Researchers claim to have found a way to create a new super-heavy element, known as “element 120”. This element will be so heavy that it must be placed on a new row in the periodic table.
Scientists are close to synthesizing a new super heavy element – the “element 120” – which, due to its size, will open a new row in the periodic table.
Currently, the table has 118 elements: hydrogen (1), which has a single proton in its nucleus; to oganesson (18), which was officially named in 2016 and has at least 194 subatomic particles in the centers of its atoms (118 protons and at least 176 neutrons).
As Live Science writes, researchers know that, theoretically, there should be even heavier elements in the cosmos – and have even predicted their appearance and behavior. However, to find them, they will have to discover new ways to synthesize them on Earth or search the solar system for their possible location.
The elements 119 and 120, ununenium and unbiniliumrespectively, are the main candidates.
These elements are so massive that would require a new eighth line in the periodic table. Despite several attempts, neither has yet been synthesized.
We have unbinílio?
A recent study in Physical Review Lettersbrought new hope by presenting a new technique that was successful in creating the element livermorium (elemento 116)using titanium ions to bombard plutonium isotopes.
Scientists believe that the same technique can be applied to create the unbinylium through bombardment of californium with titanium ionsagainst californium isotopes
“This reaction had never been demonstrated before and it was essential to prove that it was possible before we embarked on our attempt to make element 120,” said the research leader, Jacklyn Gatesnuclear scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), in California.
“The creation of a new element is an extremely rare feat. It’s exciting to be part of the process and have a promising path forward,” he added.
Not so much, unbinylium creation can be more challenging and time-consumingestimated to take ten times longer than the production of livermorium, which already required more than 22 days to generate just two atoms.
As , superheavy elements generally decompose quickly due to their instabilitybut it is theorized that upon reaching a certain size, they can reach an “island of stability” and become more stable for much longer periods than current known superheavy isotopes.
How he praised Jennifer Poreco-author of the study, these findings put scientists on the spot limit of human knowledge and understanding: “When we are trying to produce these incredibly rare elements, we are at the absolute limit of human knowledge and understanding, and there is no guarantee that physics will work the way we hope.”
