and 8.007 MeV. A more detailed account of the energy levels in 25X Fm populated by the a-particle decay of 255 No is the subject of a future publication. 9 Based on our experience with the identification of nobelium, we feel that a conclusive atomicnumber identification can be obtained with the observation of far fewer coincident events than were recorded in this experiment. We are currently applying this technique to the identification and study of a -active isotopes of transnobelium elements.We wish to express our thanks to Dr. M. L. Mallory and E. D. Hudson for pioneering ion source and cyclotron development, to A. W. Riikola and the operating crew of the Oak Ridge isochronous cyclotron for providing copious quantities of 12 C +4 ions for this experiment, and to Dr. R. D. Baybarz for preparing the 249 Cf target. * Research sponsored by the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission under contract with the Union Carbide Corporation.Extensive discussions on the physical 1 and chemical properties 2 of superheavy elements began after Myers and Swiatecki 3 pointed out that shell effects may lead to an island of relative stability beyond the present periodic table and after Meldner and Roper calculated that the next shell closure after 82 should probably occur at proton number 114. Detailed lifetime calculations were carried out for superheavy nuclei with even proton numbers by Nilsson 5i6 and Greiner 7 and their collaborators, and it was emphasized that additional stability is expected for odd-Z and/or odd-i\T nuclei. 7 * 8 These studies indicate for certain superheavy nuclei half-lives sufficiently long 5 for survival throughout geologic time, i.e., T x / 2 g 10 8 yr, and for occurrence in the cosmic radiation, T 1/2^1 0 5 yr, provided that such nuclei are produced in nucleosynthesis.