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Element 118: an inert gas

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  • Element 118: an inert gas

    From its iron core to the peaks of Mount Everest, discover our planet's secrets with the latest Earth news, articles and features from Live Science


    WASHINGTON (AP)—Revisiting one of physics' most embarrassing cases of scientific misconduct, researchers from Russia and the United States announced Monday that they have created a new super-heavy element, atomic number 118.

    Scientists said they smashed together calcium with the manmade element Californium to make an atom with 118 protons in its nucleus. The new element lasted for just one millisecond, but it was the heaviest element ever made and the first manmade inert gas— the atomic family that includes helium, neon and radon.

    If confirmed, the still-unnamed element would be placed beneath radon on the periodic table of elements, said Ken Moody of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab in California, which was joined on the project by Russia's Joint Institute of Nuclear Research.

    The findings were published in the journal Physical Review C. The same research team has created four other elements.
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    If they keep it up they'll hit the 'islands of stability' before too many years. The 'island' is a group of elements with numbers from ~135-153 and ~176-178 where instead of being short lived like most heavy elements they are stable. Speculation is that they'll also have some rather bizzare properties.

    Last edited by Dr Mordrid; 17 October 2006, 10:35.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

  • #2
    Lemme guess... Naqahdah?

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    • #3
      Ununoctium is the placeholder name until a real one is chosen, but I thought Unobtainium would be cool
      Dr. Mordrid
      ----------------------------
      An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

      I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

      Comment

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