Flerovium

Flerovium is a synthetic radioactive element with atomic number 114 and symbol Fl. It is placed in group 14 of the periodic table and has no stable isotopes.

Atomic number: The number of protons in an atom’s nucleus, which determines its chemical element. Flerovium’s atomic number, 114, defines its identity as an element.
Heavy-ion fusion: A nuclear reaction in which two heavy atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus. Flerovium nuclei are synthesized by fusing calcium-48 with plutonium- or curium-based targets.
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research: A scientific research center in Dubna, Russia, founded by participating countries in 1956. The Dubna team conducted the experiments that first reported element 114.
Flerovium- Fl isotopes: The radioactive nuclides of flerovium, distinguished by their numbers of neutrons and characteristic decay properties. Individual isotopes are the only forms available for production and measurement.
Island of stability: A predicted region of superheavy nuclei whose enhanced nuclear stability could give them longer half-lives. Flerovium isotopes help test models locating this proposed region.
Isotope: One of several forms of an element whose atoms have different numbers of neutrons. Known flerovium atoms differ chiefly by which radioactive isotope was produced.
Calcium-48: A stable isotope of calcium containing 20 protons and 28 neutrons, used as a projectile in heavy-element synthesis. Its neutron-rich nucleus helps make the fusion products less neutron-deficient.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: A United States national laboratory in California, established in 1952. Its researchers collaborated with Dubna on the flerovium discovery experiments.
Gas-phase chemistry: The study of chemical reactions and properties of atoms and molecules in the gas phase. Trace-at-a-time flerovium experiments test whether its volatile atoms interact with surfaces as expected.
Relativistic effect: A change in physical behavior arising when speeds or fields make classical nonrelativistic descriptions insufficient. Relativistic shifts in flerovium’s electrons may alter its chemical properties from simple group predictions.

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