Recently, scientists have taken a step forward in the discovery of the 119th and 120th elements. A few days ago they hit the plutonium-244 isotope with a charged titanium atom. It forms livermorium, one of the heaviest elements in the periodic table. Its atomic number is 116. And in this, scientists hope to find two new elements. In the periodic table, these two elements will be placed in cells 119 and 120.

119th and 120th elements

On October 21, this research was published in the journal Physical Review Letters . A group of scientists from the US Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has done the research. Currently, the number of elements in the periodic table is 118. At the beginning of all is hydrogen. Its atomic number is 1. That is, it has a proton. And so far the last element in the periodic table is the atomic number of 118. There are 294 particles in the nucleus of this element with 118 protons and 176 neutrons. In 2016, the element was officially named Aganesan (Og).

Of these 118 elements, only 92 are found in nature. The rest are made in the laboratory. However, there is no opportunity to directly call them artificial. These elements can exist anywhere in the universe. These new elements are created by increasing the number of protons in the nucleus of the element. This changes the basic religion of the atom.

According to the researchers, theoretically there should be more heavy elements or elements in the universe. There are even predictions about what heavy elements might look like or what their composition might be. If you want to see these elements, you have to either search for them in space or create them in a laboratory on Earth.

Scientists have been making heavy elements in the lab for a long time. Many scientists have been working on the 119th and 120th elements for a long time. Initially these two elements were named ununnium and unbinyllium. When these two elements are discovered, an eighth row will be added to the periodic table.

According to scientists, it may be possible to create new atoms using the technique of making livermorium from plutonium-244 isotope. They are thinking of using californium isotope for this. Jacqueline Gates, an atomologist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said, 'Such a technique has not been seen before. The technique needed to be proved to produce the 120th element.'

In the new study, Berkeley Lab scientists hit the plutonium-244 isotope continuously with titanium ions in an 88-inch cyclotron machine. After 22 consecutive days of this process, the scientists were able to create two livermorium atoms.

But it takes much more time to make the 120th element. Another atomic scientist at Berkeley Lab, Rainer Krukener, said, 'It will take at least 10 times longer to create an atom of the 116th element than it would take to create an atom of the 120th element. The task is not easy, but now it seems possible.'

Usually the heavier elements break down or decay very quickly. However, the 120th element is supposed to be stable for structural reasons. Scientists think it will remain intact longer than current super-heavy elements. As a result, new doors can be opened in heavy element research. Whether this will actually happen or not, it cannot be said now. The actual behavior of atoms may not match the theoretical calculations. But whatever the hopes or fears, we will have to wait until the discovery of the 120th element to be sure.