Four New Periodic Table Elements: Transition Metals 113, 115, 117, 118

Summary: Japanese, Russian, and U.S. experts await the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry naming in 2016 the team’s four new periodic table elements.

linear accelerator used to confirm existence of elements 115, 117 and 118; GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Darmstadt, Germany: Alexander Blecher, blecher.info, CC BY SA 3.0 Germany, via Wikimedia Commons

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) announces imminent releases of permanent nomenclature to formalize discovery of four new periodic table elements: the transition metals 113, 115, 117 and 118.

The four discoveries bring to a close decades of scientific investigations and bear IUPAC recognition to collaborative research teams in Japan, Russia and the United States. Elements ununtrium (113), ununpentium (115), ununseptium (117) and ununoctium (118) constitute the most recent additions to the table of 94 naturally occurring and 20 synthetic elements. The previously most recent, pre-2016 additions to the seventh row derive from discoveries of elements 111, 112, 114 and 116 in 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2000.

Element 113 emerges as Asia’s first contribution.

The table follows the inventive geniuses of Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev (1834–1907) in 1868 and of German chemist Julius Lothar Meyer (1830–1895) in 1870.

Pre-2016 tables give totals of 114 for nine ancient, one 13th-century, one 16th-century, one 17th-century, 17 18th-century, 50 19th-century, 31 20th-century and one 21st-century known elements. Each entry, ordered by number of nucleic protons, has the atomic mass number or relative atomic mass, chemical name and symbol and electron numbers per shell. Overlays identify hydrogen; five halogens; six alkali, six alkaline earth, 14 rare earth, 14 actinide, seven various metals; six non-metals; six noble gases; and seven metalloids.

Elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 join 42 transition metals, to total 46.

The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Riken Institute know of the quartet through production in particle accelerators. Researchers in Dubna, Livermore, Oak Ridge and Saitama let very light nuclei smash one another to track four superheavy elements of superfast stability in decay trails. Kosuke Morita of Riken Institute’s Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science mentions producing isotope 278 of element 113 by bombarding bismuth isotope 209 with zinc isotope 70. He notes four consecutive alpha-decays of the two fusion-formed atomic nuclei of element 113 into dubnium isotope 262 and into spontaneous fission instead of additional alpha-decays.

Spontaneous fission offers no firm connections between alpha chain decays and known nuclides.

Creating bohrium isotope 266 and dubnium isotope 262 daughter nucleus from colliding curium with a sodium beam provides alpha-decay characteristics that spontaneous fission does not establish.

Alpha-decays of zinc-bombarded bismuth into 113’s isotope 278, roentgenium isotope 274, meitnerium 270, bohrium 266, dubnium 268 and lawrencium 258 qualify as firm connections for IUPAC.

Dr. Morita reveals that research culminating in four new periodic table elements will be followed by the “uncharted territory of element 119” and the eighth row.

Professor Jan Reedijk of IUPAC’s Inorganic Chemistry Division states that element 113’s production and identification warrant permanent nomenclature honoring Asia’s first-time contribution to the periodic table.

IUPAC’s impending publications tell permanent nomenclature for all four new periodic table elements.

Kosuke Morita of Riken Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science points at element 113, his team's discovery that joins three other additions to the periodic table (Kyodo News via AP): Los Alamos Lab @LosAlamosNatLab, via Twitter Jan. 4, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

linear accelerator used to confirm existence of elements 115, 117 and 118; GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Darmstadt, Germany: Alexander Blecher, blecher.info, CC BY SA 3.0 Germany, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GSI,_Darmstadt,_Juli_2015_(2).JPG

Kosuke Morita of Riken Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science points at element 113, his team's discovery that joins three other additions to the periodic table (Kyodo News via AP): Los Alamos Lab @LosAlamosNatLab, via Twitter Jan. 4, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/LosAlamosNatLab/status/684030562726629376

For further information:

“4 Brand New Elements Discovered by Russian, Japanese & US Researchers.” RT > News > 4 Jan. 2016.
Available @ https://www.rt.com/news/327875-four-new-elements-periodic/

Chappell, Bill. 4 January 2016. “4 New Elements Are Added to the Periodic Table.” National Public Radio > News > International. Uupdated 6 Jan. 2016.
Available @ http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/04/461904077/4-new-elements-are-added-to-the-periodic-table

Grothaus, Michael. “Four New Elements Have Been Added to the Periodic Table. “Fast Company & Inc.
Available @ http://www.fastcompany.com/3055054/four-new-elements-have-been-added-to-the-periodic-table

The Inquisitr. 4 January 2016. "Newly Discovered Elements Added To The Periodic Table." YouTube.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0BwWBxuYXo

“It’s Official! Element 113 Was Discovered at RIKEN.” RIKEN > News & Media > Press Releases > Press Releases 2015 > Dec. 31, 2015.
Available @ http://www.riken.jp/en/pr/press/2015/20151231_1/

Kluger, Jeffrey. 4 January 2016. “How Four New Elements Got Seats at the Periodic Table.” Time > Science > Physics.
Available @ http://time.com/4165979/periodic-table-new-elements/

Kramer, Miriam. 4 January 2016. “Attention, Nerds: The Periodic Table Is Getting Four New Elements.” Mashable > World > All World.
Available @ http://mashable.com/2016/01/04/new-elements-periodic-table/#LVb6kLFM68qP

Los Alamos Lab @LosAlamosNatLab. 4 January 2016. "Periodic table gains four new superheavy elements, filling up the 7th row." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/LosAlamosNatLab/status/684030562726629376

Moran, Lee. 4 January 2016. “The Periodic Table Has 4 Brand New Elements.” Huffington Post > Edition: US > Huffpost Science.
Available @ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/periodic-table-new-elements_568a346ae4b0b958f65c09b8

O’Hare, Ryan. 4 January 2016. “Periodic Table’s Seventh Row Is Finally Complete: Four Elements Have Been Permanently Added to Plug the Chart’s Gap.” Daily Mail > Science > Latest Headlines.
Available @ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3383605/Periodic-table-s-seventh-row-finally-complete-Four-elements-permanently-added-plug-chart-s-gap.html

“The Periodic Table Has 4 Brand New Elements.” News Independent > Science > Jan. 4, 2016.
Available @ http://www.thenewsindependent.com/the-periodic-table-has-4-brand-new-elements/8225/

Speller, Katherine. 4 January 2016. “4 New Elements Have Been Added to the Periodic Table – Which You Totally Memorized, Right?” MTV > News > Issues.
Available @ http://www.mtv.com/news/2721203/4-new-elements-periodic-table-iupac/