Four new elements were added to the periodic table, completing the seventh row, and making science textbooks around the world out of date. The discovery of these elements, elements 113, 115, 117, and 118, not only sparks scientists’ curiosity, but reopens curiosity to the unknown mysteries of the universe. The seventh period of the table may be complete, but it is unknown if there is an eighth row that is yet to be filled.
“Science is always changing and discovering new things,” NHS science teacher Emily Neff said.
Periodic breakthroughs like this one appeal of teaching and learning about chemistry, and science in general. To add the mystery, these elements are special. Unlike most elements, these are synthetic and were created by using particle accelerators to shoot beams of nuclei at other nuclei. As scientists proceed to create elements 119, 120 and an eight period in the periodic table, they predict a very interesting set of new elements.
“I feel there is a never ending amount of elements that can be found. The fact that we discovered four new ones means there is more out there,” NHS Chemistry teacher Tim Tallcouch said.
Even so, these elements are highly unstable and only exist for a fraction of a second. They can only be detected by measuring the radiation that is produced as the elements decay. As the number of electrons increase, they become increasingly difficult to detect, and therefore, more difficult to discover.
“It's about the size of the nucleus and are human ability to measure its existence,” NHS chemistry teacher Stephanie Ramsey said.
Also, scientists often no longer make discoveries on their own like they did in the past. Each new discovery is increasingly difficult to make. It took over one hundred scientists, divided among four teams in three countries, the United States, Japan and Russia, to make this discovery. It takes more effort and collaboration with other intellectuals.
The race to produce elements 119 and 120 and continues the age-old pursuit of knowledge. However, it will take a new generation of dedicated chemists and nuclear physicists achieve a breakthrough.
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