Ununoctium (Uuo)-Discovery, Occurrence, Production, Properties and Applications of Ununoctium

Dec 17 2012

Topics Covered

Chemical Formula
Discovery
Basic Information
Occurrence
Isotopes
Production
Health Aspects
Key Properties
Applications
References

Chemical Formula

Uuo

Discovery

Ununoctium was discovered in 2002 following a number of experiments conducted at Dubna in Russia at the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions. One atom was produced in 2002 and two more in 2005.

A beam of ⁴⁸₂₀Ca at ²⁴⁹₉₈Cf was fired in the 2002 experiment that went on for a period of four months. In this experiment a beam of 2.5 x 10¹⁹ calcium ions was used in the synthesis of Ununoctium. Three neutrons were released during this experimental process.

²⁴⁹₉₈Cf + ⁴⁸₂₀Ca → ²⁹⁴₁₁₈Uuo + 3¹n

Basic Information

Name	Ununoctium
Symbol	Uuo
Atomic number	118
Atomic weight	[ 294 ]
Standard state	presumably a gas at 298 K
CAS Registry ID	54144-19-3
Group in periodic table	18
Group name	Noble gas
Period in periodic table	7
Block in periodic table	p-block
Color	unknown, but probably a colorless gas
Classification	Non-metallic
Melting point	Unknown
Boiling point	Unknown
Density	Unknown
Phase at room temperature	Expected to be a Gas

Occurrence

Ununoctium is not found in nature due to its radioactivity.

Ununoctium (version 1) - Periodic Table of Videos

Isotopes

Ununoctium is likely to have only one isotope known as Ununoctium-294. Ununoctium-294 is Ununoctium’s most stable isotope and has a half-life of about 0.89 milliseconds. Ununoctium-294 decays into livermorium-290 through alpha decay.

Production

Ununoctium is produced by bombarding atoms of californium-249 with ions of calcium-48 for 11 hours. This production process accumulates a total dose of 2.5 x 10¹⁹ calcium ions.