Super heavy elements found in nature

RickSmith · 2008-05-11 14:05:54

Hi all,
I found this very interesting...

From the article:

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What do we know about 122? Marinov and co say it has a half life in excess of 100 million years and occurs with an abundance of between 1 and 10 x10^-12, relative to thorium, which is a fairly common element (about as abundant as lead).

Theorists have mapped out the superheavy periodic table and 122 would be a member of the superheavy actinide group. It even has a name: eka-thorium or unbibium. Welcome to our world!

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Warm regards, Rick.

JoshNH4H · 2008-05-11 15:48:36

the wikipedia page and links say probably not, but who knows!

cIclops · 2008-05-12 04:13:07

Wow, nice find RickSmith.

A few more details to stimulate some interest:

The hunt for superheavy elements has focused banging various heavy nuclei together and hoping they’ll stick. In this way, physicists have extended the periodic table by manufacturing elements 111, 112, 114, 116 and 118, albeit for vanishingly small instants. Although none of these elements is particularly long lived, they don’t have progressively shorter lives and this is taken as evidence that islands of nuclear stability exist out there and that someday we’ll find stable superheavy elements.
But if these superheavy nuclei are stable, why don’t we find them already on Earth? Turns out we do; they’ve been here all along. The news today is that a group led by Amnon Marinov at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has found the first naturally occuring superheavy nuclei by sifting through a large pile of the heavy metal thorium.
What they did was fire one thorium nucleus after another through a mass spectrometer to see how heavy each was. Thorium has an atomic number of 90 and occurs mainly in two isotopes with atomic weights of 230 and 232. All these showed up in the measurements along with a various molecular oxides and hydrides that form for technical reasons.
But something else showed up too. An element with a weight of 292 and an atomic number of around 122. That’s an extraordinary claim and quite rightly the team has been diligent in attempting to exclude alternative explanations such as th epresence of exotic molecules formed from impurities in the thorium sample or from the hydrocarbon in oil used in the vacuum pumping equipment). But these have all been ruled out, say Marinov and his buddies.
What they’re left with is the discovery of the first superheavy element, probably number 122.

If this is confirmed, this will have consequences all over chemistry and physics.

Vincent · 2008-05-12 08:50:23

Temperature and pressure are the architects of equilibrium and state of all matter.

Islands of stability would just be the third part of the equation or time.

Vincent

cIclops · 2008-05-12 10:08:18

At the risk of irritating you Vincent, temperature and pressure are not factors inside the nucleus. They are macro properties of molecules. Temperature is the molecular kinetic energy, and pressure is the force these molecules exert externally.

It's the strong nuclear force that dominates inside the atom, the stability of a nucleus is determined by this force.

Vincent · 2008-05-12 10:17:27

At the risk of irritating you Vincent

Oh cIclops, I am sorry that you see me as the grumpy old man I am.

temperature and pressure are not factors inside the nucleus

Now that is just plain ignorance brother. As ignorant as me with social skills.

Vincent

Vincent · 2008-05-12 10:32:35

The bottom line is formation.

Islands of stability is a state of equilibrium nothing more.

Sorry to go past the state of sanity for humans, that’s a lie. I want to cut off an ear.

Vincent

JoshNH4H · 2008-05-12 14:24:07

vincent, what exactly were those posts?

zhar2 · 2008-05-12 18:08:30

couldnt you condense all your writting to a single post next time?

otherwise it can be construed as a sort of spam.

Vincent · 2008-05-14 07:33:40

Now for some clarification before I descend into the abyss.

State of matter is dependent on pressure that can change thermal expectation. For example water ice can exist at +212F or 100C under the right pressure.

Then we have delay of process to consider that may regulate the existence of these islands. For example if you take a 300 lb block of ice and place it in a hot dessert on earth it will not disappear instantly. It requires time for process. We do not lack for energy on Earth but in the deep regions of space then energy may be limited and require more time for dissipation of any unstable state.

I recon I am still in the mood.

Vincent

Commodore · 2008-05-14 08:24:03

Still no bolonium.

Vincent · 2008-05-14 09:10:01

Still no bolonium

Well I think there is plenty. LMFAO

Vincent

cIclops · 2008-05-15 04:58:51

Some more Tom T.
You guys dont want to science, lets do music.
Vincent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgaDhMg6 … re=related

Not here Vincent, you know that.
Now you've wasted my time cleaning up your mess.
Learn to use the message delete feature, and use it often.

Vincent · 2008-05-16 08:02:53

Not here Vincent, you know that.
Now you've wasted my time cleaning up your mess.
Learn to use the message delete feature, and use it often.

Now cIclops, that’s not very nice. First of all the delete button only appears in the last message frame. I try and clean up after myself but I will need your help. Sorry to be such a pain, seems I say that a lot.

Now I believe we were discussing water ice at +212F.

Vincent

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#1 2008-05-11 14:05:54

Re: Super heavy elements found in nature

#2 2008-05-11 15:48:36

Re: Super heavy elements found in nature

#3 2008-05-12 04:13:07

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#4 2008-05-12 08:50:23

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#5 2008-05-12 10:08:18

Re: Super heavy elements found in nature

#6 2008-05-12 10:17:27

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#7 2008-05-12 10:32:35

Re: Super heavy elements found in nature

#8 2008-05-12 14:24:07

Re: Super heavy elements found in nature

#9 2008-05-12 18:08:30

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#12 2008-05-14 09:10:01

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#13 2008-05-15 04:58:51

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