Indication for a volatile element 114

Abstract Recently, the chemical investigation of element 112 revealed a highly volatile, noble metallic behaviour, as expected for the last group 12 member of the periodic table. The observed volatility and chemical inertness were ascribed to the growing influence of relativistic effects on the chemical properties of the heaviest elements with increasing nuclear charge. Here, we report for the first time on gas phase chemical experiments aiming at a determination of element 114 properties. This element was investigated using its isotopes 287114 and 288114 produced in the nuclear fusion reactions of 48Ca with 242Pu and 244Pu, respectively. Identification of three atoms of element 114 in thermochromatography experiments and their deposition pattern on a gold surface indicates that this element is at least as volatile as simultaneously investigated elements Hg, At, and element 112. This behaviour is rather unexpected for a typical metal of group 14.

[1]  H. Clerc,et al.  Some remarks on the error analysis in the case of poor statistics , 1984 .

[2]  R. Eichler,et al.  IVO, a device for In situ Volatilization and On-line detection of products from heavy ion reactions , 2002 .

[3]  R Krücken,et al.  Observation of the 3n evaporation channel in the complete hot-fusion reaction 26Mg + 248Cm leading to the new superheavy nuclide 271Hs. , 2008, Physical review letters.

[4]  R. Eichler,et al.  Chemical investigation of hassium (element 108) , 2002, Nature.

[5]  W. Seidel,et al.  Experiments to produce isotopes of superheavy elements with atomic numbers 114–116 in 48Ca ion reactions , 1978 .

[6]  L. P. Chelnokov,et al.  CHEMICAL SEPARATION OF KURCHATOVIUM. , 1971 .

[7]  W. D. Myers,et al.  NUCLEAR MASSES AND DEFORMATIONS , 1966 .

[8]  H. Gäggeler,et al.  Search for Superheavy Elements in the 238U + 238U Reaction , 1980 .

[9]  E. Segre,et al.  Some Chemical Properties of Element 43. II , 1937 .

[10]  A. Sobiczewski,et al.  Description of structure and properties of superheavy nuclei , 2007 .

[11]  C. W. Nestor,et al.  PREDICTED PROPERTIES OF THE SUPER HEAVY ELEMENTS. I. ELEMENTS 113 AND 114, EKA-THALLIUM AND EKA-LEAD. , 1970 .

[12]  B. Fricke,et al.  Intermetallic compounds of the heaviest elements and their homologs: the electronic structure and bonding of MM', where M=Ge, Sn, Pb, and element 114, and M'=Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, Sn, Pb, and element 114. , 2007, The Journal of chemical physics.

[13]  H. Meldner PREDICTIONS OF NEW MAGIC REGIONS AND MASSES FOR SUPER HEAVY NUCLEI FROM CALCULATIONS WITH REALISTIC SHELL MODEL SINGLE PARTICLE HAMILTONIANS , 1966 .

[14]  P. Schwerdtfeger,et al.  The Stability of the Oxidation State +4 in Group 14 Compounds from Carbon to Element 114. , 1998, Angewandte Chemie.

[15]  рова Оияи,et al.  Superheavy Elements , 1971, Nature.

[16]  B. Eichler,et al.  Adsorption of Radon on Ice Surfaces , 2000 .

[17]  J. Kratz 20 Chemistry of Transactinides , 2011 .

[18]  Attempts to chemically investigate element 112 , 2005 .

[19]  P. Schwerdtfeger,et al.  Relativistic Effects of the Superheavy Elements , 2002 .

[20]  R. Eichler,et al.  Adsorption of Radon on Metal Surfaces: A Model Study for Chemical Investigations of Elements 112 and 114 , 2002 .

[21]  V. Ninov,et al.  The Cryo-Thermochromatographic Separator (CTS):. A new rapid separation and α-detection system for on-line chemical studies of highly volatile osmium and hassium ( Z=108) tetroxides , 2002 .

[22]  R. Eichler,et al.  Gas-phase Adsorption Chromatographic Determination of Thermochemical Data and Empirical Methods for their Estimation , 2003 .

[23]  Prediction of the adsorption behavior of elements 112 and 114 on inert surfaces from ab initio Dirac-Coulomb atomic calculations. , 2008, The Journal of chemical physics.

[24]  K. Pitzer Are elements 112, 114, and 118 relatively inert gases? , 1975 .

[25]  G. K. Vostokin,et al.  Chemical characterization of element 112 , 2007, Nature.

[26]  Heaviest Nuclei from 48Ca-induced Reactions , 2011 .

[27]  Y. Ishikawa,et al.  Electronic structure of eka-lead (element 114) compared with lead , 2001 .

[28]  I. Zvara Simulation of Thermochromatographic Processes by the Monte Carlo Method , 1985 .

[29]  I. Zvara,et al.  Chemical properties of element 104 , 1966 .

[30]  R. Eichler,et al.  Thermochromatographic studies of mercury and radon on transition metal surfaces , 2005 .

[31]  G. K. Vostokin,et al.  Thermochemical and physical properties of element 112. , 2008, Angewandte Chemie.

[32]  Wenjian Liu,et al.  Spectroscopic constants of Pb and Eka-lead compounds , 2001 .

[33]  B. Eichler,et al.  Adsorption of Volatile Metals on Metal Surfaces and its Application in Nuclear Chemistry , 1983 .

[34]  Empirical relation between the adsorption properties of elements on gold surfaces and their volatility , 2005 .

[35]  Pekka Pyykkö,et al.  Relativity and the periodic system of elements , 1979 .