Seaborgium

Seaborgium is a synthetic radioactive chemical element with atomic number 106. It is a transactinide named after chemist Glenn T. Seaborg.

Atomic number: The number of protons in an atom’s nucleus, which defines its chemical element. Seaborgium’s 106 protons distinguish it from every other element.
Nuclear fusion: A nuclear reaction in which two atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus. Fusion reactions between accelerated ions and target nuclei produce seaborgium.
Glenn T. Seaborg: An American chemist who helped discover several transuranium elements and developed the actinide concept. The element honors Seaborg, who was alive when the name was approved.
One-atom-at-a-time chemistry: Experimental chemistry that studies individual short-lived atoms rather than measurable bulk samples. Seaborgium’s scarcity and rapid decay require single-atom experiments.
Periodic table: A tabular arrangement of chemical elements ordered primarily by atomic number and recurring properties. Seaborgium occupies group 6 in the table’s seventh period.
Particle accelerator: A device that uses electromagnetic fields to accelerate charged particles to high energies. Accelerators supply the ions needed to bombard heavy-element targets.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: A United States research laboratory in California founded in 1931 by Ernest Lawrence. Berkeley researchers reported producing element 106 in 1974.
Gas-phase chemistry: The study of chemical reactions and properties of atoms or molecules in the gas phase. Volatile seaborgium compounds can be examined in rapid gas-phase experiments.
Transactinide element: A chemical element with atomic number greater than 103, whose atoms are typically produced artificially. Seaborgium is one of the transactinides beyond the actinide series.
Nuclear target: A material chosen to be struck by an accelerated particle beam in a nuclear reaction. A lead- or actinide-containing target provides nuclei for seaborgium-producing reactions.

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