A couple of months ago the periodic table of elements was declared complete, with four new elements officially recognized (as Digital Journal reported). These elements were coded 113, 115, 117 and 118. It was also agreed where these elements fitted into the periodic table. At this time temporary names were awarded to the elements. The first of these – element 113: Nihonium – has now been declared.
The official naming has been ratified by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. The element was discovered (or rather synthesized) by a team led by Dr. Kosuke Morita, who is the group director of the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science Research Group for Superheavy Element. RIKEN (an amalgam of the words Rikagaku Kenkyūsho) is a large research institute in Japan, focusing on the natural sciences. The process of creating the element took place in 2004; it has taken 12 years for the international scientific community to review, accept and ratify the new element.
The creation and subsequent analysis of the element was undertaken using a device called the RIKEN heavy ion linear accelerator. A linear particle accelerator is a type of particle accelerator that greatly increases the kinetic energy of charged subatomic particles or ions.
In a statement, Dr. Morita said: ““I am very pleased that the name and symbol of the new element 113, ‘nihonium’ and ‘Nh’…were formally acknowledged. Following this decision, the first element discovered in Japan and Asia will earn a permanent seat on the periodic table.”
