SCIENCE JOURNAL 2018

S uperheavy E lements : A re they worth it ? Georgia McNamara

be more, and that may come with revolutionary benefits to our society.

Figure 1: Information table of the superheavy elements. Element Atomic Mass (AMU)

Discovered Half-life Equation

Nihonium- Nh

113

Japan 19.6 s Zink-70 atoms collided with thin bismuth layer

Moscovium- Mc

115 Russia and US

220 ms Calcuim-48 atoms collided with americium target 51 ms Calcuim-48 atoms collided with berkelium target

Cyclotron- used to synthesise superheavy elements (Insider Trading Organisation, 2018).

Tennessine- Ts

117 Russia and US

Abstract Superheavy elements, Nihonium 113,

Moscovium 115, Tennessine 117 and Oganesson 118, are the most mysterious elements on the periodic table with their unitability making it almost impossible for scientists to study. Due to both positive and negative arguments surrounding the study of these elements, confusion has arisen around the question: is it worth trying to synthesise superheavy elements? Introduction A super heavy element, refers to an element with 100 or more protons within the nucleus of its atom. These elements rarely occur and are difficult to examine due to their unstable nature. The amount of money and time put into creating these erratic elements raises the question; is it worth trying to synthesise these new elements? Background information In 2015, the incomplete seventh row of the periodic table was filled by newly discovered elements; Nihonium 113, Moscovium 115, Tennessine 117 and Oganesson 118. Russia, Japan and the United States of America have all contributed to the researching, studying and the production of the 4 new elements (Compound Chemistry, 2016). This was big news to the subatomic world, as it was believed that if these elements could be discovered, then there may

Oganesson- Og

118 Russia and US

0.89 ms

Calcium 48 atoms collided with californium target

Figure 1 shown above is a table of the simplified profiles of each of the superheavy elements. The information that was transformed into the table below gives a simplified look at the background for each of the elements. In the final column, the components needed to potentially synthesise the elements. Unfortunately, these elements are extremely radioactive and are gone as fast as they are created. As the size of an element increases, it begins to become increasingly unstable due to the powerful force holding the proton and neutrons together in the nucleus (the nuclear strong force), competing with the electromagnetic force; therefore, the more protons and neutrons you try to cram into an atomic nucleus, the more likely it is that the repulsive effects of the electromagnetic force will win out and the nucleus will be torn apart (Chemistry World, 2016).

SC J SI

24

Somerset College Journal of Scientific Issues

Year 10