Scientists Create New Heavy-Metal Molecule: 'Berkelocene' (mercurynews.com) 21
An anonymous reader shared this report from the Mercury News:
After a year of fastidious planning, a microscopic sample of the ultra-rare radioactive element berkelium arrived at a Berkeley Lab. With just 48 hours to experiment before it would become unusable, a group of nearly 20 researchers focused intently on creating a brand-new molecule. Using a chemical glove box, a polycarbonate glass box with protruding gloves that shields substances from oxygen and moisture, scientists combined the berkelium metal with an organic molecule containing only carbon and hydrogen to create a chemical reaction... [Post-doc researcher Dominic] Russo, researcher Stefan Minasian, and 17 other scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory had created berkelocene, a new molecule that usurps theorists' expectations about how carbon bonds with heavy-metal elements.
In the future, berkelocene may help humanity safely dispose of nuclear waste, according to a study published in the academic journal Science... The new molecular structure is, in the nomenclature of researchers, a "sandwich." In this formation, a berkelium atom, serving as the filling, lays in between two 8-membered carbon rings — the "bread" — and resembles an atomic foot-long sub. "It has this very symmetric geometry, and it's the first time that that's been observed," Minasian said.
The researchers believe more accurate models for how actinide elements like uranium behave will help solve problems related to long-term nuclear waste storage.
In the future, berkelocene may help humanity safely dispose of nuclear waste, according to a study published in the academic journal Science... The new molecular structure is, in the nomenclature of researchers, a "sandwich." In this formation, a berkelium atom, serving as the filling, lays in between two 8-membered carbon rings — the "bread" — and resembles an atomic foot-long sub. "It has this very symmetric geometry, and it's the first time that that's been observed," Minasian said.
The researchers believe more accurate models for how actinide elements like uranium behave will help solve problems related to long-term nuclear waste storage.
Why? (Score:2)
Anyone want to weigh in on how this carbon "sandwich" experiment producing berkelocene will help anyone store nuclear waste in the future?
Re:Why? (Score:4, Interesting)
Anyone want to weigh in on how this carbon "sandwich" experiment producing berkelocene will help anyone store nuclear waste in the future?
On it... According to Berkeley Lab’s 48-Hour race against time with new molecule berkelocene: A step toward safer nuclear waste management? [rdworldonline.com] it has to do with studying how container materials interact with nuclear waste, which contains problematic minor actinides [wikipedia.org] like americium and curium:
While berkelocene itself won’t be directly used in nuclear waste management, the research holds clues for safer approaches. Nuclear waste contains problematic “minor actinides” like americium and curium; studying related elements such as berkelium helps understand this group, which contributes significantly to long-term radioactivity and heat generation. Scientists need accurate predictive models for these elements to design safe storage strategies and effective treatment processes.
Such models rely partly on understanding how these elements might interact with container materials, surrounding rock, or groundwater, and whether they can be selectively removed from waste. Current theoretical models have limitations, especially for elements heavier than plutonium, because they rely on experimental data that remains scarce for these rare, difficult-to-handle elements. The berkelocene research provides experimental data to test and refine these models. For instance, the study revealed that berkelium could be stabilized in the +4 oxidation state with significant covalent bonding, a finding not necessarily predicted by simpler models. Berkelium-249 has a half-life of only 330 days and decays into californium-249.
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Okay, that makes sense. Working with berkelocene means they don't have to work directly with something worse.
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Don't take it too literally. When you talk to the press about your research, they always want to know, "What's it useful for?" So you say, "It will help with storing nuclear waste," or, "It will help to make faster computers," or something like that. But that's not why they did it.
This is basic research. We have theoretical models describing how atoms interact. Those models need to be validated against experiment. When it comes to super heavy elements, those experiments are really hard to do. But unt
Been done before. (Score:2)
Scientists in Los Angeles created Metallica over 40 years ago.
Re: Been done before. (Score:3)
Who can tell me the atomic weight of Bolognium? (Score:2)
That's a really silly justification. (Score:3, Insightful)
Berkelium doesn't hang around long enough to itself be a problem, and any molecule formed from it will disintegrate when the atom splits itself. Also for confinement you'd need a large enough crystal structure, say at least 1/10th the size of a grain of sand. And I'm quite sure they didn't form a visible crystal (if any, which I also doubt). (I don't count that "sandwich" as a crystal...you'd need an organized collection of them.)
It's an interesting experiment, and tells us about the way Berkelium reacts chemically. But to justify it as "will help solve problems related to long-term nuclear waste storage." is just silly. Sintered glass covered with paraffin would be better.
Nuclear waste disposal? (Score:2, Interesting)
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Additionally, companies like Deep Isolation are exploring the use of directional drilling technologies to create deep horizontal drill holes for the safe isolation of high-level radioactive waste.
Just drill down until you reach China and dump it there.
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So (Score:2)
How long is an atomic foot?
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With or without Bonespurrium?
Nothing to do with nuclear waste (Score:2)
Berkelium doesn't stick around long enough to be in the waste stream. And anything the waste stream decays into will be lower on the atomic table, not higher where berkelium is.
The carbon bonding of other longer-lived actinides in the waste stream can be measured directly because they are longer-lived and present in larger quantities.
This actually made the front page of the Mercury News with the awesome headline:
Molecule could help safely dispose of nuclear waste
Scientists call discovery berkelocene, which they tout for its radioactive carbon bond ability
which makes it sound like an infomercial for OxiClean.
The real truth is that this is cool but e
Ferrocene (Score:2)
Brutal (Score:1)
Missed opportunity (Score:2)