The miracle of extending the periodic table of elements (II)

The biggest pride of GSI Scientific Research Center (Germany) is the nuclear scientists here, on its UNILAC heavy ion accelerator, within 30 years, has successfully synthesized and been international Recognized as the inventors of the six superheavy elements never before known.

(See Part I: The attractiveness of unexplored unknowns / Inventory machines)

Miracle of German nuclear scientists

On the rich and unique equipment system mentioned above, GSI Center, for nearly 30 years, has achieved admirable achievements in the field of new elements.

Element 107 is the first super-heavy element to be synthesized and identified in 1981. The first nucleus found to be nucleus 107 has a mass of 262 units, abbreviated 107 (262), with the participation of Cr-54 ion bullets and Bi-209 beer.

Element 108 was synthesized and determined in 1984 based on 3 atoms found. The first nucleus was 108 (264) when it fired a heavy iron ion-bullet "Fe-58" into lead beer Pb-207.

Element 109 was synthesized and determined in 1982. The first isotope was found 109 (266) with the combination of iron Fe-58 heavy ion and Pb-209 lead beer.

Element 110 was synthesized and determined in 1994. Using ammunition is a heavy Ni-62 ion and beer is lead Pb-208, the first time four sequences of alpha decay are recorded and determined to belong to nucleus 110 ( 269) the element has just been found.

Element 111 was synthesized and determined also in 1994 based on the three alpha decay sequences found in the new nucleus 111 (272), where the Ni-64 bullet and Bi-209 beer were used.

And finally, element 112 is synthesized by projecting Zn-70 ion beams on lead beer Pb-208. And like the above elements, the new element 112 was discovered in 1996 thanks to the SHIP acquisition and analysis system. SHIP discovered a new component nucleus 112 (with mass number 278) in an experiment that continued for 3 weeks (24 hours a day) and fired continuously by 3.4 x million x million million Zn-70 bullets.

This nucleus after emitting a neutron to become a nucleus 110 (277), then after a few microseconds continue to emit an alpha particle to become the nucleus of 110 (273) of element 110 found earlier two year.

The road to glory

As usual, the road from the completion of the research work, published in official books until accepted by the international scientific community and allowed to name it is not flat and quick.

The quietest is the period from 1940 to 1955. The recognition of the author invented and named the new element from element 93 to element 101, took place quite simply, because now only the Lab Berkeley (USA) unique experience with the ability to create new elements.

But to element 102 and the new elements then the situation changed. Dupna International Laboratories (the former Soviet Union) has emerged and became a competitive partner to balance the balance with the Berkeley National Laboratory (USA). Both Dupna and Berkley claim to synthesize element 102 and gain the right to name the element.

From there, a real conflict in the scientific community arises. The conflicting claims about the names of many elements behind the Fermium element (100), such as 103, 104, 105, etc., are also called the Transfermium war, which lasts for decades. For 40 years, the laboratories in the US, Europe and the Soviet Union continued to name the new elements without regard to their opponents.

And then, the Transfermium war also calmed down with the calmness of the cold war in the world. By 1997, 'rival' scientists had negotiated with each other and agreed on the names of elements from 102 to 109. Especially, since 1999, the War of Transfermium has almost ended and the role The role of IUPAC International Basic and Applied Chemistry in regulating and confirming the right to invention is respected by all parties.

That open atmosphere has certain advantages for German inventors in GSI. Their patent rights were gradually recognized and the names of the new elements proposed by them, were basically agreed by the international power organization IUPAC without encountering any harsh reactions.

The newly discovered elements of 107, 109 and 111 were named after the three leading physicists of the 20th century, BOHRIUM (symbol Bh), MEITNERIUM (symbol Mt) and ROENTGENIUM (Rg).

In particular, the two even elements 108 and 110 are named HASSIUM and DAMSTADTIUM in honor of the city of Darmstadt and the beloved Hassen state, which has covered the leading German Science Center GSI for the past four decades.

Only element 112 is left for this time yet to be named. The only problem is ever.

Leading this writer to visit the experimental area that invented new elements, Dr. Dieter Ackermann, one of the people who participated in the experiment to synthesize element 112, said: in principle, after 6 months to tell From the time of proposing the element name, if there is no reasonable objection, the proposal will be accepted.

Looks like all the rest is just routine. Because GSI's inventions have been tested by well-known laboratories in the world. In 2004 Japanese scientists at RIKEN confirmed the results of GSI by repeating the same experiment as GSI. Previously, in 1998 (after 2 years of GSI), the Dupna scientists also created the 112 isotopes, only the larger numbers (282-285) on their devices.

Scientists in Germany themselves, in 2005 also experimented with a combination of beer and other bullets (Ca48 + U238) and obtained isotopes with a mass of 283 of element 112.

Everything is clear. On May 19, 2009, the IUPAC Association issued a patent for Sigurd Hofmann and colleagues at GSI. And according to the official IUPAC proposal, the GSI invention team, on July 13, also proposed the name for element 112 as COPERNICIUM (Cp symbol).

They explained: ' With our proposal, we want to honor a scientist, an astronomer who lived during the transition from medieval to contemporary. He was born on February 19, 1,473 in Torun, Poland and died on May 24, 1543 in Frombork / Frauenburg. His work has a great influence on people's political thinking and philosophy and on the advancement of modern science based on experimental results '.

Nothing more to doubt. We can wait for that glorious moment to come to GSI scientists in the early days of 2010.

It can be said that each new element discovered is a great milestone marking the progress of people on the way to realize the structure of the material world.

Right this spring, German scientists at GSI have the right to raise their heads with great achievements, invent the next 6 super heavy elements, extend the periodic table of chemical elements, with dazzling lipstick markers. stuff 107, 108, 109, 110 and 112.