New elements added to chemistry's periodic table

[Knight-Dragon]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13699575

Two new elements have been added to the periodic table after a three-year review by the governing bodies of chemistry and physics.

The elements are currently unnamed, but they are both highly radioactive and exist for less than a second before decaying into lighter atoms.

The working party concluded that elements 114 and 116 fulfilled criteria for official inclusion in the table. The others, as yet, do not.

The new elements have temporary titles of ununquadium and ununhexium, but final names have yet to be settled on.

 

[deanej]

These two elements have been on every current periodic table I've ever seen for years now. The only ones I've seen without them tend to be old. How were they included if not officially discovered?

 

[Cynovolans]

This just leads up to my chemistry test getting harder.

 

[emzie]

I'm not sure if this is really much more than a novelty. Is there any application, or theoretical ground work that can be advanced, by the existence of elements that won't last a second?

 

[Glassfan]

Pretty much every element above 103 last for only a few microseconds (or picosec). The Nucleus forms and then breaks down before the electron shell can even form.

Therefor these elements have no Chemistry.

What physics application might exist is probably a speculation at this point.

 

[classical_hero]

This just leads up to my chemistry test getting harder.

They should be called unobtainium.

 

[peter grimes]

But they're drawing near to the Island of Stability. That will be very interesting!

 

[emzie]

But they're drawing near to the Island of Stability. That will be very interesting!

Er, I mean, physics isn't my strong suit, but I was under the impression that these elements are so unstable because electromagnetism overpowers the strong nuclear force in a nucleus larger than Uranium.

 

[Michkov]

Nuclei with even numbers off Neutrons/Protons tend to be more stable. If both kinds are even numbered you tend to get even more stable Nuclei. Of course the half-lives aren´t going to be long. I don't think more than a second but still large compared to the others.
The Weizsäcker formula is a good starting point if you want to read up about it.

 

[uppi]

Pretty much every element above 103 last for only a few microseconds (or picosec). The Nucleus forms and then breaks down before the electron shell can even form.

Therefor these elements have no Chemistry.

What physics application might exist is probably a speculation at this point.

Actually, a some of these elements live for a few seconds. This is enough time for chemistry. For example Hassium (element 108) has been observed to form a molecule with oxygen.

Er, I mean, physics isn't my strong suit, but I was under the impression that these elements are so unstable because electromagnetism overpowers the strong nuclear force in a nucleus larger than Uranium.

Generally yes, but there are magic numbers of neutrons and protons, where the nucleus is extra stable. A very heavy nucleus with just the right amount of neutrons and protons might be stable enough to last more than a few seconds. But nobody knows exactly what is going to happen and that is what they are trying to do.

But I agree that there will probably be no practical use for any of these elements.

 

[The_J]

Not a new name yet? What's then the news? They are still unununs...

They should be called unobtainium.

would even fit in there.

I'm not sure if this is really much more than a novelty. Is there any application, or theoretical ground work that can be advanced, by the existence of elements that won't last a second?

I guess it's just a minor step for theoretical physics, just as proof.
My chemistry prof already said "forget about francium, you'll never have it in the lab", so i guess this here is in practice relatively unimportant.

 

[Krill]

Not a new name yet? What's then the news? They are still unununs...



would even fit in there.



I guess it's just a minor step for theoretical physics, just as proof.
My chemistry prof already said "forget about francium, you'll never have it in the lab", so i guess this here is in practice relatively unimportant.

Never have to go past Nobelium...