For those who are science-inclined,
particularly chemists as well as Chemistry-oriented students and researchers,
four new chemical elements were officially and permanently added to the
Periodic Table of elements on 30th November 2016, thereby creating a
new face in the world of physical sciences and technology in general.
The
Periodic Table is a tabular arrangement of chemical elements in columns and
rows, in accordance with their atomic numbers – number of protons, electron
configurations, as well as recurring chemical properties. The order of
arrangement signifies periodic trends. The vertical columns are known as
‘groups’ whereas the horizontal rows are called ‘periods’. Within each row (period),
the elements are metals on the left and non-metals on the right.
Earlier in January 2016, it was announced that
four new elements had been discovered, subject to earn a permanent spot on the
periodic table with elements 113, 115, 117, and 118 rounding out the seventh
row. At the time, they all had temporary names and symbols, but at the moment,
they enjoy new and permanent names namely, Nihonium, Moscovium, Tennessine, and
Oganesson. Teams of researchers from the United States (US), Russia, and Japan
have been credited with the discovery of these new elements, thus were given the
naming rights – which come with some basic criteria.
As stipulated by the International
Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the body responsible for
confirming the discovery of new elements, any new element must be named after
any of the following: a mythological concept or character, including an
astronomical object; a mineral or similar substance; a place or geographical
region; a property of the element in question; or, a scientist.
The scientists first synthesized the
new elements between 2002 and 2010, but it wasn’t until December 2015 that the
IUPAC officially recognized the discoveries. Then in June of this year, the
scientists who discovered the super-heavy, highly reactive elements sent IUPAC
their suggested names for the elements, based on the aforementioned guideline.
After a five-month waiting period when members of the public could ask
questions about the new elements or tender contrary view if necessary, as the
tradition requested, which expired on 8th November 2016, the
foursome were unanimously approved by IUPAC, formally filling their boxes in
Chemistry’s most fundamental table – the Periodic Table.
Nihonium of atomic number 113 is with
symbol Nh, Moscovium of 115 has symbol Mc, Tennessine of 117 goes with symbol
Ts, whilst Oganesson of 118 has symbol Og. Nihonium was derived from ‘Nippon’,
a Japanese word meaning literally Japan. Moscovium honours the Russian capital
city, Moscow. Tennessine is named after
the state of Tennessee, USA known for its pioneering research in Chemistry.
According to IUPAC, Tennessine is in recognition of the contribution of the
Tennessee region to super-heavy elements’ research. This marks the second US
state to be honoured on the periodic table, following California – referenced
by Californium (element 98), which was discovered in the 1950s. Similarly,
Hassium (element 108) was named after the German state of Hesse.
Oganesson is named after the
83-year-old Russian physicist, Yuri Oganessian. History has it that this is
barely the second time a new element would be named after a living scientist.
The first time such occasion occurred – when in 1993 a team at the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory proposed naming element 106 (Seaborgium) after the US
nuclear-Chemistry pioneer, Glenn Seaborg – it led to huge controversy. At the
time, an IUPAC committee rejected the proposal after passing a resolution that
elements were not to be named for living scientists, but the name was later
allowed after further deliberations.
One
may wonder why these four elements took so long to make it on the periodic
table. Unlike the classics, such as Gold, Iron, and Aluminium, these new
elements are not found in nature. They are synthetic elements that can only be
created in the lab, and they decay so fast after synthesis. For years, the
teams behind their discovery didn’t have an opportunity to get a proper look
before they morphed into something else entirely.
Kosuke Morita from Japan, one of the
scientists that discovered Nihonium, said ‘For over seven years, we continued
to search for data conclusively identifying element 113 but we just never saw
another event. However, I was not prepared to give up as I believed that one
day, if we persevered, luck would fall upon us again.’ Hence, the persistence
eventually yielded an absolute success.
It’s worth noting that the heaviest
element in nature remains Uranium, which has 92 protons. But heavier elements
that have more protons in their nucleus can be created via nuclear fusion. The
way elements are made nowadays is by shooting a beam of an existing element at
another element, and then seeing what happens when they collide. It’s
interesting to acknowledge that the Japanese team is now focused on inventing
element 119 and beyond. So hopefully, soonest, a dragonian element might be
invented.
Based on the new incredible
development, it’s needless to reiterate that it is high time researchers,
teachers and students changed their Chemistry-related text books and research
materials. A delay might be disastrous. Think about it!
@mediambassador
