The periodic table provides a classification of the chemical properties of the elements. But for the heaviest elements, the transactinides, this role of the periodic table reaches its limits because increasingly strong relativistic effects on the valence electron shells can induce deviations from known trends in chemical properties. In the case of the first two transactinides, elements 104 and 105, relativistic effects do indeed influence their chemical properties, whereas elements 106 and 107 both behave as expected from their position within the periodic table. Here we report the chemical separation and characterization of only seven detected atoms of element 108 (hassium, Hs), which were generated as isotopes (269)Hs (refs 8, 9) and (270)Hs (ref. 10) in the fusion reaction between (26)Mg and (248)Cm. The hassium atoms are immediately oxidized to a highly volatile oxide, presumably HsO(4), for which we determine an enthalpy of adsorption on our detector surface that is comparable to the adsorption enthalpy determined under identical conditions for the osmium oxide OsO(4). These results provide evidence that the chemical properties of hassium and its lighter homologue osmium are similar, thus confirming that hassium exhibits properties as expected from its position in group 8 of the periodic table.

Spectroscopy of Element 115 Decay Chains

Superheavy Element Flerovium (Element 114) Is a Volatile MetalAccess to the published version may require subscription. Superheavy Element Flerovium (Element 114) is a Volatile MetalAlexander Yakushev †, , Jacklyn M. ABSTRACT: The electron shell structure of superheavy elements, i.e., elements with atomic number Z ≥ 104, is influenced by strong relativistic effects caused by the high Z. Early atomic calculations on element 112 (copernicium, Cn) and element 114 (flerovium, Fl) having closed and quasiclosed electron shell configurations of 6d 10 7s 2 and 6d 10 7s 2 7p 1/2 , respectively, predicted them to be noble gas-like due to very strong relativistic effects on the 7s and 7p 1/2 valence orbitals. Recent fully relativistic calculations studying Cn and Fl in different environments suggest them to be less reactive compared to their lighter homologs in the groups, but still exhibiting a metallic character. Experimental gassolid chromatography studies on Cn have, indeed, revealed a metal-metal bond formation with Au. In contrast to this, for Fl, the formation of a weak bond upon physisorption on a Au surface was inferred from first experiments. Here, we report on a gas-solid chromatography study of the adsorption of Fl on a Au surface. Fl was produced in the nuclear fusion reaction 244 Pu( 48 Ca, 3-4n) 288,289 Fl and was isolated in-flight from the primary 48 Ca beam in a physical recoil separator. The adsorption behavior of Fl, its nuclear α-decay product Cn, their lighter homologs in groups 14 and 12, i.e., Pb and Hg, and the noble gas Rn were studied simultaneously by isothermal gas chromatography and thermochromatography. Two Fl atoms were detected. They adsorbed on a Au surface at room temperature in the first, isothermal part, but not as readily as Pb and Hg. The observed adsorption behavior of Fl points to a higher inertness compared to its nearest homolog in the group, Pb. However, the measured lower limit for the adsorption enthalpy of Fl on a Au surface points to the formation of a metal-metal bond of Fl with Au. Fl is the least reactive element in the group, but still a metal.

Theoretical calculations predict 270Hs (Z=108, N=162) to be a doubly magic deformed nucleus, decaying mainly by alpha-particle emission. In this work, based on a rapid chemical isolation of Hs isotopes produced in the 26Mg+248Cm reaction, we observed 15 genetically linked nuclear decay chains. Four chains were attributed to the new nuclide 270Hs, which decays by alpha-particle emission with Qalpha=9.02+/-0.03 MeV to 266Sg which undergoes spontaneous fission with a half-life of 444(-148)(+444) ms. A production cross section of about 3 pb was measured for 270Hs. Thus, 270Hs is the first nucleus for which experimental nuclear decay properties have become available for comparison with theoretical predictions of the N=162 shell stability.

Zirconium / Hafnium / Thorium / Rutherfordium / Fluoride complexation / Anion and cation exchange chromatography Summary. The fluoride complexation of the group-4 elements Zr, Hf and Rf, and of the pseudo-homolog Th, has been investigated in mixed HNO 3 /HF solutions by studying K d values on both cation exchange resins (CIX) and anion exchange resins (AIX) using the automated rapid chemistry apparatus ARCA. On the CIX, the four elements are strongly retained as cations below 10 Ϫ3 M HF. For Zr and Hf, the decrease of the K d values due to the formation of fluoride complexes occurs between 10 Ϫ3 M HF and 10 Ϫ2 M HF. For Rf and Th, this decrease is observed at one order of magnitude higher HF concentrations. On the AIX, for Zr and Hf, a rise of the K d values due to the formation of anionic fluoride complexes is observed between 10 Ϫ3 M HF and 10 Ϫ2 M HF, i.e. in the same range of HF concentrations where the decrease of the K d values on the CIX is observed, yielding a consistent picture. For Rf and Th, on the AIX, no rise of the K d values is observed even if the HF concentration is increased up to 1 M. By varying the concentration of the counter ion NO 3 Ϫ which is competing for the binding sites on the AIX resin, it could be shown, nevertheless, that Rf does form anionic fluoride complexes. Apparently, there is a more specific competition of NO 3 Ϫ with respect to [RfF x ] (xϪ4)Ϫ than with [ZrF y ] (yϪ4)Ϫ and [HfF z ] (zϪ4)Ϫ .

Products of the fusion-evaporation reaction 48 Ca + 243 Am were studied with the TASISpec set-up at the gas-filled separator TASCA at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung. Amongst the detected thirty correlated α-decay chains associated with the production of element Z = 115, two recoil-α-fission and five recoil-α-α-fission events were observed. The latter are similar to four such events reported from experiments performed at the Dubna gas-filled separator. Contrary to their interpretation, we propose an alternative view, namely to assign eight of these eleven decay chains of recoil-α(-α)-fission type to start from the 3n-evaporation channel 288 115. The other three decay chains remain viable candidates for the 2n-evaporation channel 289 115.

The analysis of a large body of heavy ion fusion reaction data with medium-heavy projectiles (6 < or = Z < or = 18) and actinide targets suggests a disappearance of the 3n exit channel with increasing atomic number of the projectile. Here, we report a measurement of the excitation function of the reaction (248)Cm ((26)Mg,xn)(274-x)Hs and the observation of the new nuclide (271)Hs produced in the 3n evaporation channel at a beam energy well below the Bass fusion barrier with a cross section comparable to the maxima of the 4n and 5n channels. This indicates the possible discovery of new neutron-rich transactinide nuclei using relatively light heavy ion beams of the most neutron-rich stable isotopes and actinide targets.

Experiments with the new recoil separator, TASCA, at the GSI were performed using beams of 48 Ca to irradiate targets of [206][207][208] Pb leading to the production of [252][253][254]