115, the Newest Element on the Periodic Table

Lol yeah, this story popped right out at me because I spent so much time as an Area 51 / X-Files fiend when I was a kid. Tons of literature about "insiders" describing ununpentium as being the key to powering anti-grav and other alien technologies etc. Kind of funny to see this story now. Look up Bob Lazar for more info

frobozz• 13 years ago

All of the elements >=104 started off with a similar temporary systematic name until a final name was chosen. It may well end up being called Elerium.

yeukhon• 13 years ago

Any benefit for expanding the periodic table given these are "man-made" (which I believe could exist elsewhere in the universe...)?

dnautics2• 13 years ago

possible benefits as an energy storage medium once you get to the island of stability.

Elv13• 13 years ago

One that take several order of magnitude more energy to create that it can store? I am in!

mistercow• 13 years ago

Well there are several reasons, but this is the coolest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_stability

Basically, current theory suggests that once they get to 120 protons or so, they'll start finding stable isotopes again (ones that don't decay for minutes or more). A handle on a door affords pulling, and a hypothesis affords testing, and all that.

Edit: I should add that 115 might actually be within the island, but you'd need far more neutrons, which is currently not feasible.

alokm• 13 years ago

Man-Made or not, At least they have existed. That should be enough to add it to periodic table. There is always a non zero probability that they might exist somewhere else in the universe.

glurgh• 13 years ago

That's the entire point of the periodic table - what makes it a 'periodic table' rather than 'a list of all the known (or 'found in nature') elements'. When originally conceived it included blank spots for yet un-isolated elements and some predictions about their properties could be made.

You find an element, it goes into the periodic table. Of elements.

ars• 13 years ago

(which I believe could exist elsewhere in the universe...)

They are unlikely to exist elsewhere except for a few moments (not even a second) after a supernova. A regular star will not make them, and they decay extremely fast.

mtdewcmu• 13 years ago

Some of them seem to last much longer than that, or are hypothesized to. If an element has a half-life of a million years, then it probably exists in large quantities throughout the universe. The solar system is a relatively closed system, though, so the elements we see around us have generally been in the solar system for its entire lifetime. So an element would have to last 5+ billion years to exist on earth.

elyase• 13 years ago

Three reasons:

1- Scientific: Study of superheavy elements is related to the formation of elements in stars and ultimately to the origin of life.

2-Practical: Americium is a man made element which is used in smoke detectors.

3-Nuclear energy: In theory once the island of stability is reached it should be possible to have smaller and more powerful mini nuclear-plants which could fit into a watch.

5555624• 13 years ago

The accompanying graphic of the Periodic Table has several errors: Lithium (Li) has an atomic number of 3, Protactinium (Pa) has an atomic number of 91, Lawrencium (at least they have Lr and not Lw) has an atomic number 103.

eksith• 13 years ago

I thought I didn't have enough coffee! I had a double take at that too: H(1), He(2), Li(2), Be(4). Didn't even notice the other errors until you pointed them out.

6ren• 13 years ago

Oh, so they name those not yet discovered/synthesised by their number, as Ununtrium (113), Ununpentium (115), Ununseptium (117), Ununoctium (118). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table#Layout

stinos• 13 years ago

I wish more articles were written like this: start reading, ask yourself x questions, only to see them answered while you keep reading, in a nice concise way, no more no less.

115, the Newest Element on the Periodic Table

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