At a recent conference on atomic and molecular physics, a young faculty was busy with a nice talk on high energy ion collisions and was going on about what he had planned for his newly-developed spectrometer. Everything was okay — science-wise at least — until one member from the audience threw a rather stunning curveball at the speaker. The question was simple. “What is the use of your research to all of Mankind?”
The speaker was stunned. The expression he had on his face was something similar to, “Dude, I do fundamental physics to chase a passion for higher knowledge”.
But hey, what's the use of “higher knowledge” if this boat of a planet is on rough seas? It's not often we here such counters, or questions? Because sometime last year, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry proudly announced four new elements with atomic numbers 113 (Nihonium), 115 (Moscovium), 117(Tennessine) and 118 (Oganesson). Besides making life difficult for that child attempting the physics paper do these elements have any real purpose? Do they have any commercial application?
In the simplest view, creation of new super heavy elements, with the advancement of scientific methods, is just the fusion of two nuclei of smaller elemental atoms. For example, Tennessine can be created by smashing calcium (Atomic number 20 ) into Berkelenium (Atomic number 97). But in the real world, the experiment is not that easy. The nuclei repel each other. And to overcome this repulsion, scientists need enough energy. But if the energy is too high, the nuclei could destroy each other completely. Finding the sweet spot then, takes a lot of effort.
So why do we still do it, when there is not an application in the immediate future? It’s because ‘yes, we can do it’. You see, it is important to prove scientific theories with experimental data. We know a lot about stable elements but these experiments in the unstable world could open doors to new possibilities. We stand to uncover secrets that may defy the core logic of the periodic table itself. For example, Flerovium (Element 114), is a kind of metal and at the same time, a kind of gas!
We live in an age of apps which allow for easy retrieval of verified data and the focus is on the day-to-day satisfaction of an immediate requirement. Science is a bit more far-sighted — applications are often decades away. A scientist experimenting with volatile elements today could in the future, pave the way for fission-based power production. Who knows?
It is this quest for pure knowledge that will one day help us achieve what was previously assumed as “the impossible”. As elemental nuclei get bigger, the electrons orbiting them are so energised that they are travelling at light speed, sparking an entirely new world of quantum effects.
With the discovery of these four new elements, the periodic table’s seventh row is now complete. However, we’re already wondering if there's an eighth row and that curiosity is what makes us human.
A table of use
- The Periodic Table is maintained by the International Union of Pure Applied Chemistry. The format in use has existed since 1869.
- The four new Elements, 113, 115, 117 and 118, were added to the periodic table in December. This is the table’s first update since 2011
- There are now seven rows in the Periodic Table. It is hoped that with the new discovery, we could soon have an eighth row
- Currently, on the Periodic Table, there is space only for 118 elements. More discoveries could help expand the size, and scope of the table.
