The Creation of New Elements

Chemical elements are produced in stars and in stellar explosions. Ultimately, these elements are the building blocks of all materials that surround us — including every atom of our bodies. However, the universe is also home to a large number of other atoms that do not occur on the earth.

Fusion reaction of the generation of new elements according to UrQMD model calculations (Source: UrQMD-Collaboration, FIAS, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt)

One of the key tasks of the researchers at GSI is to attempt to create previously unknown elements in the laboratory. For the creation of a new element, scientists use two elements existing on Earth of which the atomic nuclei added together have as many protons as the new element. They try to fuse the nuclei of the two elements together in order to create a new atomic nucleus much larger and heavier than the two original nuclei. For this purpose, scientists accelerate charged atoms – so-called ions – of the one element by means of a 120 m long linear accelerator to extremely high velocities of roughly 30,000 kilometres per second. Subsequently, the accelerated ions are “fired” at a very thin foil of the other element. In a very rare cases, e. g. once a week, the two elements fuse to form a new element.

By means of a very sensitive detector, the new element is being identified. Thereby it is decisive that the new element is not stable. It decays into another, lighter element already after splits of a second. During the decay process, it emits a characteristic alpha particle. This process is repeated several times. The detector can precisely measure these emitted alpha particles and thus clearly identify the new element.

Elements made at GSI

* the given date is the official date of naming by the IUPAC. The procedure for the official acknowledgment has several stages: 1) IUPAC acknowledges the existence of the element. At the same time they prompt the discoverers to propose a name. 2) The discoverers propose a name. 3) IUPAC puts the name up for discussion among the experts for approx. six month. 4) IUPAC decides for a name, subject to changes from the proposal of the discoverers when indicated. 5) The discovering laboratory celebrates the name-giving with a symbolic christening.

** the given date is the date when the element was experimentally discoverd for the first time, acknowledged by IUPAC

The Periodical Table of the Elements

natural, stable	natural, unstable
artificial, unstable	discovered at GSI, unstable
not yet confirmed

In the periodic table, all known chemical elements are represented in tabular form. Each box stands for an element that is a certain kind of atom. In the center of the atom is the atomic nucleus, which contains positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons. The elements are classified according to the number of protons in their nuclei - the so-called atomic number. The lightest element with atomic number 1, is hydrogen, and stands at the top left of the periodic table.