Isotopes of nihonium explained

Nihonium (113Nh) is a synthetic element. Being synthetic, a standard atomic weight cannot be given and like all artificial elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 284Nh as a decay product of 288Mc in 2003. The first isotope to be directly synthesized was 278Nh in 2004. There are 6 known radioisotopes from 278Nh to 286Nh, along with the unconfirmed 287Nh and 290Nh. The longest-lived isotope is 286Nh with a half-life of 9.5 seconds.

List of isotopes

|-| 278Nh[1] | 113| 165| 278.17073(24)#| | α| 274Rg||-| 282Nh| 113| 169| 282.17577(43)#| [2] | α| 278Rg||-| 283Nh[3] | 113| 170| 283.17667(47)#| [2] | α| 279Rg||-| rowspan=2| 284Nh[4] | rowspan=2|113| rowspan=2|171| rowspan=2|284.17884(57)#| rowspan=2|[2] | α (≥99%)| 280Rg|rowspan=2|  |-| EC (≤1%)[2] | 284Cn|-| rowspan=2|285Nh[5] | rowspan=2|113| rowspan=2|172| rowspan=2|285.18011(83)#| rowspan=2|[2] | α (82%)| 281Rg||-| SF (18%)[2] | (various)|-| 286Nh[6] | 113| 173| 286.18246(63)#| 9.5 s| α| 282Rg||-| 287Nh[7] | 113| 174| 287.18406(76)#| 5.5 s| α| 283Rg||-| 290Nh[8] | 113| 177|290.19143(50)#| 2 s?| α| 286Rg|

Isotopes and nuclear properties

Nucleosynthesis

Super-heavy elements such as nihonium are produced by bombarding lighter elements in particle accelerators that induce fusion reactions. Whereas most of the isotopes of nihonium can be synthesized directly this way, some heavier ones have only been observed as decay products of elements with higher atomic numbers.[9]

Depending on the energies involved, the former are separated into "hot" and "cold". In hot fusion reactions, very light, high-energy projectiles are accelerated toward very heavy targets (actinides), giving rise to compound nuclei at high excitation energy (~40–50 MeV) that may either fission or evaporate several (3 to 5) neutrons.[10] In cold fusion reactions, the produced fused nuclei have a relatively low excitation energy (~10–20 MeV), which decreases the probability that these products will undergo fission reactions. As the fused nuclei cool to the ground state, they require emission of only one or two neutrons, and thus, allows for the generation of more neutron-rich products. The latter is a distinct concept from that of where nuclear fusion claimed to be achieved at room temperature conditions (see cold fusion).[11]

Cold fusion

Before the synthesis of nihonium by the RIKEN team, scientists at the Institute for Heavy Ion Research (Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung) in Darmstadt, Germany also tried to synthesize nihonium by bombarding bismuth-209 with zinc-70 in 1998. No nihonium atoms were identified in two separate runs of the reaction.[12] They repeated the experiment in 2003 again without success. In late 2003, the emerging team at RIKEN using their efficient apparatus GARIS attempted the reaction and reached a limit of 140 fb. In December 2003 – August 2004, they resorted to "brute force" and carried out the reaction for a period of eight months. They were able to detect a single atom of 278Nh.[13] They repeated the reaction in several runs in 2005 and were able to synthesize a second atom,[14] followed by a third in 2012.[15]

The table below contains various combinations of targets and projectiles which could be used to form compound nuclei with Z=113.

Target Projectile CN Attempt result
208Pb71Ga279Nh
209Bi70Zn279Nh
238U45Sc283Nh
237Np48Ca285Nh
244Pu41K285Nh
250Cm37Cl287Nh
248Cm37Cl285Nh

Hot fusion

In June 2006, the Dubna-Livermore team synthesised nihonium directly by bombarding a neptunium-237 target with accelerated calcium-48 nuclei, in a search for the lighter isotopes 281Nh and 282Nh and their decay products, to provide insight into the stabilizing effects of the closed neutron shells at N = 162 and N = 184:

+ → + 3

Two atoms of 282Nh were detected.[16]

As decay product

List of nihonium isotopes observed by decay! Evaporation residue !! Observed nihonium isotope
294Lv, 290Fl ?290Nh ?
287Fl ?287Nh ?[17]
294Ts, 290Mc286Nh[18]
293Ts, 289Mc285Nh
288Mc284Nh[19]
287Mc283Nh
286Mc282Nh

Nihonium has been observed as a decay product of moscovium (via alpha decay). Moscovium currently has five known isotopes; all of them undergo alpha decays to become nihonium nuclei, with mass numbers between 282 and 286. Parent moscovium nuclei can be themselves decay products of tennessine. It may also occur as a decay product of flerovium (via electron capture), and parent flerovium nuclei can be themselves decay products of livermorium.[20] For example, in January 2010, the Dubna team (JINR) identified nihonium-286 as a product in the decay of tennessine via an alpha decay sequence:

→ +

→ +

Theoretical calculations

Evaporation residue cross sections

The below table contains various targets-projectile combinations for which calculations have provided estimates for cross section yields from various neutron evaporation channels. The channel with the highest expected yield is given.

DNS = Di-nuclear system; σ = cross section

Target Projectile CN Channel (product) σmax Model Ref
209Bi70Zn279Nh1n (278Nh)30 fbDNS[21]
238U45Sc283Nh3n (280Nh)20 fbDNS[22]
237Np48Ca285Nh3n (282Nh)0.4 pbDNS[23]
244Pu41K285Nh3n (282Nh)42.2 fbDNS
250Cm37Cl287Nh4n (283Nh)0.594 pbDNS
248Cm37Cl285Nh3n (282Nh)0.26 pbDNS

References

Notes and References

  1. Morita . Kosuke . Morimoto . Kouji . Kaji . Daiya . Haba . Hiromitsu . Ozeki . Kazutaka . Kudou . Yuki . Sumita . Takayuki . Wakabayashi . Yasuo . Yoneda . Akira . Tanaka . Kengo . Yamaki . Sayaka . Sakai . Ryutaro . Akiyama . Takahiro . Goto . Shin-ichi . Hasebe . Hiroo . Huang . Minghui . Huang . Tianheng . Ideguchi . Eiji . Kasamatsu . Yoshitaka . Katori . Kenji . Kariya . Yoshiki . Kikunaga . Hidetoshi . Koura . Hiroyuki . Kudo . Hisaaki . Mashiko . Akihiro . Mayama . Keita . Mitsuoka . Shin-ichi . Moriya . Toru . Murakami . Masashi . Murayama . Hirohumi . Namai . Saori . Ozawa . Akira . Sato . Nozomi . Sueki . Keisuke . Takeyama . Mirei . Tokanai . Fuyuki . Yamaguchi . Takayuki . Yoshida . Atsushi . New Result in the Production and Decay of an Isotope, 278 113, of the 113th Element . Journal of the Physical Society of Japan . 15 October 2012 . 81 . 10 . 103201 . 10.1143/JPSJ.81.103201 . 29 June 2023 . en . 0031-9015. 1209.6431 . 2012JPSJ...81j3201M . 119217928 .
  2. New isotope 286Mc produced in the 243Am+48Ca reaction . Oganessian . Yu. Ts. . Utyonkov . V. K. . Kovrizhnykh . N. D. . et al. . 2022 . Physical Review C . 106 . 64306 . 064306 . 10.1103/PhysRevC.106.064306. 2022PhRvC.106f4306O . 254435744 . free .
  3. Not directly synthesized, occurs as decay product of 287Mc
  4. Not directly synthesized, occurs as decay product of 288Mc
  5. Not directly synthesized, occurs in decay chain of 293Ts
  6. Not directly synthesized, occurs in decay chain of 294Ts
  7. Not directly synthesized, occurs in decay chain of 287Fl; unconfirmed
  8. Not directly synthesized, occurs in decay chain of 290Fl and 294Lv; unconfirmed
  9. Peter . Armbruster . amp . Gottfried . Münzenberg . Creating superheavy elements . Scientific American . 34 . 36–42 . 1989.
  10. Barber . Robert C. . Gäggeler . Heinz W. . Karol . Paul J. . Nakahara . Hiromichi . Vardaci . Emanuele . Vogt . Erich . Discovery of the element with atomic number 112 (IUPAC Technical Report) . Pure and Applied Chemistry . 81 . 7 . 1331 . 2009 . 10.1351/PAC-REP-08-03-05. free .
  11. Fleischmann . Martin . Pons . Stanley . 1989 . Electrochemically induced nuclear fusion of deuterium . Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry and Interfacial Electrochemistry . 261 . 2 . 301–308 . 10.1016/0022-0728(89)80006-3 .
  12. http://www.gsi.de/informationen/wti/library/scientificreport2003/files/1.pdf "Search for element 113"
  13. Experiment on the Synthesis of Element 113 in the Reaction 209Bi(70Zn, n)278113. 10.1143/JPSJ.73.2593. 2004. Morita . Kosuke . Journal of the Physical Society of Japan . 73 . 2593–2596 . Morimoto . Kouji . Kaji . Daiya . Akiyama . Takahiro . Goto . Sin-Ichi . Haba . Hiromitsu . Ideguchi . Eiji . Kanungo . Rituparna . Katori . Kenji . Koura . Hiroyuki . Kudo . Hisaaki . Ohnishi . Tetsuya . Ozawa . Akira . Suda . Toshimi . Sueki . Keisuke . Xu . Hushan . Yamaguchi . Takayuki . Yoneda . Akira . Yoshida . Atsushi . Zhao . Yuliang . 8 . 10 . 2004JPSJ...73.2593M .
  14. Barber . Robert C. . Karol . Paul J . Nakahara . Hiromichi . Vardaci . Emanuele . Vogt . Erich W. . Discovery of the elements with atomic numbers greater than or equal to 113 (IUPAC Technical Report). 10.1351/PAC-REP-10-05-01 . Pure and Applied Chemistry . 2011 . 83. 7 . 1485. free .
  15. Journal of the Physical Society of Japan. 81. 103201 . 2012. New Results in the Production and Decay of an Isotope, 278113, of the 113th Element. K. Morita . 10.1143/JPSJ.81.103201 . Morimoto . Kouji . Kaji . Daiya . Haba . Hiromitsu . Ozeki . Kazutaka . Kudou . Yuki . Sumita . Takayuki . Wakabayashi . Yasuo . Yoneda . Akira . Kengo . Tanaka . Sayaka . Yamaki . Ryutaro . Sakai . Takahiro . Akiyama . Shin-ichi . Goto . Hiroo . Hasebe . Minghui . Huang . Tianheng . Huang . Eiji . Ideguchi . Yoshitaka . Kasamatsu . Kenji . Katori . Yoshiki . Kariya . Hidetoshi . Kikunaga . Hiroyuki . Koura . Hisaaki . Kudo . Akihiro . Mashiko . Keita . Mayama . Shin-ichi . Mitsuoka . Toru . Moriya . Masashi . Murakami . Hirohumi . Murayama . Saori . Namai . Akira . Ozawa . Nozomi . Sato . Keisuke . Sueki . Mirei . Takeyama . Fuyuki . Tokanai . Takayuki . Yamaguchi . Atsushi . Yoshida . 10 . 10 . 1209.6431 . 2012JPSJ...81j3201M. 119217928 .
  16. Synthesis of the isotope 282113 in the 237Np+48Ca fusion reaction . Oganessian . Yu. Ts. . Physical Review C . 76 . 1 . 011601(R) . 2007 . 10.1103/PhysRevC.76.011601 . Utyonkov . V. . Lobanov . Yu. . Abdullin . F. . Polyakov . A. . Sagaidak . R. . Shirokovsky . I. . Tsyganov . Yu. . Voinov . A. . Gulbekian . Gulbekian . Bogomolov . Bogomolov . Gikal . Gikal . Mezentsev . Mezentsev . Subbotin . Subbotin . Sukhov . Sukhov . Subotic . Subotic . Zagrebaev . Zagrebaev . Vostokin . Vostokin . Itkis . Itkis . Henderson . Henderson . Kenneally . Kenneally . Landrum . Landrum . Moody . Moody . Shaughnessy . Shaughnessy . Stoyer . Stoyer . Stoyer . Stoyer . Wilk . Wilk. 2007PhRvC..76a1601O . 10.
  17. Remarks on the Fission Barriers of SHN and Search for Element 120 . S. . Hofmann . S. . Heinz . R. . Mann . J. . Maurer . G. . Münzenberg . S. . Antalic . W. . Barth . H. G. . Burkhard . L. . Dahl . K. . Eberhardt . R. . Grzywacz . J. H. . Hamilton . R. A. . Henderson . J. M. . Kenneally . B. . Kindler . I. . Kojouharov . R. . Lang . B. . Lommel . K. . Miernik . D. . Miller . K. J. . Moody . K. . Morita . K. . Nishio . A. G. . Popeko . J. B. . Roberto . J. . Runke . K. P. . Rykaczewski . S. . Saro . C. . Schneidenberger . H. J. . Schött . D. A. . Shaughnessy . M. A. . Stoyer . P. . Thörle-Pospiech . K. . Tinschert . N. . Trautmann . J. . Uusitalo . A. V. . Yeremin . 2016 . Exotic Nuclei . Yu. E. . Peninozhkevich . Yu. G. . Sobolev . Exotic Nuclei: EXON-2016 Proceedings of the International Symposium on Exotic Nuclei . 155–164 . 9789813226555.
  18. Oganessian. Yu. Ts.. Abdullin. F. Sh.. Bailey. P. D.. Benker. D. E.. Bennett. M. E.. Dmitriev. S. N.. Ezold. J. G.. Hamilton. J. H.. Henderson. R. A.. 8. Synthesis of a New Element with Atomic Number Z=117. Physical Review Letters. 104 . 2010. 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.142502. 20481935. 2010PhRvL.104n2502O. 14. 142502. free.
  19. Book: 10.1063/1.2746600. Heaviest Nuclei Produced in 48Ca-induced Reactions (Synthesis and Decay Properties). AIP Conference Proceedings. 2007. Oganessian. Yu. Ts.. Penionzhkevich. Yu. E.. Cherepanov. E. A.. 912. 235–246.
  20. Web site: Interactive Chart of Nuclides . Brookhaven National Laboratory . Sonzogni . Alejandro . National Nuclear Data Center . 2008-06-06 . 2007-08-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070807170127/http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/chart/reCenter.jsp?z=113&n=173 . dead .
  21. 0707.2588. 10.1103/PhysRevC.76.044606. Formation of superheavy nuclei in cold fusion reactions. 2007 . Feng . Zhao-Qing . Physical Review C . 76 . 044606 . Jin . Gen-Ming . Li . Jun-Qing . Scheid . Werner . 4 . 2007PhRvC..76d4606F. 711489 .
  22. Feng. Z.. Jin. G.. Li. J.. Production of new superheavy Z=108-114 nuclei with 238U, 244Pu and 248,250Cm targets. 2009. 0912.4069. Physical Review C. 80. 5. 057601. 10.1103/PhysRevC.80.057601. 118733755 .
  23. 0803.1117. 10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2008.11.003. Production of heavy and superheavy nuclei in massive fusion reactions. 2009 . Feng . Z . Nuclear Physics A . 816 . 1–4. 33–51 . Jin . G . Li . J . Scheid . W . 2009NuPhA.816...33F. 18647291 .

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