Scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California have successfully synthesized a new chemical element, Livermorium (element 116). This super-heavy element was created by bombarding a target of Curium with nuclei of Titanium. This groundbreaking achievement brings scientists closer to the hypothetical “island of stability” in the realm of transuranic elements, where nuclei may exhibit increased stability. Elements within this theoretical island of stability are expected to have longer half-lives, making them easier to study and potentially useful for practical applications.
The concept of the island of stability refers to a theoretical region on the nuclear isotopes chart where superheavy elements are situated with remarkably long half-lives. These elements are predicted to be more stable than their neighboring elements despite their high atomic mass. The theory is based on the presence of specific nuclear shells, akin to electronic shells in atoms, where certain ‘magic numbers’ of protons and neutrons create more stable configurations.
The research team utilized a beam of Titanium-50 to synthesize Livermorium, marking it as the most challenging element ever created in a laboratory. Scientists at Berkeley have been instrumental in the discovery of 16 elements, ranging from Technetium (element 43) to Seaborgium (element 106).
In order to generate the Titanium beam, scientists subjected the element to temperatures of nearly 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1649 degrees Celsius) and irradiated it with microwaves to remove 22 electrons, preparing ions for acceleration in the Berkeley cyclotron. These ions were then directed towards a Plutonium target, with trillions of ions striking the target every second, resulting in the creation of Livermorium. After 22 days of experimentation, two atoms of Livermorium were successfully produced.
This marks the first instance of using a Titanium beam to synthesize a heavy element, as previous elements with atomic numbers ranging from 114 to 118 were synthesized using a Calcium-48 beam. The successful creation of Livermorium validates the efficacy of this novel method and paves the way for future endeavors in creating even heavier elements, such as element 120.
Plans are in place to attempt the synthesis of element 120 in 2025, which would make it the most challenging element ever created. If successful, isotopes of element 120 may exhibit significantly longer half-lives compared to previously discovered superheavy elements.