June 26, 2012 3:18 pm
117th Element “Ununseptium” Confirmed, Will Get Name Not Stolen From Avatar
Ununseptium’s confirmation fills in the missing spot in this delicious periodic table. Photo: Foodie Friday
The creation of Ununseptium, the unpronounceable element from the weirdest corner of the periodic table, has finally been confirmed! It’s produced by smashing calcium atoms into berkelium, another synthetic element.
The chemical goes by the placeholder name Ununseptium–chemical symbol Uus.
This confirmation follows the original discovery, made in 2010 by a joint US—Russian team.
Andrei Popeko, a senior official at the The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, outside Moscow, said that it could take up to a year before Uus can be given a new name. Whatever they choose, element 117 will join the recently re-branded Flerovium (114, formerly Ununquadium) and Livermorium (116, formerly Ununhexium) in rounding out the periodic table.
More from Smithsonian.com:
Six Secrets of Polonium
Meet the New Elements
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