IUPAC is naming the four new elements nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson
8 June 2016
IUPAC is naming the four new elements nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson
Following
earlier reports
that the claims for discovery of these elements have been fulfilled [1,
2], the discoverers have been invited to propose names and the
following are now disclosed for public review:
- Nihonium and symbol Nh, for the element 113,
- Moscovium and symbol Mc, for the element 115,
- Tennessine and symbol Ts, for the element 117, and
- Oganesson and symbol Og, for the element 118.
The
IUPAC Inorganic Chemistry Division
has reviewed and considered these proposals and recommends these for
acceptance. A five-month public review is now set, expiring 8 November
2016, prior to the formal approval by the IUPAC Council.
The guidelines for the naming the elements were recently revised [3]
and shared with the discoverers to assist in their proposals. Keeping
with tradition, newly discovered elements can be named after:
(a) a mythological concept or character (including an astronomical object),
(b) a mineral or similar substance,
(c) a place, or geographical region,
(d) a property of the element, or
(e) a scientist.
The names of all new elements in general would have an ending that
reflects and maintains historical and chemical consistency. This would
be in general “-ium” for elements belonging to groups 1-16, “-ine” for
elements of group 17 and “-on” for elements of group 18. Finally, the
names for new chemical elements in English should allow proper
translation into other major languages.
For the element with atomic number 113 the discoverers at RIKEN
Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science (Japan) proposed the name
nihonium and the symbol
Nh.
Nihon is one of the two ways to say “Japan” in Japanese, and literally
mean “the Land of Rising Sun”. The name is proposed to make a direct
connection to the nation where the element was discovered. Element 113
is the first element to have been discovered in an Asian country. While
presenting this proposal, the team headed by Professor Kosuke Morita
pays homage to the trailblazing work by Masataka Ogawa done in 1908
surrounding the discovery of element 43. The team also hopes that pride
and faith in science will displace the lost trust of those who suffered
from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
For the element with atomic number 115 the name proposed is
moscovium with the symbol
Mc and for element with atomic number 117, the name proposed is
tennessine with the symbol
Ts.
These are in line with tradition honoring a place or geographical
region and are proposed jointly by the discoverers at the Joint
Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russia), Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (USA), Vanderbilt University (USA) and Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory (USA).
Moscovium is in recognition of the Moscow region and honors the ancient
Russian land that is the home of the Joint Institute for Nuclear
Research, where the discovery experiments were conducted using the Dubna
Gas-Filled Recoil Separator in combination with the heavy ion
accelerator capabilities of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions.
Tennessine is in recognition of the contribution of the Tennessee
region, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Vanderbilt University,
and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, to superheavy element
research, including the production and chemical separation of unique
actinide target materials for superheavy element synthesis at ORNL’s
High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) and Radiochemical Engineering
Development Center (REDC).
For the element with atomic number 118 the collaborating teams of
discoverers at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russia)
and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (USA) proposed the name
oganesson and symbol
Og.
The proposal is in line with the tradition of honoring a scientist and
recognizes Professor Yuri Oganessian (born 1933) for his pioneering
contributions to transactinoid elements research. His many achievements
include the discovery of superheavy elements and significant advances in
the nuclear physics of superheavy nuclei including experimental
evidence for the “island of stability”.
“It is a pleasure to see that specific places and names (country,
state, city, and scientist) related to the new elements is recognized in
these four names. Although these choices may perhaps be viewed by some
as slightly self-indulgent, the names are completely in accordance with
IUPAC rules”, commented Jan Reedijk, who corresponded with the various
laboratories and invited the discoverers to make proposals. “In fact, I
see it as thrilling to recognize that international collaborations were
at the core of these discoveries and that these new names also make the
discoveries somewhat tangible.”
Ultimately, and after the lapse of the public review, the final Recommendations will be published in the IUPAC journal
Pure and Applied Chemistry. The
Provisional Recommendation regarding the naming of the four new elements can be found on the IUPAC website at
www.iupac.org/recommendations/under-review-by-the-public/.
Finally, laboratories are already working on searches for the
elements in the 8th row of the periodic table, and they are also working
to consolidate the identification of copernicium and heavier elements.
To be able to evaluate this work, IUPAC and the
International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (
IUPAP)
are currently reviewing the selection principle and operations of a
future Joint Working Party (JWP) and as soon as these principles have
been decided a new group will be formed. This new JWP will review new
claims and the consistency of new results with those already evaluated
by earlier JWPs.
References:
[1] P.J. Karol, R.C. Barber, B.M. Sherrill, E. Vardaci, T. Yamazaki,
Pure Appl. Chem. 88 (2016) 139;
http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0502
[2] P.J. Karol, R. C. Barber, B. M. Sherrill, E. Vardaci, T. Yamazaki,
Pure Appl. Chem. 88 (2016) 155;
http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0501
[3] W.H. Koppenol, J. Corish, J. Garcia-Martinez, J. Meija, J. Reedijk,
Pure Appl. Chem. 88 (2016) 401 ; online 21 Apr 2016;
http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0802
* For further information, contact Dr. Lynn M. Soby, Executive Director, IUPAC, at
secretariat@iupac.org or
lsoby@iupac.org.
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