Science in the News – New Element Discovered
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DATE:
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PART ONE: Article Basics
Directions: Use the article to complete the following table. You do not need to
use complete sentences for this section.
Author(s)
Article Title
Source of the Article
(title of magazine or newspaper
OR website where article was found )
Publication Date
PART TWO: Unpacking the Article
1. In 2-3 complete sentences, write a summary statement that explains what this
article is mainly about. Imagine that you are explaining the article to someone
who has not read it before.
2. What is a synthetic element? Answer using a complete sentence.
3. How did scientists make element 113? Answer using 2-3 complete sentences.
4. Why do scientists try to make synthetic elements? Answer using 2-3 complete
sentences.
5. The author writes that “Scientists wonder if there is a limit to how large atoms
can be.” Why do scientists think this? In your answer please cite evidence from
the article. Answer using 2-3 complete sentences.
6. If you have any questions or reactions to the article, record them here. (This
question is not required, but is a good place to record questions the article
brought up so you can remember to ask them in class.)
Scientists create new element
Scientists at Japan's RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-based Science say they've finally
succeeded in creating the synthetic element 113. / RIKEN
By Clara Moskowitz
September 26, 2012
LiveScience.com
Scientists in Japan think they've finally created the elusive element 113, one of the missing items
on the periodic table of elements.
Element 113 is an atom with 113 protons in its nucleus -- a type of matter that must be created
inside a laboratory because it is not found naturally on Earth. Heavier and heavier synthetic1
elements have been created over the years, with the most massive one being element 118,
temporarily named ununoctium.
But element 113 has been stubbornly hard to create. After years of trying, researchers at the
RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science in Japan said today (Sept. 26) they finally
did so. On Aug. 12, the unstable element was formed and quickly decayed2, leaving the team
with data to cite as proof of the accomplishment.
"For over nine years, we have been searching for data conclusively identifying element 113.
Now that we have it at last, it feels like a great weight has been lifted from our shoulders,"
Kosuke Morita, leader of the research group, said in a statement.
1
2
man-made; not occurring naturally
broke down
If confirmed, the achievement will mark the first time Japan has discovered a new element. This
should make Japan the first Asian country with naming rights to a member of the periodic table.
Until now, only scientists in the United States, Russia and Germany have had that chance.
"I would like to thank all the researchers and staff involved in this momentous result, who
persevered3 with the belief that one day 113 would be ours," Morita said. "For our next
challenge, we look to the uncharted territory of element 119 and beyond."
Scientists are continually trying to create bigger and bigger atoms, both for the joy of discovery
and for the knowledge these new elements can offer about how atoms work.
Most things in the universe are made of very simple elements, such as hydrogen (which has one
proton), carbon (six) and oxygen (eight). For each proton, atoms generally have roughly the
same number of neutrons and electrons. Yet the more protons and neutrons that are packed into
an atom's nucleus, the more unstable the atom can become. This makes scientists wonder if there
is a limit to how large atoms can be.
The first synthetic element was created in 1940, and so far 20 different elements have been
made. All of these are unstable and last only seconds, at most, before breaking apart into smaller
elements.
To synthesize element 113, Morita and his team collided zinc nuclei (with 30 protons each) into
a thin layer of bismuth (which contains 83 protons). When 113 was created, it quickly decayed
by losing alpha particles. Alpha particles are made of two protons and two neutrons each. This
process happened six times, turning element 113 into element 111, then 109, 107, 105, 103 and
finally, element 101, Mendelevium (also a synthetic element).
Morita's group seemed to create element 113 in experiments conducted in 2004 and 2005, but the
complete decay chain was not observed, so the discovery couldn't be confirmed. Now that this
specific pattern resulting in Mendelevium has been seen, the scientists say it "provides clear
proof that element 113 is the origin of the chain."
Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Article accessed at http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57520621/scientists-create-newelement/
Modified by PWR
3
To push through and continue working even when things are difficult