Roentgenium is an intriguing member of the periodic table whose existence is tied entirely to high-energy nuclear experiments. Although virtually unknown outside specialist circles, this synthetic and extremely radioactive element has become a valuable probe into the limits of atomic and nuclear physics. In this article I will describe how roentgenium was discovered and produced, […]
Darmstadtium is an exotic, short-lived element that exists only under the extreme conditions of modern nuclear laboratories. It occupies a remote position on the periodic table as a member of the row of heaviest known elements and is intriguing for both nuclear physicists and theoretical chemists. Because only a handful of atoms have ever been
The element known as Meitnerium occupies a unique place at the frontier of modern chemistry and nuclear physics. It is a product of human ingenuity rather than a component of the natural world, created atom by atom in high-energy collisions. Although it has no everyday uses and appears only fleetingly in specialized laboratories, Meitnerium plays
Hassium is a rare and exotic member of the periodic table that exists only fleetingly under highly controlled laboratory conditions. As one of the heaviest elements produced by humans, it has captured the interest of nuclear physicists and chemists seeking to test the limits of atomic structure, investigate the influence of very large nuclear charge
Bohrium is a rare and fleeting member of the periodic table, occupying a position among the heaviest of the known elements. Although only produced in minute quantities by particle accelerators and surviving for mere seconds to minutes, it has played an important role in expanding our understanding of nuclear reactions, the limits of atomic stability,
Seaborgium is one of the most exotic entries in the periodic table: an artificially produced, short-lived element whose existence extends human understanding of nuclear forces, chemistry at the edge of the periodic table, and the effects of relativity on electrons in very heavy atoms. Studies of this element combine painstaking experiments in particle accelerators, rapid
Dubnium is a synthetic, highly radioactive element in the periodic table whose story weaves together experimental ingenuity, international rivalry, and modern theoretical chemistry. Assigned the atomic number element 105 and the chemical symbol Db, dubnium sits among the early members of the heavy transactinide elements. Because it is produced only in minute amounts and decays
Rutherfordium is one of the most intriguing entries in the periodic table: a short-lived, man-made member of the transition metals whose existence is known only through high-energy experiments and the faint traces of its decays. Although it has no practical industrial uses, the element plays an outsized role in research on nuclear reactions, heavy-element chemistry
Lawrencium is one of the heaviest and most enigmatic members of the periodic table. With atomic number 103 and the symbol Lr, it sits at the frontier between experimental nuclear physics and advanced theoretical chemistry. Only synthesized in microscopic amounts, lawrencium has played an outsized role in shaping our understanding of how very heavy atoms
Nobelium is an intriguing member of the heavy elements, occupying a position at the frontier of synthetic chemistry and nuclear physics. As element number 102, it has fascinated researchers because of its placement among the late actinides, its complex production pathways, and the unusual chemical behavior it displays under extreme experimental conditions. This article explores
