Hassium

Hassium is a synthetic radioactive chemical element with atomic number 108 and symbol Hs. First produced in 1984, it has no stable isotopes.

Element 108: Element 108 is the chemical element whose atoms contain 108 protons, named hassium. Hassium’s atomic number defines its identity as element 108.
GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research: GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research is a German research institute specializing in accelerator-based nuclear and ion physics. The Darmstadt team at GSI reported the first production of hassium in 1984.
Nuclear fusion: Nuclear fusion joins atomic nuclei to form a heavier nucleus, often releasing energy when light nuclei fuse. Hassium is created by fusing accelerated ions with target nuclei.
Relativistic quantum chemistry: Relativistic quantum chemistry accounts for relativistic effects on electrons when calculating molecular and atomic structure. Hassium’s high nuclear charge makes relativistic effects central to predicting its chemical behavior.
Hesse: Hesse is a German state in which Darmstadt, the city hosting GSI, is located. Hassium’s name derives from the Latin name Hassia for the state of Hesse.
Periodic table: The periodic table arranges chemical elements by atomic number and recurring chemical properties. Hassium occupies group 8 among the transition metals.
Peter Armbruster: Peter Armbruster was a German nuclear physicist who led research on synthesizing heavy elements at GSI. Armbruster co-led the group credited with discovering hassium.
Lead-208: Lead-208 is a stable isotope of lead with 82 protons and 126 neutrons. The 1984 discovery experiment bombarded lead-208 targets with iron-58 ions.
Periodic trends: Periodic trends are recurring changes in elemental properties across rows and columns of the periodic table. Hassium experiments test whether group 8 chemical trends persist in very heavy elements.
Chemical nomenclature: Chemical nomenclature is the system of conventions used to name chemical substances and elements. Hassium’s official name emerged from international rules and a discovery-priority dispute.

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Group 8 elementBroader topic: Hassium completes group 8, though its chemistry is difficult to study.