New
elements pop in, cousins may linger
The discovery of two new elements,
numbers 116 and 118, may soon lead to the production of a rash of yet-undiscovered
elements, including some extraordinarily long-lived superheavy elements.
References:
Ninov, V., K.E. Gregorich . . . A. Ghiorso, et al. Preprint.
Observation of superheavy nuclei produced in the reaction of 86Kr
with 208Pb. Physical Review Letters.
Further Readings:
Peterson, I. 1996. Element 112 debuts in fusion of lead, zinc. Science
News 149(March 2):134.
Weiss, P. 1999. New element leaves
lightweights behind. Science News 155(Feb. 6):85.
Sources:
Albert Ghiorso
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Nuclear Science Division
1 Cyclotron Road
Mailstop Code 71-259
Berkeley, CA 94720
Kenneth E. Gregorich
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Nuclear Science Division
1 Cyclotron Road
Mailstop Code 88
Berkeley, CA 94720
Sigurd Hofmann
Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung mbH
Kernphysik II
Planckstr. 1
D-64291 Darmstadt
Germany
Ronald W. Lougheed
University of California, Livermore
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
7000 East Avenue
Mailstop Code L-231
Livermore, CA 94550
Victor Ninov
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Nuclear Science Division
1 Cyclotron Road
Mailstop Code 88
Berkeley, CA 94720
Robert Smolanczuk
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Nuclear Science Division
1 Cyclotron Road
Mailstop Code 70A-3307
Berkeley, CA 94720
From Science
News, Vol. 155, No. 24, June 12, 1999, p. 372.
Copyright © 1999, Science Service.
