Einsteinium, the 99th inaccessible element on the quarterly chart, was created and captured, allowing some of its properties to be identified for the first time.
Not appearing naturally on Earth, the so-called ‘synthetic element’ was first discovered among the debris of the first hydrogen bomb back in 1952.
Since then, very few experiments have ever been done with einsteinium, as it is extremely radioactive and very difficult to produce.
Researchers from the USA, however, have used state-of-the-art technology to create 250 nanograms of the element.
This basic property determines how einsteinium binds to atoms and other molecules and is fundamental to understanding the types of chemical interactions that can occur.
Einsteinium – the 99th unattainable element of the quarterly chart – was created and captured, allowing some of its properties to be identified for the first time.
Not appearing naturally on the ground, the so-called ‘synthetic element’ was first found among the debris of the first hydrogen bomb (pictured), codenamed ‘Ivy Mike’, back in in 1952
‘There is little information about einsteinium,’ said paper author and heavy element chemist Rebecca Abergel of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.
‘It was a remarkable achievement that we were able to work with this small amount of inorganic material and chemistry.
‘It’s important because the more we understand [einsteinium’s] chemical behavior, the more we can use this understanding to develop new materials or new technologies. ‘
This, she explained, could help not only to find applications for einsteinium directly, but also to the rest of the actinides – the block of 15 metabolic and radioactive elements with atomic numbers between 89 and 103.
At the same time, the new findings could also help chemists identify new trends within the elements that make up the quarterly chart.
In their study, Professor Abergel and colleagues performed their einsteinium sample in a so-called High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, one of the few facilities in the United States. a world capable of the element.
The material was made by bombarding curium – another radioactive actinide series element – with neutrons to induce a long series of nuclear reactions that produce the einsteinium we want.
Making significant quantities of pure einsteinium, however, is particularly challenging and the team’s sample ended up being contaminated with californium.
This prevented them from using X-ray crystals – the gold standard for obtaining structural information about real radioactive molecules – on their sample, forcing them to develop new methods and tools for analysis. on their einsteinium.
A second problem arose as a result of COVID-19, the pandemic causing the team to close their laboratory before they could perform many of their planned follow-up tests on the sample.
Even though they made one of the most stable isotopes of einsteinium, they still had only a ‘half-life’ – the time it took for half of the material to decompose into something else – of 276 days, meaning that much of their sample was gone by the time they returned.
EINSTEINIUM: NA BASICS
Pictured is a 300 microgram sample of einsteinium, held in a quartz vial
Einsteinium is a soft, silvery metallic element with the symbol ‘Es’ and an atomic number of 99 (that is, a nucleus is 99 protons).
Like all the other elements in the actinide series, it is extremely radioactive.
When seen in the dark (as seen on the left), samples of einsteinium can be seen shining blue.
It was first discovered after the first hydrogen bomb in 1952.
Called a ‘synthetic element’, einsteinium is not found naturally on Earth. At this time, he found no application outside of fundamental scientific study.
It was named in honor of physicist Albert Einstein.
Since then, very few experiments have ever been done with einsteinium, as it is extremely radioactive and very difficult to produce. However, US researchers (pictured) used state-of-the-art technology to create 250 nanograms of the element
Nonetheless, the researchers were able to analyze their einsteinium sample with a luminescence spectroscope and X-ray spectroscopy – revealing both binding speed and some other properties in the element.
‘Determining the bonding speed may not be interesting, but this is the first thing you would want to know about how metal binds to other molecules,’ explained Dr. Abergel.
By understanding how the atoms in a molecule containing einsteinium could be formed, scientists can observe the chemical properties of such molecules, and promote an understanding of chemical movements in their molecules. quarterly record.
‘By obtaining this piece of data, we will gain a better and broader understanding of how the entire actinide series behaves,’ said Dr Abergel.
‘And in that series, we have elements or isotopes that are useful for nuclear power generation or radiopharmaceuticals.’
The findings, Dr. Abergel explained, could help not only by finding applications for einsteinium directly, but also by the rest of the actinides – the block of 15 metabolic and radioactive elements. with atomic numbers 89 to 103 (pictured here in green)
Working with einsteinium also strains the opportunity to study chemistry that is outside the edge of the plate from time to time and may even discover an entirely new element.
‘We’re really starting to understand a little better what happens near the end of the quarterly chart, and next, you could also see an einsteinium target to discover new elements,’ explained the Professor Abergel.
‘Like the latest elements discovered in the last 10 years, such as tennessine, which used target berkelium, if you could find pure einsteinium to target, you could start looking for other elements. ‘
This, she said, could bring us closer to a theoretical ‘island of stability’, where nuclear physics suggests that isotopes could have a half-life of minutes or days – unlike a microsecond or less half-life commonly found among the supernatural elements.
The full results of the study were published in the journal Nature.