Milestone in chemical studies of superheavy elements: Superheavy element and carbon atom bonded for

Milestone in chemical studies of superheavy elements: Superheavy element and carbon atom bonded for first time

A chemical bond between a superheavy element and a carbon atom has been established for the first time. This research opens new vistas for studying the effects of Einstein's relativity on the structure of the periodic table.

An international collaboration led by research groups from Mainz and Darmstadt, Germany, has achieved the synthesis of a new class of chemical compounds for superheavy elements at the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-based Research (RNC) in Japan. For the first time, a chemical bond was established between a superheavy element -- seaborgium (element 106) in the present study -- and a carbon atom. Eighteen atoms of seaborgium were converted into seaborgium hexacarbonyl complexes, which include six carbon monoxide molecules bound to the seaborgium.

Its gaseous properties and adsorption to a silicon dioxide surface were studied, and compared with similar compounds of neighbors of seaborgium in the same group of the periodic table. The study opens perspectives for much more detailed investigations of the chemical behavior of elements at the end of the periodic table, where the influence of effects of relativity on chemical properties is most pronounced.

Chemical experiments with superheavy elements -- with atomic number beyond 104 -- are most challenging: First, the very element to be studied has to be artificially created using a particle accelerator. Maximum production rates are on the order of a few atoms per day at most, and are even less for the heavier ones. Second, the atoms decay quickly through radioactive processes -- in the present case within about 10 seconds, adding to the experiment's complexity.

I am new to the subject of superheavy elements, so I don't have anything super cool to say about the article. I understand that this is a huge breakthrough in the field none the less.

I can't imagine how hard it must be to have to get these results & they will continue to test other superheavy elements. I hope that it will allow for a better understanding of the chemical behavior of elements at the end of the periodic table. The better we can understand the world around us, even down to the smallest particle, the better we can learn to live with the world.

What the hell can you make out of something that only exists for ten seconds?
These super heavy elements can be created in nature?
In black holes ?inside the sun? by supernova? or other phenomena?
What would be the potential spinoff to the knowledge?
Can compounding them stabilize them?
just asking.......

If, and it's a big "if" they could find a way to make a stable compound and it was used as a solvent, catalyst, precursor in a chemical reaction, I wonder exactly how that would go. Or what one might possibly make with such things.

a reply to: stirling

I'm not sure but I am hoping that someone with a better understanding will explain it further.

I can also ask my boyfriend who has a way better understanding of this chemistry and what this would mean.

The main thing about this experiment is that it is looking into what is called the "Island of Stability" for the superheavy elements where they do not immediately decay, so maybe we could actually make something out of them. Atomic configurations with 108,110 & 114 protons look like they will be stable, and experimentation with the atoms we can currently create that are as close to those proton configurations are the best approximation as far as how they react to those believed to be in the "island of stability."

The method used to create the atoms is different than those of dating back to the 1950s when seaborgium was originally created, so it's a platform for creating experiments that will allow for the creation of the even more important superheavy elements in the future, possibly even those with 108, 110 & 114 protons.