Four New Elements Added To The Periodic Table

It’s time to take down that old periodic table and get a new one, or make the additions by hand because it’s outdated. A special team consisting of members from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUAPAP) have verified four new elements which have been added to the periodic table, the fourth row is finally complete.

The four new elements were previously known as chemical substances 113, 115, 117 and 118. They were verified on December 30th and for now have been given temporary names.

The latest addition to the periodic table includes ununtrium (113), ununpentium (115), ununseptium (117) and ununoctium (118), the temporary monikers will remain in place until the discoveres come up with permanent ones.

These elements are the first to be added to the periodic table since 2011, all four are classified as “superheavy elements,” meaning that they have been created artificially and rapidly disintegrate into lighter substances.

Credit for element 113 goes to a RIKEN team in Japan, for 115 and 117 to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and for element 118 to both the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

They now have to come up with permanent names for these elements, according to IUPAC the names can be based on minerals, places, mythological concepts, properties or scientists.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: General
Tags: Science