Flerovium
Definition and meaning of Flerovium in chemistry.
Flerovium is a highly radioactive synthetic element identified by the symbol Fl and atomic number 114. It is a superheavy element that must be created in particle accelerators and possesses no naturally occurring isotopes in the Earth's crust.
In more detail
Positioned in group 14 and period 7, flerovium sits below lead on the periodic table as part of the carbon group. Relativistic effects are predicted to be profound for this element, potentially causing its chemical bonds to be remarkably weak and making it behave more like a noble gas than a typical post-transition metal. Theoretical studies indicate it could be a highly volatile metal or even a gas at standard room temperature, featuring very low boiling and melting points. Its most stable isotope, flerovium-289, decays rapidly with a half-life of about 1.9 seconds. Due to this fleeting existence, experimental confirmation of its chemical and physical properties remains extremely challenging, though preliminary gas chromatography experiments suggest it is highly volatile.
Key facts
| Field | General Chemistry |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Fl |
| Atomic number | 114 |
| Atomic mass | [289] u |
| Category | Unknown |
| State at room temperature | Expected to be a highly volatile solid or gas |
| Year discovered | 1998 |
| Common uses | None, restricted to scientific research |
Researchers synthesize flerovium by fusing calcium-48 ions with plutonium-244 targets to study the boundaries of nuclear stability.
Frequently asked questions
What is the significance of flerovium in nuclear physics?
It is thought to lie near the theoretical island of stability, where superheavy isotopes might possess significantly longer half-lives.
How is flerovium synthesized?
It is synthesized by bombarding a plutonium target with a beam of calcium ions in a heavy-ion accelerator.