Scientists confirm existence of ‘heaviest element’

German scientists have succeeded in creating an atom with 117 protons in the lab. This confirmed previous results of Russian scientists and the atom will probably be given a place in the periodic table as the heaviest element.

The researchers published their findings in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters. They managed to create an atom in the lab that has 117 protons. This confirms previous scientific experiments. The element in question, temporary name ununseptium, is made by colliding certain isotopes of calcium and berkelium in a particle accelerator. An atom is characterized by the number of protons it has.

Earlier, Russian scientists showed that it is possible to make an element with 117 protons. The German research team repeated the attempts to make ununseptium because the IUPAC, which deals with, among other things, the management of the periodic table, wants to see two independent confirmations. As a result, the element is likely to be included in the periodic table in which elements are arranged, although the organization has yet to investigate the German team’s find. If the IUPAC agrees, ununseptium, whose final name has yet to be determined, will become the heaviest element in the periodic table.

In time, an even heavier element will probably be added to the periodic table for elements. Scientists previously claimed that it is possible to make an atom with 118 protons, an element currently known as ununoctium. However, the existence of this element has yet to be confirmed, making ununseptium the heaviest confirmed element for the time being after the IUPAC investigation.