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Bohrium (107Bh) is an artificial element. Like all artificial elements, it has no stable isotopes, and a standard atomic weight cannot be given. The first isotope to be synthesized was 262Bh in 1981. There are 11 known isotopes ranging from 260Bh to 274Bh, and 1 isomer, 262mBh. The longest-lived isotope is 270Bh with a half-life of 2.4 minutes, although the unconfirmed 278Bh may have an even longer half-life of about 690 seconds.
Nuclide [n 1] | Z | N | Isotopic mass (Da) [n 2] [n 3] | Half-life | Decay mode [n 4] | Daughter isotope | Spin and parity [n 5] | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Excitation energy | |||||||||||||||||||
260Bh [5] | 107 | 153 | 260.12166(26)# | 41(14) ms [35+19 −9 ms] | α | 256Db | |||||||||||||
261Bh [6] | 107 | 154 | 261.121400(190) [7] | 12.8(3.2) ms [11.8+3.9 −2.4 ms] | α | 257Db | (5/2−) | ||||||||||||
SF (rare) | (various) | ||||||||||||||||||
262Bh [8] | 107 | 155 | 262.122650(100) [9] | 135+15 −12 ms | α (>94.9%) | 258Db | |||||||||||||
β+ (<3.0%) | 262Sg | ||||||||||||||||||
SF (2.1%) | (various) | ||||||||||||||||||
262mBh | 220(50) keV | 13.2+1.2 −1.0 ms | α | 258Db | |||||||||||||||
264Bh | 107 | 157 | 264.12459(19)# | 1.07(21) s | α (85%) | 260Db | |||||||||||||
SF(β+?) (15%) [10] | (various) | ||||||||||||||||||
265Bh [11] | 107 | 158 | 265.12491(25)# | 1.19(52) s [0.94+0.70 −0.31 s] | α | 261Db | |||||||||||||
266Bh | 107 | 159 | 266.12679(18)# | 10.0+2.6 −1.7 s [12] | α | 262Db | |||||||||||||
β+? | 266Sg | ||||||||||||||||||
267Bh | 107 | 160 | 267.12750(28)# | 22(10) s [17+14 −6 s] | α | 263Db | |||||||||||||
270Bh [n 6] | 107 | 163 | 270.13336(31)# | 2.4+4.4 −0.9 min [13] | α | 266Db | |||||||||||||
271Bh [n 7] | 107 | 164 | 271.13526(48)# | 2.9+2.2 −0.9 s [13] | α | 267Db | |||||||||||||
272Bh [n 8] | 107 | 165 | 272.13826(58)# | 8.8(7) s [13] | α | 268Db | |||||||||||||
274Bh [n 9] | 107 | 167 | 274.14355(65)# | 57(27) s [44+34 −13 s] [14] | α | 270Db | |||||||||||||
278Bh [n 10] | 107 | 171 | 11.5 min? | SF | (various) | ||||||||||||||
This table header & footer: |
SF: | Spontaneous fission |
Superheavy elements such as bohrium are produced by bombarding lighter elements in particle accelerators that induce fusion reactions. Whereas most of the isotopes of bohrium can be synthesized directly this way, some heavier ones have only been observed as decay products of elements with higher atomic numbers. [15]
Depending on the energies involved, the former are separated into "hot" and "cold". In hot fusion reactions, very light, high-energy projectiles are accelerated toward very heavy targets (actinides), giving rise to compound nuclei at high excitation energy (~40–50−MeV) that may either fission or evaporate several (3 to 5) neutrons. [16] In cold fusion reactions, the produced fused nuclei have a relatively low excitation energy (~10–20 MeV), which decreases the probability that these products will undergo fission. As the fused nuclei cool to the ground state, they require emission of only one or two neutrons, thus allowing for the generation of more neutron-rich products. [15] The latter is a distinct concept from that of where nuclear fusion claimed to be achieved at room temperature conditions (see cold fusion). [17]
The table below contains various combinations of targets and projectiles which could be used to form compound nuclei with Z = 107.
Target | Projectile | CN | Attempt result |
---|---|---|---|
208Pb | 55Mn | 263Bh | Successful reaction |
209Bi | 54Cr | 263Bh | Successful reaction |
209Bi | 52Cr | 261Bh | Successful reaction |
238U | 31P | 269Bh | Successful reaction |
243Am | 26Mg | 269Bh | Successful reaction |
248Cm | 23Na | 271Bh | Successful reaction |
249Bk | 22Ne | 271Bh | Successful reaction |
Before the first successful synthesis of hassium in 1981 by the GSI team, the synthesis of bohrium was first attempted in 1976 by scientists at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research at Dubna using this cold fusion reaction. They detected two spontaneous fission activities, one with a half-life of 1–2 ms and one with a half-life of 5 s. Based on the results of other cold fusion reactions, they concluded that they were due to 261Bh and 257Db respectively. However, later evidence gave a much lower SF branching for 261Bh reducing confidence in this assignment. The assignment of the dubnium activity was later changed to 258Db, presuming that the decay of bohrium was missed. The 2 ms SF activity was assigned to 258Rf resulting from the 33% EC branch. The GSI team studied the reaction in 1981 in their discovery experiments. Five atoms of 262Bh were detected using the method of correlation of genetic parent-daughter decays. [18] In 1987, an internal report from Dubna indicated that the team had been able to detect the spontaneous fission of 261Bh directly. The GSI team further studied the reaction in 1989 and discovered the new isotope 261Bh during the measurement of the 1n and 2n excitation functions but were unable to detect an SF branching for 261Bh. [19] They continued their study in 2003 using newly developed bismuth(III) fluoride (BiF3) targets, used to provide further data on the decay data for 262Bh and the daughter 258Db. The 1n excitation function was remeasured in 2005 by the team at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) after some doubt about the accuracy of previous data. They observed 18 atoms of 262Bh and 3 atoms of 261Bh and confirmed the two isomers of 262Bh. [20]
In 2007, the team at LBNL studied the analogous reaction with chromium-52 projectiles for the first time to search for the lightest bohrium isotope 260Bh:
The team successfully detected 8 atoms of 260Bh decaying by alpha decay to 256Db, emitting alpha particles with energy 10.16 MeV. The alpha decay energy indicates the continued stabilizing effect of the N=152 closed shell. [21]
The team at Dubna also studied the reaction between lead-208 targets and manganese-55 projectiles in 1976 as part of their newly established cold fusion approach to new elements:
They observed the same spontaneous fission activities as those observed in the reaction between bismuth-209 and chromium-54 and again assigned them to 261Bh and 257Db. Later evidence indicated that these should be reassigned to 258Db and 258Rf (see above). In 1983, they repeated the experiment using a new technique: measurement of alpha decay from a decay product that had been separated out chemically. The team were able to detect the alpha decay from a decay product of 262Bh, providing some evidence for the formation of bohrium nuclei. This reaction was later studied in detail using modern techniques by the team at LBNL. In 2005 they measured 33 decays of 262Bh and 2 atoms of 261Bh, providing an excitation function for the reaction emitting one neutron and some spectroscopic data of both 262Bh isomers. The excitation function for the reaction emitting two neutrons was further studied in a 2006 repeat of the reaction. The team found that the reaction emitting one neutron had a higher cross section than the corresponding reaction with a 209Bi target, contrary to expectations. Further research is required to understand the reasons. [22] [23]
The reaction between uranium-238 targets and phosphorus-31 projectiles was first studied in 2006 at the LBNL as part of their systematic study of fusion reactions using uranium-238 targets:
Results have not been published but preliminary results appear to indicate the observation of spontaneous fission, possibly from 264Bh. [24]
Recently, the team at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP), Lanzhou, have studied the nuclear reaction between americium-243 targets and accelerated nuclei of magnesium-26 in order to synthesise the new isotope 265Bh and gather more data on 266Bh:
In two series of experiments, the team measured partial excitation functions for the reactions emitting three, four, and five neutrons. [25]
The reaction between targets of curium-248 and accelerated nuclei of sodium-23 was studied for the first time in 2008 by the team at RIKEN, Japan, in order to study the decay properties of 266Bh, which is a decay product in their claimed decay chains of nihonium: [26]
The decay of 266Bh by the emission of alpha particles with energies of 9.05–9.23 MeV was further confirmed in 2010. [27]
The first attempts to synthesize bohrium by hot fusion pathways were performed in 1979 by the team at Dubna, using the reaction between accelerated nuclei of neon-22 and targets of berkelium-249:
The reaction was repeated in 1983. In both cases, they were unable to detect any spontaneous fission from nuclei of bohrium. More recently, hot fusions pathways to bohrium have been re-investigated in order to allow for the synthesis of more long-lived, neutron rich isotopes to allow a first chemical study of bohrium. In 1999, the team at LBNL claimed the discovery of long-lived 267Bh (5 atoms) and 266Bh (1 atom). [28] Later, both of these were confirmed. [29] The team at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Bern, Switzerland later synthesized 6 atoms of 267Bh in the first definitive study of the chemistry of bohrium. [30]
Evaporation residue | Observed bohrium isotope |
---|---|
294Lv, 290Fl, 290Nh, 286Rg, 282Mt ? | 278Bh ? |
294Ts, 290Mc, 286Nh, 282Rg, 278Mt | 274Bh [3] |
288Mc, 284Nh, 280Rg, 276Mt | 272Bh [31] [32] |
287Mc, 283Nh, 279Rg, 275Mt | 271Bh [31] |
286Mc, 282Nh, 278Rg, 274Mt | 270Bh [31] |
278Nh, 274Rg, 270Mt | 266Bh [32] |
272Rg, 268Mt | 264Bh [33] |
266Mt | 262Bh [34] |
Bohrium has been detected in the decay chains of elements with a higher atomic number, such as meitnerium. Meitnerium currently has seven known isotopes; all of them undergo alpha decays to become bohrium nuclei, with mass numbers between 262 and 274. Parent meitnerium nuclei can be themselves decay products of roentgenium, nihonium, flerovium, moscovium, livermorium, or tennessine. [35] For example, in January 2010, the Dubna team (JINR) identified bohrium-274 as a product in the decay of tennessine via an alpha decay sequence: [3]
The only confirmed example of isomerism in bohrium is in the isotope 262Bh. Direct synthesis of 262Bh results in two states, a ground state and an isomeric state. The ground state is confirmed to decay by alpha decay, emitting alpha particles with energies of 10.08, 9.82, and 9.76 MeV, and has a revised half-life of 84 ms. The excited state also decays by alpha decay, emitting alpha particles with energies of 10.37 and 10.24 MeV, and has a revised half-life of 9.6 ms. [18]
The table below provides cross-sections and excitation energies for cold fusion reactions producing bohrium isotopes directly. Data in bold represents maxima derived from excitation function measurements. + represents an observed exit channel.
Projectile | Target | CN | 1n | 2n | 3n |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
55Mn | 208Pb | 263Bh | 590 pb, 14.1 MeV | ~35 pb | |
54Cr | 209Bi | 263Bh | 510 pb, 15.8 MeV | ~50 pb | |
52Cr | 209Bi | 261Bh | 59 pb, 15.0 MeV |
The table below provides cross-sections and excitation energies for hot fusion reactions producing bohrium isotopes directly. Data in bold represents maxima derived from excitation function measurements. + represents an observed exit channel.
Projectile | Target | CN | 3n | 4n | 5n |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
26Mg | 243Am | 271Bh | + | + | + |
22Ne | 249Bk | 271Bh | ~96 pb | + |
Bohrium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Bh and atomic number 107. It is named after Danish physicist Niels Bohr. As a synthetic element, it can be created in particle accelerators but is not found in nature. All known isotopes of bohrium are highly radioactive; the most stable known isotope is 270Bh with a half-life of approximately 2.4 minutes, though the unconfirmed 278Bh may have a longer half-life of about 11.5 minutes.
Meitnerium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Mt and atomic number 109. It is an extremely radioactive synthetic element. The most stable known isotope, meitnerium-278, has a half-life of 4.5 seconds, although the unconfirmed meitnerium-282 may have a longer half-life of 67 seconds. The GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research near Darmstadt, Germany, first created this element in 1982. It is named after Lise Meitner.
Rutherfordium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Rf and atomic number 104. It is named after physicist Ernest Rutherford. As a synthetic element, it is not found in nature and can only be made in a particle accelerator. It is radioactive; the most stable known isotope, 267Rf, has a half-life of about 48 minutes.
Roentgenium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Rg and atomic number 111. It is extremely radioactive and can only be created in a laboratory. The most stable known isotope, roentgenium-282, has a half-life of 120 seconds, although the unconfirmed roentgenium-286 may have a longer half-life of about 10.7 minutes. Roentgenium was first created in 1994 by the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research near Darmstadt, Germany. It is named after the physicist Wilhelm Röntgen, who discovered X-rays. Only a few roentgenium atoms have ever been synthesized, and they have no practical application.
Livermorium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Lv and atomic number 116. It is an extremely radioactive element that has only been created in a laboratory setting and has not been observed in nature. The element is named after the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the United States, which collaborated with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia, to discover livermorium during experiments conducted between 2000 and 2006. The name of the laboratory refers to the city of Livermore, California, where it is located, which in turn was named after the rancher and landowner Robert Livermore. The name was adopted by IUPAC on May 30, 2012. Five isotopes of livermorium are known, with mass numbers of 288 and 290–293 inclusive; the longest-lived among them is livermorium-293 with a half-life of about 60 milliseconds. A sixth possible isotope with mass number 294 has been reported but not yet confirmed.
Nihonium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Nh and atomic number 113. It is extremely radioactive: its most stable known isotope, nihonium-286, has a half-life of about 10 seconds. In the periodic table, nihonium is a transactinide element in the p-block. It is a member of period 7 and group 13.
Nobelium (102No) is a synthetic element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all synthetic elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 254No in 1966. There are thirteen known radioisotopes, which are 249No to 260No and 262No, and many isomers. The longest-lived isotope is 259No with a half-life of 58 minutes. The longest-lived isomer is 251m1No with a half-life of 1.02 seconds.
Rutherfordium (104Rf) is a synthetic element and thus has no stable isotopes. A standard atomic weight cannot be given. The first isotope to be synthesized was either 259Rf in 1966 or 257Rf in 1969. There are 16 known radioisotopes from 253Rf to 270Rf and several isomers. The longest-lived isotope is 267Rf with a half-life of 48 minutes, and the longest-lived isomer is 263mRf with a half-life of 8 seconds.
Dubnium (105Db) is a synthetic element, thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all synthetic elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 261Db in 1968. Thirteen radioisotopes are known, ranging from 255Db to 270Db, along with one isomer (257mDb); two more isomers have been reported but are unconfirmed. The longest-lived known isotope is 268Db with a half-life of 16 hours.
Seaborgium (106Sg) is a synthetic element and so has no stable isotopes. A standard atomic weight cannot be given. The first isotope to be synthesized was 263Sg in 1974. There are 13 known radioisotopes from 258Sg to 271Sg and 4 known isomers. The longest-lived isotope is 269Sg with a half-life of 14 minutes.
Hassium (108Hs) is a synthetic element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all synthetic elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 265Hs in 1984. There are 13 known isotopes from 263Hs to 277Hs and 1–4 isomers. The most stable isotope of hassium cannot be determined based on existing data due to uncertainty that arises from the low number of measurements. The half-lives of 269Hs and 271Hs are about 12 seconds, whereas that of 270Hs is about 7.6 seconds. It is also possible that 277mHs is more stable than these, with its half-life likely being 130±100 seconds, but only one event of decay of this isotope has been registered as of 2016.
Meitnerium (109Mt) is a synthetic element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all synthetic elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 266Mt in 1982, and this is also the only isotope directly synthesized; all other isotopes are only known as decay products of heavier elements. There are eight known isotopes, from 266Mt to 278Mt. There may also be two isomers. The longest-lived of the known isotopes is 278Mt with a half-life of 8 seconds. The unconfirmed heavier 282Mt appears to have an even longer half-life of 67 seconds.
Darmstadtium (110Ds) is a synthetic element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all synthetic elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 269Ds in 1994. There are 11 known radioisotopes from 267Ds to 281Ds and 2 or 3 known isomers. The longest-lived isotope is 281Ds with a half-life of 14 seconds.
Roentgenium (111Rg) is a synthetic element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all synthetic elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 272Rg in 1994, which is also the only directly synthesized isotope; all others are decay products of heavier elements. There are seven known radioisotopes, having mass numbers of 272, 274, and 278–282. The longest-lived isotope is 282Rg with a half-life of about 2 minutes, although the unconfirmed 283Rg and 286Rg may have longer half-lives of about 5.1 minutes and 10.7 minutes respectively.
Copernicium (112Cn) is a synthetic element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all synthetic elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 277Cn in 1996. There are 6 known radioisotopes ; the longest-lived isotope is 285Cn with a half-life of 30 seconds.
Nihonium (113Nh) is a synthetic element. Being synthetic, a standard atomic weight cannot be given and like all artificial elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 284Nh as a decay product of 288Mc in 2003. The first isotope to be directly synthesized was 278Nh in 2004. There are 6 known radioisotopes from 278Nh to 286Nh, along with the unconfirmed 287Nh and 290Nh. The longest-lived isotope is 286Nh with a half-life of 9.5 seconds.
Moscovium (115Mc) is a synthetic element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all synthetic elements, it has no known stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 288Mc in 2004. There are five known radioisotopes from 286Mc to 290Mc. The longest-lived isotope is 290Mc with a half-life of 0.65 seconds.
Livermorium (116Lv) is an artificial element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all artificial elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 293Lv in 2000. There are five known radioisotopes, with mass numbers 288 and 290–293, as well as a few suggestive indications of a possible heavier isotope 294Lv. The longest-lived known isotope is 293Lv with a half-life of 70 ms.
Tennessine (117Ts) is the most-recently synthesized synthetic element, and much of the data is hypothetical. As for any synthetic element, a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all synthetic elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotopes to be synthesized were 293Ts and 294Ts in 2009. The longer-lived isotope is 294Ts with a half-life of 51 ms.
The heaviest atomic nuclei are created in nuclear reactions that combine two other nuclei of unequal size into one; roughly, the more unequal the two nuclei in terms of mass, the greater the possibility that the two react. The material made of the heavier nuclei is made into a target, which is then bombarded by the beam of lighter nuclei. Two nuclei can fuse into one only if they approach each other closely enough; normally, nuclei repel each other due to electrostatic repulsion. The strong interaction can overcome this repulsion but only within a very short distance from a nucleus; beam nuclei are thus greatly accelerated in order to make such repulsion insignificant compared to the velocity of the beam nucleus. Coming close alone is not enough for two nuclei to fuse: when two nuclei approach each other, they usually remain together for approximately 10−20 seconds and then part ways rather than form a single nucleus. If fusion does occur, the temporary merger—termed a compound nucleus—is in an excited state. To lose its excitation energy and reach a more stable state, a compound nucleus either fissions or ejects one or several neutrons, which carry away the energy. This occurs in approximately 10−16 seconds after the initial collision.
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