By Fred Nwaozor
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 2016, 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
critical 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. It suffices
to say that the country’s schools’ curriculum in regard to Chemistry and other
related subjects must be reviewed towards effecting the aforementioned change.
Above all, it has become compelling
for the government to endeavour to encourage the research works of our various
institutions to enable them put the country’s name on the world map as regards
scientific discovery. Think about it!
Comrade Nwaozor, a tech expert, policy analyst & rights
activist, is National Coordinator,
Right Thinkers Movement
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Twitter:
@mediambassador
