New Element 115

[jj]

This is one issue I do not understand and never seen explained. The elements with more protons have a greater % of neutrons in their nucleus. So combine two nucleuses together (which is how they create these new elements) and you will get a new element those most stable nucleus will have more neutrons than the version you have created.

That's because the spacing of protons is larger with more neutrons, more or less, but only kind of more or less, I think.

For smaller nuclei it's also a topology problem. There is, for instance, no stable weight 8 nucleus, that's because two pyramids of 4 is geometrically a lot more stable, and wins out. This works in somehow with Eigenstates in the larger nucleus case, I THINK I understand (I'm a touch out of my field here), but now you know everything I THINK I know.

 

[Libra]

Is this now the Lara Croft Element 115, or this one ? >>>

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

 

[Aepervius]

It seems that a new element has been confirmed by Lund University. The atomic number is 115 and has yet to be named. It appears to be a super heavy metal.

I have not seen another thread on this yet. If there is one, my apologies.

Elerium.

ha. beaten to it.

 

[catsmate]

Excellent. Now hopefully IUPAC will move with it's usual lightning speed and that irritating gap between Flerovium and Livermorium will be filled by 2025.

But does it show signs of the "stability" plateau that was suspected there?

No, the island is further along, perhaps in the n=122-126 region. That said work on Hassium suggests there may be flaws in the 'magic number' concept.

Hm, how do you get enough neutrons in without having to shoot it with short-lived isotopes? Or is that the problem?

Exactly. Most of the super-heavy elements are made by bombarding a target of suitable transuranic material with a beam of medium weight ions.
However medium weight elements have proportionately fewer neutrons, leaving the formed nucleus neutron deficient.
There's work being done on transfer reactions with heavy elements that might yield interesting products, however the chance of any given interaction succeeding is smaller than with conventional ion beams so yields would be even smaller. And total production of Flerovium is < 100 atoms since 1998.....

 

[RecoveringYuppy]

Isn't the island of stability supposed to be up around 127 or so?

Depends on which algorithm you ask. Some put it potentially at element 114, others at 120, others higher. But to get the "doubly magic" (both proton and neutrons have filled outer shells) you need more neutrons than any isotope produced. Isotopes in the island of stability are denser with neutrons than any other isotopes.

I think one model, however, claims that element 108 (ETA: This is the Hassium that catsmate1 mentioned) has a doubly magic isotope that we've actually produced (270, half life of a few seconds). Not sure how reliable that claim is.

 

[NoahFence]

Randinium

 

[patchbunny]

Ok, serious possibly stupid question here about patchium... I mean, ununpentium.

When you're creating the stuff, and it decays so quickly, how do you know that you've created an actual atom? Couldn't what they're seeing be just byproducts of the impact of the two atoms they slammed together?

 

[Monza]

BobLazarium; Bm

Ha, that was the first thing I thought of too!

 

[Brown]

Uranium, Neptunium and Plutonium are all elements. (Since Pluto is no longer a planet, does that mean that Plutonium is not longer an element? Well, that's a topic for another thread.) Mercury is an element. But it seems there are a few planets that have been overlooked. Might we see Venusium or Saturnium?

 

[ben m]

U/Np/Pu are all right in a row (Z=92/93/94). Seems odd to jump around. Anyway, since the numbers are going up, the planet/planetoid names should go up. Uranium, Neptunium, Plutonium, Sednium (Sd), Erisium (Ei), Quaoarium (Qm), Makemakium (Mm), etc.

Seriously, though, I'd suggest returning to the Who's Who of Nuclear Physicists, where it's obviously Maria Goeppert-Mayer's turn. Goeppertium (Gp)!

 

[Doubt]

Obtainium.

Just because it is not Unobtainium.

 

[Polaris]

Taarnanium.

 

[dudalb]

Remember Tom Lehrer's "The Elements"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYW50F42ss8

Quite a few have been added since the song was recorded, buy Professor Tom makes allowance for that....

 

[catsmate]

Depends on which algorithm you ask. Some put it potentially at element 114, others at 120, others higher. But to get the "doubly magic" (both proton and neutrons have filled outer shells) you need more neutrons than any isotope produced. Isotopes in the island of stability are denser with neutrons than any other isotopes.

I think one model, however, claims that element 108 (ETA: This is the Hassium that catsmate1 mentioned) has a doubly magic isotope that we've actually produced (270, half life of a few seconds). Not sure how reliable that claim is.

Yeah Hassium was originally predicted to have a half-life far higher that found. There's probably some refinement in the nuclear shell model needed.

Uranium, Neptunium and Plutonium are all elements. (Since Pluto is no longer a planet, does that mean that Plutonium is not longer an element? Well, that's a topic for another thread.) Mercury is an element. But it seems there are a few planets that have been overlooked. Might we see Venusium or Saturnium?

Submit your suggestion to IUPAC, expect a response around 2030.

U/Np/Pu are all right in a row (Z=92/93/94). Seems odd to jump around. Anyway, since the numbers are going up, the planet/planetoid names should go up. Uranium, Neptunium, Plutonium, Sednium (Sd), Erisium (Ei), Quaoarium (Qm), Makemakium (Mm), etc.

Seriously, though, I'd suggest returning to the Who's Who of Nuclear Physicists, where it's obviously Maria Goeppert-Mayer's turn. Goeppertium (Gp)!

Current IUPAC policy is to elict suggestions from the laboratory/ies who synthesised the element; dead nuclear physicists/chemists or laboratories/locations associated with such research. No countries or living persons need apply any more.
Expect approval in 1-2 years.

Remember Tom Lehrer's "The Elements"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYW50F42ss8

Quite a few have been added since the song was recorded, buy Professor Tom makes allowance for that....

It needs an update.

 

[TheDoLittle]

AlludiumPuThirtySixium

 

[Segnosaur]

Jumbonium.

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

 

[superfreddy]

Let's just call it Bob

 

[Brown]

Let's just call it Bob

Yeah, I'm getting tired of that pretentious "ium" suffix.

 

[ben m]

Current IUPAC policy is to elict suggestions from the laboratory/ies who synthesised the element; dead nuclear physicists/chemists or laboratories/locations associated with such research. No countries or living persons need apply any more.

Yeah, so if they're asking the Russians it's probably---what, Sakharov or Kurchatov? The most famous physicist associated with Lund is probably Rydberg.

ETA: Or Zeldovich! Zeldovicium (Zv) would be neat.

 

[rjh01]

Ok, serious possibly stupid question here about patchium... I mean, ununpentium.

When you're creating the stuff, and it decays so quickly, how do you know that you've created an actual atom? Couldn't what they're seeing be just byproducts of the impact of the two atoms they slammed together?

I believe the byproducts would be different from the decay of the new element. I guess that theory would say what the decay of the new element would look like.