Modern alchemists make two new elements

Nature Magazine ^ | 03 February 2004 | MARK PEPLOW

[new cruelty]

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

Leaverite is any unidentified mineral which, when you pick it up and ask a veteran collector whether you should keep it, the reply is, "No, leaverite there."

[PattonReincarnated]

I find this interesting, but I am no chemist. It sounds like you are talking about element like argon. Am I correct? If that is the case, how could elements with atomic number 114, 120 and/or 126 be an island of stability? Is there a difference between stability and inert? Sorry for the questions, just trying to piece together my high school chem from 25 years ago.

[Servant of the 9]

"Basic research"?M/i>

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.

You can't see anything basic and important in a better understanding of the Periodic Table and how elements are put together and interact?

It bears on Fission, Fusion, Semiconductors and nanotechnology, just for a start. The research done in the 50s and 60s is just now becoming commercially important.
Of course, we can forget all this brainstorming boodogles, and just let the Japanese and Chinnese do it.
Then we won't have to worry about technical job flight overseas, cause all the new jobs will just start there.

So9

[Winston Smith Jr.]

I find this interesting, but I am no chemist.

I'm talking about nuclear shells, not electron shells.

[new cruelty]

For reference purposes:

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

1

H1

He2

2

Li3

Be4

B5

C6

N7

O8

F9

Ne10

3

Na11

Mg12

Al13

Si14

P15

S16

Cl17

Ar18

4

K19

Ca20

Sc21

Ti22

V23

Cr24

Mn25

Fe26

Co27

Ni28

Cu29

Zn30

Ga31

Ge32

As33

Se34

Br35

Kr36

5

Rb37

Sr38

Y39

Zr40

Nb41

Mo42

Tc43

Ru44

Rh45

Pd46

Ag47

Cd48

In49

Sn50

Sb51

Te52

I53

Xe54

6

Cs55

Ba56

La57

Hf72

Ta73

W74

Re75

Os76

Ir77

Pt78

Au79

Hg80

Tl81

Pb82

Bi83

Po84

At85

Rn86

7

Fr87

Ra88

Ac89

Rf 104

Db 105

Sg 106

Bh 107

Hs 108

Mt 109

Ds 110

Uuu 111

Uub 112

Uut 113

Uuq 114

UUp 115

Uuh 116

Uus 117

Uuo 118

Ce58

Pr59

Nd60

Pm61

Sm62

Eu63

Gd64

Tb65

Dy66

Ho67

Er68

Tm69

Yb70

Lu71

Th90

Pa91

U92

Np93

Pu94

Am95

Cm96

Bk97

Cf98

Es99

Fm100

Md101

No102

Lr103

[Winston Smith Jr.]

You can't see anything basic and important in a better understanding of the Periodic Table and how elements are put together and interact?

This research tells us squat about chemical interactions.

It bears on Fission, Fusion, Semiconductors and nanotechnology, just for a start.

Perhaps, wrong, wrong, and wrong.

[anobjectivist]

I see the importance.

However, it's not worth the cost if we have to starve our economy with big-government appropriation.

As far as technology being developed in other countries, if our country was actually free instead of the politically correct, big government, welfare state, minimum wage happy place, people wouldn't have to go to other countries to get what they need.

[Servant of the 9]

However, it's not worth the cost if we have to starve our economy with big-government appropriation.

Right now our economy is wallowing in more money than is good for us.
That is why the Prime Rate is 1%.
When the Prime gets above 10%, then there is cause to worry about starving the economy by government competition for available funds.

So9

[anobjectivist]

And just imagine how it would be without more than $2 trillion going to the government.

But we're off topic.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

When they found it, they decided to "leave 'er right" there...
I heard this from a buddy who worked for Amoco's exploration group. There were all sorts of semi-humorous stories having to do with the 15,000 foot hole--including placement of an out-house, etc.

[Servant of the 9]

And just imagine how it would be without more than $2 trillion going to the government.

Yeah, just like it is now, with people unwilling to make investments, because the possible rate of return is too low to make it worth the risk.

So9

[from occupied ga]

Of course, we can forget all this brainstorming boodogles, and just let the Japanese and Chinnese do it. Then we won't have to worry about technical job flight overseas, cause all the new jobs will just start there.

As I recall you (so9) were also cheerleading the spending initiative for Bush's space exploration. (Correct me if I have you confused with someone else)

I'm curious. Is there any limit where you will say, "This is just wealth transfer from the harderst working taxpayers to PhDs and engineers?" Is there any sort of government largess to scientists and engineers that you don't approve of?

[GigaDittos]

Wonderful, that's exactly what we need, and new Iz-a-dope accelerator.

[anobjectivist]

Would you invest the money if someone wasn't holding a gun to your head?

I don't want to, but i guess some scientists will grab my money to build a particle accelerator so that they can revel in their scientific journals.

Hopefully, by the time I graduate with an aerospace engineering degree, the private space market will be somewhere because of the X-Prize.

However, with the new mars/moon initiative, it seems the government will have a political monopoly on all space funds, no matter how unprofitable their usage may be.

How long ago would you have said that the private industry would never support an investment in a space program? Looks like times are a'changin'.

[GigaDittos]

The most dangerous element known to man is Po84, Politics.

[anobjectivist]

Not only is it inappropriate, but illogical.

If it takes 30-40 years for a use to be found, then an argument can be made that by the time the use is found, the means to do the research would probably cost only a few cold million.

[Servant of the 9]

Is there any limit where you will say, "This is just wealth transfer from the harderst working taxpayers to PhDs and engineers?" Is there any sort of government largess to scientists and engineers that you don't approve of?

I object to anything that is likely to result in profitable spinoffs with a decade.

Progress depends on research and govt. is the only one who can supply the long term basic research. It is too expensive and the rewards too far off for private enterprise to do it.

Right now we have 3 private companies working on commercial orbital flight. There is no way private enterprise could have pioneered in space flight. If the govt. hadn't led the way in the 60s with Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and the Shuttle, there would be no nascent space industry.

This is an especially good time for it.
The 30s demonstrated that interest rates too low to recompense risk can vapor lock an economy just as effectively as too high interest rates.
We need more govt. spending right now, enough to drive the prime rate up to at least 4%.

I certainly don't want to see it spent on social programs.
I favor basic research and updating infrastructure like bridges, airports and highways.

So9

[anobjectivist]

"The 30s demonstrated that interest rates too low to recompense risk can vapor lock an economy just as effectively as too high interest rates."

Actually, the 30s showed that rewriting the constitution and heavy government intervention can make a self-stabilizing economy become a crippled one beat into submission by seizure of gold for ultimate government power.

" I object to anything that is likely to result in profitable spinoffs with a decade"


That makes no sense whatsoever.

"Right now we have 3 private companies working on commercial orbital flight. There is no way private enterprise could have pioneered in space flight"

That is correct, but only because the government already did it.

[nightdriver]

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

Yes. Unobtainium will have a number that's even higher than Improbabilium! ;^)

[from occupied ga]

I certainly don't want to see it spent on social programs.

Well let's chalk up one point of agreement then before I go on.

I object to anything that is likely to result in profitable spinoffs with a decade.

How about never useful? Lots of this stuff is only going to procreate PhDs in nuclear physics who will have no place to go except academia and publish papers with research paid for at the taxpayers expense, who will then train a whole new generation of larval graduate students and start the same cycle over again.

The 30s demonstrated that interest rates too low to recompense risk can vapor lock an economy just as effectively as too high interest rates.

A far greater danger is the government sapping too much of the economy for political ends which have no yield except for votes and perks to the political class.. Bush's budget would make a Democrat proud., but that's getting off topic

We need more govt. spending right now, enough to drive the prime rate up to at least 4%.

You really mean this? You remember Limbaugh's comment about taxing ourselves into prosperity? This is exactly what you're proposing, because government spending comes from government money. The ONLY source for government money is taxes both now and on future generations, since it appears that the government is unwilling to sell assets to even reduce a tiny part of its expenses. So what you're proposing is taxing ourselves into prosperity. It just doesn't work.