Element 118 Created

BuzzSkyline writes, "The heaviest element yet, Element 118, has been created in Dubna, Russia by a collaboration of researchers from Russia's Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the US. They created the new element by fusing together Californium (element 98) and Calcium atoms. The achievement comes five years after the scandal-plagued retraction of an earlier claim, which was based on fabricated data, that three atoms of element 118 had been produced at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. The achievement was reported on October 9 in the journal Physical Review C (subscription needed to read more than the abstract)."

Big deal

[by Anonymous Coward]

I have ten pounds of Element 119 right here...

Re:Big deal

[TobyRush (957946)]

I have ten pounds of Element 119 right here...

Dude, for the last time, that's not Element 119. They're called "CornNuts." And they don't give you, or anyone else, "special powers."

Re:Big deal

[OrangeTide (124937)]

I think having 10 pounds of cornnuts is a special power in itself.

patented process

[walt-sjc (145127)]

Unfortunatly, the process for combining Californium and Calcium (which is called "Californication") has already been patented by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Re:

[Peet42 (904274)]

Earth, Air, Fire, Water... What's the fifth one?

Re:It is a BIG DEAL!

[Bertie (87778)]

Milla Jovovich.

Re:It is a BIG DEAL!

[gkhan1 (886823)]

If you really want to go by the movie, it's technically love. I guess most slashdoters, being linux-using, slightly unattractive über-geeks with little education in literature might have missed that because the mindnuming hotness of Ms. Jovovich's body was standing in the way.

Re:It is a BIG DEAL!

[by Anonymous Coward]

The point you're probably missing is that Ms. Jovovich's body is love.

Re:No Laugh

[gkhan1 (886823)]

Yeah, slashdot is so geeky we actually quantify humor.

Re:It is a BIG DEAL!

[OrangeTide (124937)]

cornnuts.

Re:It is a BIG DEAL!

[Xyrus (755017)]

Mila Jovavich covered in hot cornuts.

~X~

Re:It is a BIG DEAL!

[Silver Sloth (770927)]

Surprise (c.f. Terry Pratchett - Theif of Time)

Re:It is a BIG DEAL!

[am 2k (217885)]

AFAIK in Asia, they have a 5th one: metal.

Re:It is a BIG DEAL!

[jhjmonnee (981313)]

Heart. Then Captain Planet shows up to take care of the bad guys...duh.

Not Politically Correct

[civman2 (773494)]

Guys, you can't just tell an element as young as element 118 it's heavy. You'll crush its self esteem. I think the proper term these days is "in danger of becoming overweight".

Re:

[Rahga (13479)]

I don't think self esteem is in danger here... the Californium will just inject a more Calcium atoms here and there, and BAM [typepad.com]! Instant confidence.

Re:

[Beryllium Sphere(tm) (193358)]

The poor thing might come to pieces.

Self-esteem problem?

[cold fjord (826450)]

Self-esteem problem? Maybe it's time you try Nu-kleeas(R), the all new "proton enhancement" solution.

Just take it 30 femtoseconds before any quantum coupling and you will see an all new you.

Ask your PhD about it today to see if the little "quantum packet" is right for you.

Warning: Side effects may include uncertainty, fission, fusion, photon emission, prolonged electron excitation, ionization, or other side effects. Tell your PhD if you are engaged in any antimatter collisions. Nu-kleeas(R) is not right for everybody.

Re:Self-esteem problem?

[elmCitySlim (957476)]

Wheres the diarrhea warning? Any self-respecting perscription has that side effect.

A ways to go before element 137

[NoInfo (247461)]

Element 137 should be the max element: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untriseptium [wikipedia.org]

Re:A ways to go before element 137

[Wilson_6500 (896824)]

Keep reading. The article says that a relativistic solution to that estimation indicates 138 is the heaviest.

Beyond that, it's just an estimate. The universe is full of surprises.

do limitations on electrons count?

[Xtifr (1323)]

I'm not a particle physicist, but from what I can see, it's saying that the problem is that some of the electrons would have to be moving faster than the speed of light. But is that really an issue? Maybe you can only have positive ions of elements above that, but they'd still be atoms of those elements. Heck, even with no electrons at all, it would still just be an extremely positive ion! At least as I understand matters. Basically, unless I'm misunderstanding or misinterpreting, 137 or 138 is the heaviest element for which a neutral atom can exist, but there should be no limit to elements for which positive ions can exist up till you reach the point where gravity starts to become a larger factor than the strong nuclear force.

Re:

[drewzhrodague (606182)]

I'm not a particle physicist, but from what I can see, it's saying that the problem is that some of the electrons would have to be moving faster than the speed of light.

I also understand that if you take a specified ammount of one of those desnse artificial elements, you can exert a force upon it, and it is part of the aparatus that helps us travel (in a vehicle) faster than light.

Not that I have any proof or anything, but this is what some of those alien conspiracy-thoerists believe. Here's a link to

Re:do limitations on electrons count?

[Gilmoure (18428)]

Yes, I do want to get off this planet as soon as possible.

Have you tried jumping UP?

Re:A ways to go before element 137

[coaxial (28297)]

So would that make the atomic number of Unobtainium 139?

Re:A ways to go before element 137

[CUatTHEFINISH (970078)]

No, no... That entry is wrong. There's always ludicrous speed. "Oh no, the electron has just gone... plaid!"

Re:

[MadUndergrad (950779)]

No. He didn't.

Re:A ways to go before element 137

[QuantumPion (805098)]

Neutron stars are just big nuclei, and they contain billions of billions of moles of nucleons.

But neutron stars are held together by gravity, not the strong nuclear force (as far as we know).

Just in time

[by Anonymous Coward]

Quick, gate it through K'Tau's sun before it's too late!

118, eh?

[vic.tz (1000138)]

I'll believe it when I see it!

Truthiness.

[fahrbot-bot (874524)]

The achievement comes five years after the scandal-plagued retraction of an earlier claim, which was based on fabricated data, that three atoms of element 118 had been produced at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.

So I guess this announcement has an element of truth about it...

[OK, shoot me now.]

And now the fun begins

[The Bungi (221687)]

Any ideas as to what this one will be called? Probably something with pop culture appeal? My votes:

• Googlium (now with proton-sized ads!)
• Podcastium
• Blogium
• Britneyspearsium
• Vistanium
• Thisisthelastoneweswearium
• Kimilsungium (dammit, is that radioactive!?)

I sure hope they name it something nice though. "Ununoctium", "Kurchatovium" and "Hassium" don't exactly roll off the tongue. No pun intended...

Okay... back to work.

Re:And now the fun begins

[brian.glanz (849625)]

Ha, ha <g> ... There was that long controversy with naming before, so the last time someone thought they'd created 118, they intended to name it Ghiorsium after Albert Ghiorso [wikipedia.org] who "helped discover numerous chemical elements." I'd expect something similarly NOT controversial, while IUPAC will likely settle any disputes like they did for the long-disputed transfermiums [iupac.org] in 1997. These are some of the same guys right? so maybe still "Ghiorsium," and maybe we'll find out tomorrow at the press conference [llnl.gov]. BG

Re:And now the fun begins

[RealGrouchy (943109)]

If the name will be auctioned off, it will be named GoldenPalace.comium [youtube.com].

If the name will be put to a vote [youtube.com], it will be named Stevium Colbertium [youtube.com].

and finally, if it's left up to the Republicans, it will be named Reaganium [wikipedia.org]

(well, actually, it would be called Reaganium-VI, because by the time element 118 is named, five other elements will have already been renamed after Reagan. Including Oxygen.).

- RG>

Re:And now the fun begins

[by Anonymous Coward]

If they put a vote on Slashdot, it will be 'Cowboyneelium'.
The FSF would name it 'GENOHE' (GNU Element Number One Hundred and Eighteen).
Microsoft would call it 'Microsoft® Viewium®'.
Apple would call it 'iElement'.
If they ask Nintendo, they'll call it 'Waangiiuum'.

International Element Registry

[Vreejack (68778)]

The perfect gift for any occasion!

Get our custom element naming kit and you will receive:

• A beautiful 16" X 12" full color parchment certificate personalized with the element name, date and atomic number.
• A Personalized 16" X 12" periodic table containing the element name, atomic number, atomic weight and hypothetical chemical properties with the location circled in red where the element is on the chart.
• Choose a round or heart-shaped pendant that contains a real metal sample!(##)
• "Your Place in the Periodic Ta

Instantiated?

[paulthomas (685756)]

Would it be more appropriate to say that element 118 has been successfully instantiated in a laboratory for the first time?

This is not a rhetorical question.

Wait. I thought...

[elgee (308600)]

I thought the heaviest element was Spamium which is destroying Internetium.

In a lab in New Jersey..

[Channard (693317)]

'Gentlemen! I have created element 118, the heaviest element on earth and' *crash* 'Doc? Where are you? Doc? Dammit, that's one big hole, we really need to get those floorboards fixed.'

Why 118? Well...

[piphil (1007691)]

A lot of people seem to be dismissing this as without a practical use. However there is method to the seemed madness of making ever-bigger nuclei. Elements tend to be either stable or unstable - carbon is stable, uranium is not. This stability is caused by the arangement of protons/neutrons in the atoms' nucleii. I'm not exactly sure why this occurs - I'm a biologist, I'm not really meant to know - but whether or not a nulceus is stable or not follows a pattern determined by "shell-model" calculations (see here [uni-heidelberg.de] for the science bit).

So although making 3 atoms of 118 doesn't seem to amount to much, especially as it instantly falls apart, it's another step on the way to making th first of the synthetic heavy elements in a "stability island". It's thought that such a material could have strange and useful properties. Or it could be a complete waste of money and be boring as hell. I don't know, but that's the point of research at the end of the day...

And they shall call it...

[NeuroManson (214835)]

Nibblonium! And it shall double as spaceship fuel, as long as the Nibblonians continue to be prolific poopers.

futurama

[eneville (745111)]

"so dense that 1 ton weighs exactly 1000 tons"

Re:Um... so?

[belg4mit (152620)]

118 Is supposed to be the first element of the Magic Island of Stability, doubly magic even.
Most man-made elements (Plutonium+) are incredibly short-lived and make poor paper weights.
Learn something http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3313/02.ht ml [pbs.org]

Re:Um... so?

[belg4mit (152620)]

Doh! Sorry, I mean 114. :-/

138 seems to be the max

[XanC (644172)]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untriseptium#Signific ance [wikipedia.org] via http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=200807 &cid=16441619 [slashdot.org]

Re:Island of stability

[emurphy42 (631808)]

As usual, Wikipedia [wikipedia.org] is your friend. :) The island covers atomic masses in the high 200s, atomic numbers in the low 100s.

Re:Is it the same fraudster?

[rtjohn (672608)]

My inferiority complex isn't as good as your's

Re:Created or Discovered ?

[Xiroth (917768)]

Actually, they created and discovered it, since they had to make it from smaller nuclei before it could be observed.

Re:Uuo 118

[Sique (173459)]

Don't confuse chemical stability and nuclear stability. Noble gases win the first game, iron and lead the second one (while for instance Francium sucks at both).

Re:Uuo 118

[Sique (173459)]

No, it was named after the most stable political entity of whole Europe, with a record setting 1500 years of continious history, founded by the Franconian Chlodwig in 507, an entity which also fought the most wars since the Middle Age (more than the two runners up United Kingdom and Austria combined) and has the oldest orthographic rules (not changed since about 400 years). You may have some issues with its existance, but most of them are caused by the fact, that this entity is so stable and seemingly undestroyable, even though it sometimes does the trick by weaseling out of consequences ;)