Scientists discovered super heavy element 116, called livermorium

The results obtained from the process of creating this super heavy element will lay an important foundation for creating heavier nuclear elements in the future, and create a premise for researchers to create the heaviest element. number 120, considered the Holy Grail of chemistry.

These elements may appear somewhere in the universe but not on Earth due to the conditions for their appearance such as temperature, pressure and other factors.

But in laboratories like the one at Berkeley, with advanced technologies, scientists create many protons inside the nucleus of atoms to create these new elements. The heaviest element found to date is element 118 oganesson, using calcium isotope 48 particle beams.

A common and very effective primer for physical chemistry is Calcium 48, with 20 protons plus 28 neutrons.

To make element 119 or 120, scientists need einsteinium (99) or fermium (100), but neither of these elements can be produced in sufficient quantities to make a suitable target. The next choice is titanium 50 which has 22 protons plus 28 neutrons and is very stable. Its long-term potential is even better than Calcium 48.

Scientists want to understand the properties and use cases of these heavy elements. But currently we can only make a few atoms at a time, and they exist for just a few microseconds before the protons fly out of the nucleus.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 01 August 2024