SCIENCE JOURNAL 2018

Additionally, the purple dots in Appendix 1 represent superheavy nuclei that are theorised to have relatively long half-lives and be relatively stable. The main goal of this quest to find stable superheavy elements is to synthesise nuclei within this region. When a superheavy element is unstable, it emits alpha particles (2 protons and 2 neutron) which is a form of radiation. The rate of radioactive decay of an isotope is measured by its half-life. This is the time needed for half of the initial quantity of nuclei to decay (LibreTexts, 2016).

Image 2: Close-up Section of the Superheavy Elements Plotted on Element Stability Graph

This is logical considering their location when plotted on the Graph 3 and Image 2, showing that these synthesised elements are removed from the peninsula of stability (with Organes- son, a noble gas being the most removed com- pared to the other poor metal elements), which is responsible for their very short half-lives. This explains scientists’ goal to create super- heavy elements that are stable, and instead located on the island of stability, but this also highlights how the scientists are far-off from reaching their goal, therefore supporting the claim as there is no clear end to the research. Graph 3: Superheavy Elements Plotted on Element Stability Graph ((LibreTexts, 2016))

Graph 2: Superheavy Elements’ Half-Lives (Compound Interest, 2016)

As seen in the Graph 2, the elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 have very short half-lives (Appendix 4), supporting the claim that there is no point in synthesising these elements as they do not last long enough for there to be a useful outcome.

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Somerset College Journal of Scientific Issues

Year 10