In a groundbreaking experiment, scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have fused vaporized titanium with plutonium, successfully creating a few atoms of livermorium, one of the heaviest elements known. This accomplishment, achieved by using a new technique involving titanium-50 heated to nearly 1,650°C, marks an essential step toward synthesizing even heavier elements.
Livermorium, first discovered in 2000, contains 116 protons and is far from the heaviest superheavy element ever produced—oganesson holds that record with 118 protons. However, this experiment isn’t about rediscovering old elements; it’s a strategic move to develop the tools needed to produce element 120, known as unbinilium, a potential breakthrough in the field of nuclear science.
“Creating element 116 with titanium validates that this method of production works and we can now plan our hunt for element 120,” says physicist Jennifer Pore, part of the Berkeley Lab research team. Traditionally, scientists have used calcium-48 as a beam to fuse with targets due to its stability, thanks to its ‘magic number’ of protons and neutrons. However, titanium-50’s 22 protons make it a better fit for generating ultra-heavy elements.
The team’s titanium-based approach, tested in Berkeley Lab’s 88-inch cyclotron, yielded two atoms of livermorium after 22 days of continuous bombardment. The next goal is to use titanium beams to target californium-249 to create unbinilium. Researchers estimate it will take ten times longer to achieve than the production of livermorium.
This endeavor renews the US’s presence in the superheavy element race, with teams from China, Russia, and Germany also vying to reach element 120. Scientists are particularly drawn to the theoretical ‘island of stability,’ where superheavy elements could exhibit longer half-lives and stability, providing unique opportunities for studying the outer limits of atomic behavior and nuclear physics.
If achieved, unbinilium would bring researchers one step closer to understanding the extremes of the periodic table, opening new frontiers for scientific discovery and applications in fields ranging from materials science to quantum computing.
Reference: https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-just-got-closer-to-creating-the-heaviest-element-ever