Superheavy Element Innovation: Creating Element 120 with Titanium Beam

Advancements in Creating Superheavy Elements

We may be one step closer to adding a new element to the periodic table . The table currently lists 118 chemical elements , each with a different number of protons in the nucleus of its atoms . Making new elements with even more protons could help probe the limits of atomic physics . A new study lays the groundwork to create an element with 120 protons , which would occupy a new row of the periodic table.

The plan to make this new element involves a beam of electrically charged titanium ions being slammed into a target of californium atoms . In theory , this collision should forge element 120 . Scientists have not previously used a titanium beam to create such a heavy element , so a test run was conducted . During the test run , titanium ions were beamed at a target of plutonium to create livermorium , an element with 116 protons . After 22 days of searching , the team found two atoms of livermorium.

Jacklyn Gates , a nuclear scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , shared these results at a recent meeting . The five elements with the most protons so far were all produced using a beam of calcium-48 , but this method has reached its limit and scientists are now switching to beams of titanium-50 for their search for new elements . The target material for element 120 is easier to work with than the one for 119 , which is why scientists are skipping element 119 for now.

Creating new Superheavy elements requires finding new ways of making them . If scientists want to push above what is currently known on the periodic table , they need to explore different methods of producing heavy elements . This advancement in creating superheavy elements opens up new possibilities in the field of chemistry and atomic physics .

In conclusion , the study on creating element 120 using a titanium beam has shown promising results that could lead to the addition of a new element to the periodic table . By exploring new methods and materials , scientists are expanding their knowledge of chemistry and the periodic table . The discovery of superheavy elements continues to push the boundaries of atomic physics and our understanding of the building blocks of matter.