Superheavy element synthesis

Superheavy element synthesis produces nuclei with very high atomic numbers through laboratory nuclear reactions. It combines heavy-ion beams with target materials and identifies rare reaction products through their radioactive decay.

Heavy-ion fusion: A nuclear reaction in which two atomic nuclei collide and may merge into a heavier nucleus. Most superheavy nuclei are formed when accelerated ions fuse with heavy target nuclei.
Atomic number: The number of protons in an atomic nucleus, which determines the identity of a chemical element. Superheavy elements are defined by their exceptionally high proton counts.
Yuri Oganessian: A nuclear physicist who led major experiments producing elements 114 through 118 using actinide targets and calcium-48 beams. His Dubna team established the hot-fusion approach used for the heaviest confirmed elements.
Element discovery: The process of producing, identifying, and formally recognizing a previously unknown chemical element. Superheavy synthesis supplies the experimental evidence required to establish a new element.
Element 119: A hypothetical chemical element with atomic number 119, not yet confirmed as synthesized. Experiments seeking element 119 test whether current fusion methods can extend the periodic table.
Cold fusion (superheavy element synthesis): A heavy-ion fusion approach using lead or bismuth targets that forms relatively low-excitation compound nuclei. This route helped produce elements 107 through 113 with reduced neutron evaporation.
Nuclear shell model: A model that describes protons and neutrons as occupying quantum energy levels within an atomic nucleus. Shell structure helps explain why some superheavy nuclei may resist fission longer than their neighbors.
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research: An international nuclear research center in Dubna, Russia, known for accelerator-based studies of heavy nuclei. Its laboratories conducted the experiments that produced several of the heaviest known elements.
IUPAC element naming: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry’s process for approving names and symbols for chemical elements. Verified synthesis leads to review and, eventually, an official element name and symbol.
Element 120: A hypothetical chemical element with atomic number 120, not yet confirmed as synthesized. Its production may require reactions with especially low probabilities and challenging target materials.

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