The Allure of the 119th and 120th Elements

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Recently, scientists took another big leap towards the discovery of elements 119 and 120. A few days ago, they bombarded isotopes of plutonium-244 with charged atoms of titanium. This process gave rise to one of the heaviest elements in the periodic table, Livermorium, with an atomic number of 116. It is this discovery that gives rise to hope among the scientists for the discovery of two new elements which would be placed at positions 119 and 120 in the periodic table.

The results of the research were published in the journal Physical Review Letters on 21st October. The research team, from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of the United States, had conducted this research.

Currently, the periodic table contains 118 elements. The very first element in this table is hydrogen, which is in group 1, having one proton. The last one that was discovered till now is Oganesson, having an atomic number of 118. The nucleus contains 118 protons and 176 neutrons, a total of 294 particles. This element was officially named Oganesson, Og, in 2016.


Out of these 118 elements, only 92 are naturally occurring. The rest have been synthesized in laboratories. To say that they are purely artificial may not be proper since these elements could be somewhere in the universe. New elements are created by increasing the number of protons in an element's nucleus, thereby changing its fundamental properties.

In theory, researchers say, there should be even heavier elements or substances in the universe. In fact, such heavier elements have been theoretically predicted to what they might look like and their structural properties. We must either search for them among space or make them in the laboratories on Earth to find these elements.

Scientists have been synthesizing heavy elements in laboratories for a long time. Many researchers have been working on the 119th and 120th elements for years. Tentatively, these elements have been named Ununennium and Unbinilium, respectively. If discovered, the periodic table will require the addition of an eighth row to accommodate them.

Researchers suggest that using the technique employed to create Livermorium from plutonium-244 isotopes, it may be possible to synthesize new atoms. To achieve this, they are considering the use of californium isotopes. Jacqueline Gates, a nuclear physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, explains, "This approach is unprecedented. It was crucial to validate the method for creating the 120th element."

In the latest research, Berkeley Lab scientists used an 88-inch cyclotron machine to continuously bombard plutonium-244 isotopes with titanium ions. After 22 days of this relentless process, they successfully produced two atoms of Livermorium. Synthesizing the 120th element will demand much more time and effort. Another nuclear physicist at Berkeley Lab, Rainer Krücken, remarked, 

If it took this much time to create the 116th element, producing the 120th will require at least ten times longer. It’s no easy feat, but it now seems possible.

Typically, superheavy elements decay or disintegrate very quickly. But The 120th element is theorized to be structurally stable. Scientists believe it could remain intact for longer than the currently known superheavy elements. This could potentially open new doors in the study of superheavy elements.

By its nature, superheavy elements decay or disintegrate in extremely short times of its living. However, theoretically speaking, this element 120th structurally stands. Scientists believe it may remain intact longer compared to the already-known superheavy elements. Eventually, this may open new doors in the study of superheavy elements.

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