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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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New Element Joins Periodic Table

Experiments confirm existence of super-heavy Element 112

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(Newser) – The periodic table of elements will soon gain a new—and the heaviest known—element, the BBC reports. Element 112 was first discovered over a decade ago and its existence has now been confirmed after extensive experiments. Authorities have temporarily named it "ununbium," and its German discoverers have been tasked with giving it a permanent name.

Element 112, which is 227 times the atomic weight of hydrogen, is the latest "super-heavy" element to be added to the table. The German scientists who found it have been competing with scientists in the US, Russia, and Japan for decades to add newer, heavier elements to the table. They believe that with modern particle accelerators, the table could soon go as high as 120.

The periodic table now has 112 elements.
The periodic table now has 112 elements.   (Shutter Stock)
The new element has yet to be given an official name.
The new element has yet to be given an official name.   (©ShadowWolf13)
Element 122 joins other
Element 122 joins other "super-heavy" elements in the top reaches of the periodic table.   (©mindfrieze)
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14 comments
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riffran
Jun 11, 09 5:02 AM CDT
but it decays in miliseconds...next discovery...dilithium?...lol Reply
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ClingingToHope
Jun 11, 09 7:38 AM CDT
Decays in milliseconds? I am surprised it's not named Obamium. Reply
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laslow
Jun 11, 09 8:52 AM CDT
Wow, worst joke ever.
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+5
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Robert_Dada
Jun 11, 09 12:04 PM CDT
laslow - NotNuts hasn't the capacity to take on anything more than Obama criticism. This demonstrates how unintelligent he is.
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0
DavoMax
Jun 11, 09 7:54 AM CDT
They wanted to name it Repubium, but the particle was too stable and didn't feed on itself. Reply
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+8
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