Scientists Just Got 1 Step Closer to Creating Element 120 That Will Add a New Row to the Periodic Table
Why Read This
What Makes This Article Worth Your Time
Summary
What This Article Is About
Nuclear physicists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have achieved a critical breakthrough in superheavy element synthesis by successfully creating livermorium (element 116) through a novel ion bombardment technique. Using Berkeley Lab’s 88-Inch Cyclotron to fire vaporized titanium ions at plutonium-244 targets, researchers demonstrated a methodology they believe can be adapted to create element 120—tentatively named unbinilium—which would be so massive it requires adding an unprecedented eighth row to the periodic table.
The achievement represents more than expanding the periodic table; physicists predict element 120 may reach a theoretical “island of stability” where quantum mechanical effects create unexpected nuclear stability despite extreme atomic mass. While creating just two livermorium atoms required 22 days of continuous particle bombardment, and unbinilium synthesis could take ten times longer, lead researcher Jacklyn Gates describes the work as providing “a promising path forward” for exploring physics at the absolute edge of human understanding, where there’s no guarantee known physical laws will behave as predicted.
Key Points
Main Takeaways
Ion Bombardment Breakthrough
Berkeley Lab successfully synthesized livermorium by bombarding plutonium-244 with accelerated titanium ions, proving a technique adaptable for creating element 120 using californium targets.
Periodic Table Expansion
Element 120 would be too massive for the existing seven-row periodic table structure, necessitating creation of an entirely new eighth row for superheavy elements.
Island of Stability Theory
Physicists predict element 120 may reach a quantum mechanical zone where specific proton-neutron combinations create unexpected nuclear stability despite extreme atomic mass.
Extraordinary Synthesis Duration
Creating two livermorium atoms required 22 days of continuous cyclotron operation; element 120 synthesis is projected to require approximately ten times longer duration.
Current Atomic Number Limit
The periodic table currently extends to oganesson with 118 protons; elements 119 and 120 represent uncharted nuclear physics territory beyond all synthesis attempts.
Physics at Knowledge Frontier
Researchers acknowledge operating at the absolute edge of physical understanding where no guarantee exists that nuclear forces will behave according to current theoretical predictions.
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Article Analysis
Breaking Down the Elements
Main Idea
Nuclear Physics Breakthrough at Atomic Limits
The article reports a watershed moment in nuclear physics where Berkeley Lab researchers successfully proved that titanium ion bombardment can create superheavy elements, specifically demonstrating the technique through livermorium synthesis and establishing a viable pathway toward creating element 120, which would both expand the periodic table’s fundamental structure and potentially access a theoretical island of nuclear stability that could revolutionize understanding of atomic physics at extreme conditions.
Purpose
Announcing Frontier Physics Achievement
To inform readers about a significant experimental physics breakthrough that brings scientists closer to creating the heaviest element ever synthesized, while conveying both the methodological innovation and theoretical significance of accessing a predicted island of stability, thereby communicating how fundamental research pushes humanity’s understanding of matter to unprecedented extremes where known physics may cease to apply predictably.
Structure
Experimental Achievement Framework
Discovery Announcement → Periodic Table Context → Experimental Methodology → Temporal Investment Requirements → Island of Stability Theory → Future Uncertainty Acknowledgment. The article progresses from immediate breakthrough through technical implementation details and theoretical framework to honest assessment of fundamental unknowns, balancing scientific optimism with epistemological humility about operating at knowledge frontiers.
Tone
Optimistic Yet Scientifically Cautious
The author balances excitement for experimental progress with rigorous acknowledgment of extraordinary challenges and fundamental uncertainties. Researcher quotes convey measured confidence about methodology while maintaining intellectual honesty about working where physics may not behave as expected. The tone celebrates incremental achievement without overpromising outcomes, reflecting the patient, probabilistic nature of frontier nuclear physics research.
Key Terms
Vocabulary from the Article
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Tough Words
Challenging Vocabulary
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The systematic temporary name for the hypothetical element with atomic number 120, derived from Latin numerical roots meaning “one-two-zero.”
“These elements are so massive that they do not fit in any of the seven rows that make up the periodic table.”
The synthetic element with atomic number 118, currently the heaviest confirmed element on the periodic table, named after Russian physicist Yuri Oganessian.
“From hydrogen, which has a single proton in its nucleus, all the way up to oganesson, which was officially named in 2016.”
A synthetic superheavy element with atomic number 116, named after Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where researchers contributed to its discovery.
“Researchers demonstrated a new technique for creating the superheavy element livermorium by bombarding plutonium-244.”
Referring to particles or phenomena existing at scales smaller than atoms, including protons, neutrons, electrons, and their constituent quarks.
“Oganesson has at least 294 subatomic particles packed into the centers of its atoms.”
The location or approximate position where something exists or can be found; the general area of presence.
“We either have to discover new ways to synthesize them on Earth or scour the solar system for their potential whereabouts.”
Beginning or initiating a significant undertaking, journey, or course of action, especially one requiring substantial commitment or presenting challenges.
“It was essential to prove it was possible before embarking on our attempt to make element 120.”
Reading Comprehension
Test Your Understanding
5 questions covering different RC question types
1According to the article, element 120 has already been successfully created multiple times in laboratory conditions.
2What specific methodology did Berkeley Lab physicists use to synthesize livermorium in this study?
3Select the sentence that best explains why the “island of stability” concept is scientifically significant for element 120.
4Evaluate whether each statement about superheavy elements and the periodic table is true or false based on the article.
The periodic table currently contains 118 confirmed elements organized in seven rows.
Element 120 would require adding an eighth row to the periodic table because it’s too massive for existing rows.
Oganesson was the first superheavy element ever created and remains the only one currently known.
Select True or False for all three statements, then click “Check Answers”
5Based on the researchers’ statements and the article’s overall tone, what can be inferred about their perspective on creating element 120?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Superheavy elements experience intense electromagnetic repulsion between the enormous number of positively charged protons packed into tiny atomic nuclei. As atomic numbers increase, this electrostatic repulsive force begins to overwhelm the strong nuclear force that normally binds nucleons together. The imbalance causes rapid radioactive decay through spontaneous fission, alpha emission, or other decay pathways, with most superheavy elements lasting only fractions of a second. The island of stability concept predicts that specific “magic numbers” of protons and neutrons create quantum mechanical shell effects that could partially counteract this instability at certain atomic numbers.
Element 120’s primary distinction lies in theoretical predictions that it may reach the long-hypothesized island of stability—a region where certain proton-neutron combinations create unusually stable nuclear configurations through quantum shell effects. While both elements 119 and 120 would expand the periodic table to eight rows, physicists specifically predict element 120’s nuclear structure might allow dramatically extended lifetimes compared to current superheavy isotopes. This enhanced stability would provide unprecedented opportunities for experimental characterization and potentially reveal entirely new nuclear physics phenomena that cannot be studied with elements that decay in milliseconds or microseconds.
Berkeley Lab’s technique uses the 88-Inch Cyclotron to accelerate vaporized titanium ions to extremely high velocities, then continuously bombards target nuclei—plutonium-244 for livermorium or californium for the planned element 120 synthesis. When titanium ions collide with target nuclei at sufficient kinetic energy, nuclear fusion occasionally occurs, combining protons and neutrons from both elements into a superheavy nucleus. The process exhibits extraordinarily low probability: 22 days of constant bombardment produced just two livermorium atoms. Researchers estimate element 120 will require approximately tenfold longer because fusion probability decreases exponentially as combined atomic numbers increase, making each successful event progressively rarer.
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This article is rated Advanced due to its sophisticated nuclear physics terminology, complex quantum mechanical concepts, and nuanced discussion of theoretical predictions versus experimental reality. Readers must understand abstract concepts like nuclear forces, isotopes, quantum shell effects, and atomic structure while following technical processes involving particle acceleration and nuclear fusion. The material requires synthesizing information about periodic table organization, historical element discovery, current research methodology, and future scientific possibilities. Advanced readers should be comfortable with specialized physics vocabulary, able to distinguish proven experimental results from theoretical predictions, and capable of understanding how incremental research progress toward ambitious long-term scientific goals operates over decades.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory possesses specialized infrastructure and expertise accumulated through decades of heavy element synthesis research. Their 88-Inch Cyclotron provides the precise high-energy particle acceleration essential for superheavy element creation, while their facilities can safely handle intensely radioactive target materials like plutonium-244 and californium isotopes. The lab’s historical role in discovering multiple elements—reflected in names like berkelium and the related livermorium—demonstrates California’s central position in expanding the periodic table. Berkeley’s unique capabilities enable extraordinarily long experimental campaigns requiring 22+ days of continuous operation and house detection systems sensitive enough to identify individual atoms of elements that exist for only fractions of a second before radioactive decay.
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