We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Chemistry

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Ununennium?

Mary McMahon
By
Updated: May 21, 2024
Views: 12,089
Share

Ununennium is an as-yet undiscovered element which is categorized as a transuranic element, meaning that it has an atomic number higher than that of uranium. Transuranic elements share a number of interesting traits which make them topics of intense study for scientists, and the discovery of ununennium would mark a major scientific breakthrough. Several attempts have been made to produce this element synthetically, although these attempts have proved unsuccessful as of 2008.

The thing that would make this element remarkable is that it would be the first element in the eighth period or row of the periodic table, marking a major event in the science world. Given the structure of the periodic table, the existence of ununennium can be fairly confidently predicted, and some scientists have also made speculations about the element's potential chemical properties.

Given its position on the periodic table, ununennium is probably going to be an alkaline earth metal. It may also turn out to be a liquid, which would make it the first radioactive liquid element, along with one of the few liquid elements. Like other transuranic elements, ununennium is probably extremely unstable, existing for only seconds at a time.

The instability of this element makes it unlikely to appear in nature. Therefore, scientists will have to produce it synthetically if they wish to observe it. Synthetic production of elements is usually accomplished by creating collisions of various isotopes of other elements in a linear accelerator. Depending on which isotopes are used, an new element may appear, albeit briefly, before it decays into the form of a more stable element. Typically only a few atoms of an element are produced at a time with this method, making observation very challenging, to say the least.

One might reasonably inquire about how this element could have a name, since it has not been discovered yet. Ununennium is named for its atomic number, 119, using a systematic element naming system developed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. Several other elements which have not been discovered yet have also been named, so that scientists can discuss them using standardized language. If and when this element is successfully synthesized and observed, the laboratory which makes the discovery will have the honor of proposing a name; like other transuranic elements, ununennium will probably be named for a famous scientist or the location in which is is discovered.

Share
All The Science is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Mary McMahon
By Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a All The Science researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Discussion Comments
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a...

Learn more
Share
https://www.allthescience.org/what-is-ununennium.htm
Copy this link
All The Science, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

All The Science, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.