them .
With a dozen new discoveries since he wrote The Elements, maybe it is time for Tom Lehrer
to come out of retirement to add more lines to his song. Well we can hope.
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Meanwhile Hinde has still greater dreams. “The big question is, how can we create elements
119 and 120?” To do this, however, a projectile heavier than 48Ca will need to be found.
Hinde is working on identifying the best candidate.
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Comments for this thread are now closed.
221 Comments IFL Science
Sort by Newest
•
Owesome • 8 months ago
This is great news.
Now tell me all about the giant robots we can create using it.
4 △ ▽
•
Agis • 8 months ago
So much bickering when the real issue is... there aren't any tweezers in that picture. I mean come on now...
11 △ ▽
•
Joe A. Schwyter • 8 months ago
Unobtainium!
4 △ ▽
•
Mc Dewey Lacapag RN • 8 months ago
wat
1 △ ▽
josemar silva • 8 months ago
Se é possivel construir um superpesado, deve ser possivel construir um superleve! algo que chegue a flutuar,
podemos construir uma tabela peródica inversa.
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•△ ▽
•
Evan Meeden • 8 months ago
I'd name it Spartanium, it is 117 after all.
13 △ ▽
•
Kimberly M. Burtnyk • 8 months ago
Why...?
△ ▽
•
RenegadeAngel88 • 8 months ago
It's element 117... How have we not already agreed to call it Spartanium?
9 △ ▽
•
Rahul Senan • 8 months ago
I have just noticed that just about hmm... lets see...... exactly 100% of this comments bar is absolutly full of jokes and
nothing serious and properly related to the topic at hand. Amazing! :)
△ ▽
•
Adam Raygor • 8 months ago
Element 117? Spartanium or Chiefonite!!
5 △ ▽
•
Horation_Tobias_HumpleDinK • 8 months ago
Cool!
△ ▽
Martin Halvax • 8 months ago
I am so happy to come here, read the article and scroll down to look for some input from experts or from anyone
working in the field of chemistry. Instead I find the same idiotic people that ruin good posts on facebook. Saying their
share of 'sir' is one of those things you can identify them by. Go look for them, go click on their names and find their
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•
profile on facebook, then lay back, and think that somewhere, someone is doing the same. Please start laughing at
them and move on happily, knowing you don't belong with them! :)
△ ▽
•
virtualharassment • 8 months ago
I don't see any tweezers...
We can't see the new element 117, but the berkelium used to make it is held between these tweezers
1 △ ▽
•
Jordan • 8 months ago
Should name it after the Master Chief :3
2 △ ▽
•
Master Wells • 8 months ago
So.... honoring master chief, Spartonium?
1 △ ▽
•
Liana Cupcakee Coccovizzo • 8 months ago
It's amazing there's so many stupid people commenting on a scientific article.
△ ▽
•
Benjamin Rodriguez • 8 months ago
Element 117? Time for MicroSoft to license MasterChiefium.
3 △ ▽
•
Jake Fritzinger • 8 months ago
lmao tweezers...
1 △ ▽
Curtis B • 8 months ago
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•
element 117 is what the UFO's use for power, according to a UFO abducted person. That was over 20 years ago.
People who investigated the claim scoffed at him. Who knew we would find element 117? Makes you think...
△ ▽
•
Steve Foerster • 8 months ago> Curtis B
It makes me think that that's ridiculous bullshit, maybe.
2 △ ▽
•
Dokidoki Nyannyan • 8 months ago> Steve Foerster
That is the most likely outcome. However I think Curtis B should take a look at the theoretical periodic
table of elements for the theory at least. I'm also pretty sure Element 124 (around that number
anyway) had already been artificially manufactured as well at some point but when they are created
they disappear just as fast (unstable). I think it can only be listed on the periodic table once it's a stable
element. I highly doubt element 117 will lead to antigravity or whatever the conspiracy is about :P That
would probably require exotic particles which are still purely hypothetical.
△ ▽
•
Matooch • 8 months ago
>= [
WELL THAT'S JUST GREAT. Every several years it's a new this and a new that. Now I have to sell all my Element
116.
I can't imagine what will be touted as the must have accessories to go along with this one.
3 △ ▽
•
dennis • 8 months ago
What tweezers? Did they mean the glass vial that it's in? Jackassses
1 △ ▽
•
zeke • 8 months ago
tweezers? looks like a test tube to me.
1 △ ▽
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•
Lex Ryan • 8 months ago
Should be named Sierram. Anyone get it?
△ ▽
•
Jack • 8 months ago> Lex Ryan
Halo!
△ ▽
•
Derrick Christopher Mustelier • 8 months ago
Unobtainium?
2 △ ▽
•
Francesca Brancato • 8 months ago
Call it Slavinskium, after my awesome science teacher...plus, he's Russian!
△ ▽
•
Vipul Jain • 8 months ago
ADMANTIUM! FINALLY!
1 △ ▽
•
Andrew Olsen • 8 months ago
Those aren't tweezers in the picture dude. It's a test tube.
1 △ ▽
•
getreal5 • 8 months ago
Will it give a bigger bang than uranium ?
1 △ ▽
•
Cam • 8 months ago
Not naming this element "John" or "Sierra" would be a disservice to society
1 △ ▽
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•
Tres Fort • 8 months ago
I would seriously be an editor for IFLS. It is 'yet-to-be-named', not 'yet to be named'. Seriously.
△ ▽
•
Kyle Pang Ching • 8 months ago
Why ppl gotta hate on Russia. Its just exciting to see ppl making progress on age long questions. More gaps we fill
more answers well find.
3 △ ▽
•
Temuulen Khos-Erdene • 8 months ago
Please name it Spartanium or Sierra (sorry, typical Halo fan here).
1 △ ▽
•
Alex Wilson • 8 months ago
we should call it nopeium
△ ▽
•
Jose Lopez • 8 months ago
John 117?
Master Chief!!
they should dedicate this element to him in some way
△ ▽
•
Keizenberg • 8 months ago
Tony Stark did it first.
2 △ ▽
•
David Burrows • 8 months ago
Poontonium
1 △ ▽
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•
Juan Guerrero • 8 months ago
Name it after Spartan 117 From the Halo Series... Something like Spartanite... Get those kids into chemistry again.
1 △ ▽
•
Dave • 8 months ago
Can we please just name it Spartan 117. As in Halo. Its literally perfect
1 △ ▽
•
Roy • 8 months ago
Tweezers? I think that's a glass falcon tube, is it not?
△ ▽
•
Jordon Giroux • 8 months ago
Call it Spartanium or Halogen
1 △ ▽
•
Glenn Lynch • 8 months ago
its Name should be Elerium
△ ▽
•
Michael G Cypher • 8 months ago
Bob Lazar confirmed Aliens and now the Black government use Element 115 to fuel their particle accelerator
powered Saucers.
△ ▽
Nolan O'Brien • 8 months ago
Hi Stephen,
Nice piece. But no mention of the teams that initially made the discovery? (I think this is their 7th or 8th element.) I
just thought it may be nice to share the love with the researchers.
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•
Original announcement: https://www.llnl.gov/news/news...
Today's story: https://www.llnl.gov/news/news...
Best,
Nolan
1 △ ▽
•
Jon Trollston • 8 months ago
Goobyplsium
PLEASE NAME IT THAT!
1 △ ▽
•
Liam Pollock • 8 months ago
Spartanium. In honour of Spartan 117, the Master Chief.
2 △ ▽
•
Marcelo Van Nassau Motte • 8 months ago
Name it "Pranzonium". Check Scientific American out now.
△ ▽
•
Gustavo Enrique Mendez • 8 months ago
ELEMENT MASTER CHIEF
△ ▽
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