Flerovium
[Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² 7p² · 2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 32 · 18 · 4
An element named after Georgy Flyorov, the physicist who in 1942 wrote to Stalin that Western journals had stopped publishing on uranium fission — and thereby started the Soviet atomic project.
3D model
Bohr model: nucleus and electron shells from the real configuration. Valence electrons are highlighted.
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Atomic properties
- Atomic number
- 114
- Atomic mass
- 289 а.е.м. ≈
- Electron configuration
- [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² 7p²
- Electrons per shell
- 2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 32 · 18 · 4
- Block
- p-block
- Group
- Carbon group
- Period
- 7
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- no data
- Electronegativity (Allen)
- no data
- Atomic radius
- no data
- Covalent radius
- 143 pm
- Van der Waals radius
- no data
- Ionisation energy 1
- 832.2 kJ/mol ≈
- Electron affinity
- no data
- Common oxidation states
- +2
- Oxidation states
- +2
Physical properties
- State at 25 °C
- liquid
- Density
- 14 g/cm³ ≈
- Melting point
- 200 K · -73.2 °C ≈
- Boiling point
- 380 K · 106.9 °C ≈
- Speed of sound
- no data
Thermal properties
- Heat of fusion
- no data
- Heat of vaporisation
- no data
- Specific heat capacity
- no data
- Thermal conductivity
- no data
Mechanical properties
- Young's modulus
- no data
- Shear modulus
- no data
- Bulk modulus
- no data
- Poisson ratio
- no data
- Mohs hardness
- no data
- Brinell hardness
- no data
Electrical and magnetic properties
- Electrical resistivity
- no data
- Magnetic ordering
- no data
- Curie point
- no data
- Néel point
- no data
- Superconducting point
- no data
Crystal structure
- Crystal structure
- face-centred cubic (fcc) ≈
- Lattice constants
- no data
Abundance
- In the crust
- 0 mg/kg
- In the ocean
- 0 mg/L
- In the universe
- 0 mg/kg
- In the human body
- 0 mg/kg
Isotopes
| Isotope | Abundance | Half-life | Decay mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 289Fl | — | 1.9 s | α |
| 290Fl | — | 19 s | α |
Flerovium-289 lives about 2 seconds and flerovium-290 about 19. The proton number 114 is thought to be magic, which is what makes this region an island of stability.
Discovery
- Year of discovery
- 1999
- Discovered by
- Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
- Where
- Dubna, Russia
- Origin of the name
- after Georgy Flyorov, founder of the Dubna nuclear reactions laboratory
History
JINR at Dubna synthesised element 114 in 1999 by bombarding plutonium with calcium-48 ions. The name was confirmed in 2012, honouring the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions.
Where it occurs
Absent from nature.
How it is produced
By nuclear fusion: plutonium-244 bombarded with calcium-48 ions.
Role in living things
No biological role.
Safety
Only single atoms are ever handled.
Uses
Fundamental research: flerovium is the closest approach yet to the predicted island of stability
Curiosities
- Flyorov noticed the absence of uranium fission papers in Western journals and inferred the subject had been classified — the signal that moved the Soviet leadership.
- 114 protons is a predicted magic number, which makes flerovium the gateway to the island of stability.
- Experiments in the 2010s showed flerovium is more volatile than lead but less so than copernicium.
- Every element from 113 to 118 was made with a calcium-48 beam.