Seaborgium
[Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d⁴ 7s² · 2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 32 · 12 · 2
The only element named after a scientist who was still alive to see it. Glenn Seaborg took part in the discovery of ten elements, and his colleagues decided to honour him while he could know about it.
3D model
Bohr model: nucleus and electron shells from the real configuration. Valence electrons are highlighted.
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Atomic properties
- Atomic number
- 106
- Atomic mass
- 269 а.е.м. ≈
- Electron configuration
- [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d⁴ 7s²
- Electrons per shell
- 2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 32 · 12 · 2
- Block
- d-block
- Group
- Chromium 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
- 757 kJ/mol ≈
- Electron affinity
- no data
- Common oxidation states
- +6
- Oxidation states
- +6
Physical properties
- State at 25 °C
- unknown
- Density
- 23.5 g/cm³ ≈
- Melting point
- no data
- Boiling point
- no data
- 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
- body-centred cubic (bcc) ≈
- Lattice constants
- no data
Abundance
- In the crust
- does not occur
- In the ocean
- does not occur
- In the universe
- does not occur
- In the human body
- does not occur
Isotopes
| Isotope | Abundance | Half-life | Decay mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 269Sg | — | 14 min | α |
| 271Sg | — | 2.4 min | α |
Seaborgium-269, half-life about 14 minutes, is the longest-lived known isotope.
Discovery
- Year of discovery
- 1974
- Discovered by
- Albert Ghiorso and colleagues
- Where
- Berkeley, USA
- Origin of the name
- after Glenn Seaborg, the only element named for a living scientist at the time
History
Ghiorso and colleagues synthesised element 106 at Berkeley in 1974. Naming it after a living Seaborg drew objections from IUPAC, but after a dispute the name was confirmed in 1997.
Where it occurs
Absent from nature.
How it is produced
By nuclear fusion: californium-249 bombarded with oxygen-18 ions. It is made one atom at a time.
Role in living things
No biological role.
Safety
Only single atoms are ever handled.
Uses
Fundamental research: seaborgium chemistry in 1997 confirmed its resemblance to tungsten
Curiosities
- Seaborgium was the only element named for a living person at the time; oganesson later became the second.
- Seaborg joked that people could now look him up in the periodic table, which beat any prize.
- The 1997 experiments showed seaborgium forms a volatile oxohydroxide, as tungsten does.
- Glenn Seaborg took part in discovering plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium and seaborgium.