I am pleased to announce the discovery of a new element. While it is true that IUPAC (the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) will need the confirmation of a second laboratory before it may be accepted for consideration to the periodic table, I feel as though it is important to publish my research into this matter in hopes that either the Swedish or the Russians are able to replicate my experiment, increasing the likelihood of the inclusion of this element prior to the next naming committee (Kramer, 2013). The name that has been selected for this particular element is cartunium as its creation is a result of the combination of carbon and plutonium, offering a nod not only to the combination of the two elements in a successful manner, but also as a slight pun in reference to the use of “Pluto” and the realm of cartoons. Ct has been selected as the symbol for this particular element in order to assist in the ease of recognition and the correlation between the name and the element, in keeping with the trend that the symbols for elements on the periodic table all utilize some combination of letters contained within their basic name.
Theorists have predicted that there will be a region of very stable heavy nuclei (Friener, 2012), and it is with sheer persistence and dedication that I have found just such an element in cartunium. The nuclide of cartunium is 114 protons and 184 neutrons, written as 262Ct114, which serves to indicate the mass, element, and its atomic number (Chieh, n.d.). The following shows a sample diagram of the atomic structure of the element utilizing the Bohr Model:
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The electron configuration for the element has been determined to be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d10 4p6 5s2 4d10 5p6 6s2 4f14 5d10 6p6 7s2 5f14 7d10 6p2. The element is a non-metal, and though it did decay over the period of approximately 8 hours, this indicates a far more stable level for the heavy metal elements than previously seen. It is radioactive, and during the time that the element was in existence, it did not display any reactions with other elements; the attempt at this time was to study the element in order to obtain additional information about it, though no testing has been done as of yet as to whether or not it will react with other elements (Brumfield, 2013). An additional sample will need to be created in order to determine whether or not there are any reactions and, from there, it will be possible to determine whether or not there are any potential applications or uses for this new element. It may be stated conclusively that there was no reaction to the graphite that was utilized to slow down the element for analysis, and there was no adverse reaction to the magnetic or electric field or to the copper pipe that were used in the creation of the new element (In the Element Kitchen, 2013). The element does not exist in nature, and it was created solely based on the concept of curiosity; the creation of new man-made elements and the search to do so works to provide insight into the different forces that hold atoms together, and due to the fact that this new element is more stable than 115 (an as yet unnamed element) it is possible that we are getting closer to that level of understanding (Kramer, 2013).
It is my fervent hope that this information will be enough, in conjunction with the laboratory notations, for other laboratories to be able to replicate my work with all expediency, and, with luck, we will be able to sit before the IUPAC on the same date as the Russian scientists who have created 115, obtaining our firm names for these elements on that date.
- Brumfield, B. 2013. Scientists confirm new element 115 after atoms collide. [online] Available at: http://www.cnn.com/
- Chieh, C. n.d. Nuclides. [online] Available at: http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/
- Greiner, W. 2012. Viewpoint: Heavy into Stability. Physics, 5 (115)
- Kramer, M. 2013. Meet 115, the Newest Element on the Periodic Table. [online] Available at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com
- Ngm.nationalgeographic.com. 2013. In the Element Kitchen. [online] Available at: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com
