Darmstadtium was first synthesized by Peter Armbruster and Gottfried Münzenber in 1994 at the Heavy Ion Research Laboratory in Darmstadt. The team produced four atoms of darmstadtium while bombarding lead atoms with nickel atoms in a heavy ion accelerator. The element derived its name from the city where it was first produced.
Basic Information
| Name |
Darmstadtium |
| Symbol |
Ds |
| Atomic number |
110 |
| Atomic weight |
281 amu |
| Standard state |
Presumably a solid at 298 K |
| CAS Registry ID |
54083-77-1 |
| Group in periodic table |
10 |
| Period in periodic table |
7 |
| Block in periodic table |
d-block |
| Color |
Unknown, but probably metallic and silvery white or grey in appearance |
| Classification |
Metallic |
| Melting point |
Unknown |
| Boiling point |
Unknown |
| Density |
Unknown |
| Phase at room temperature |
Expected to be a solid |
Occurrence
Darmstadtium does not occur in nature.
Darmstadtium - Periodic Table of Videos
Isotopes
Darmstadtium has 8 known isotopes with mass numbers ranging from 267 to 281. None of them are stable. The most stable isotope is 281Ds with a half-life of 11.1 s.
Production
Very few atoms of darmstadtium have been produced so far. It is generally produced through the bombardment of a lead isotope with nickel.
208Pb + 62Ni → 269Ds + 1n
As the darmstadtium atoms decompose easily via the emission of alpha-particles, having a half-life of 270 ms, considerable quantities of the element cannot be isolated.
Key Properties
The key properties of darmstadtium include the following:
- It is a synthetic radioactive metal
- It is unstable and has a short half-life
- It is expected to have properties similar to that of the other Group 10 elements.
Applications
Other than scientific research, darmstadtium has no specific applications currently.
Sources and Further Reading
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author expressed in their private capacity and do not necessarily represent the views of AZoM.com Limited T/A AZoNetwork the owner and operator of this website. This disclaimer forms part of the Terms and conditions of use of this website.