Modern alchemists make two new elements

Nature Magazine ^ | 03 February 2004 | MARK PEPLOW

[PatrickHenry]

Footnote in original article. Bold font added by your humble poster.

[PatrickHenry]

PING. [This ping list is for the evolution side of evolution threads, and sometimes for other science topics. FReepmail me to be added or dropped.]

[Professional Engineer]

Cool. I'm still waiting to see what the atomic numbers for Unobtainium will be.

[VadeRetro]

But physicists have predicted ‘islands of stability’ at atomic numbers 114, 120 and/or 126, where the protons and neutrons might be able to jostle themselves into a shape that minimises contact between the protons. That would allow the nucleus to hang together for much longer than its neighbours in the periodic table.

Which is still probably not very long at all by everyday commonplace expectations. ((Amateur Scientific American reader guesswork alert!!)) The nuclear strong force simply stops being strong above a certain distance. Big nuclei are unstable because they are too big for the effective strong force radius. The stability that comes from jostling into a certain shape (and keeping the mutually-repelling protons apart) would itself be subject to jostling out of shape.

[Aracelis]

I'd dearly love to see them name one of these elements, "Eludium".

[Phantom Lord]

However, the US Department of Energy recently promised $850 million towards a new rare isotope accelerator.

Is this really an appropriate expenditure of nearly $1 billion in tax payer dollars?

How about private enterprise, looking for an end product use for this bucks up the money.

[DoctorMichael]

Interesting. Bump.

[Professional Engineer]

ROFLOL

[Winston Smith Jr.]

physicists have predicted ‘islands of stability’ at atomic numbers 114, 120 and/or 126, where the protons and neutrons might be able to jostle themselves into a shape that minimises contact between the protons.

That's a p*ss-poor explanation of what's going on. The islands of stability actually occur where "shells" (distinct energy levels) are filled. As far as I can tell, this has squat to do with "contact between the protons"---a concept that I don't think has much meaning in the quantum mechanical world anyway.

[VadeRetro]

The islands of stability actually occur where "shells" (distinct energy levels) are filled.

Don't think that's it here. We're just trying to form a nucleus, not populate whatever the electron orbitals would be.

[Winston Smith Jr.]

I meant (of course) nucleon orbitals.

[Servant of the 9]

Is this really an appropriate expenditure of nearly $1 billion in tax payer dollars?

How about private enterprise, looking for an end product use for this bucks up the money.

Yes, it is.
This is basic research needed to underpin the future of all American Science.
Any profitable end products are literally generations away.
No public company can invest in research that won't produce a profit for 30 or 40 years. It would not be prudent stewardship of corporate assets and would probably result in a stockholders suit.

So9

[Aracelis]

The islands of stability actually occur where "shells" (distinct energy levels) are filled. As far as I can tell, this has squat to do with "contact between the protons"---a concept that I don't think has much meaning in the quantum mechanical world anyway

Nuclear shell model...not electron valence properties. A concept which does indeed involve protons and quantum mechanics.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Unobtainium is found as a trace element in Leaverite. Leaverite was found at the bottom of a 15,000 foot exploration bore conducted by Amoco Corporation in eastern Iowa in 1975.

[VadeRetro]

I meant (of course) nucleon orbitals.

Over my pay grade!

[from occupied ga]

This is basic research needed to underpin the future of all American Science.

Pretty bold statement without a shred of evidence to support it.

[anobjectivist]

"Basic research"?

I fail to see anything basic about this, other than the scientific community always thinking that their wants are superior to everyone else's right to their own money.

[job]

I'm intrigued, is this a joke or if for real, what is Leaverite?

[Lokibob]

Unobtainium is also the element that a charactor in the movie "CORE" built the subterranian vehicle used to go to the core of the earth.

[Professional Engineer]

Leaverite has two forms. The surface form is that pretty rock that you should leaveritethere. The second form is found deep in the Earth's crust. You also leaveritethere because you have no practical way to bring it to the surface.