ELEMENT 106

• Atomic Number: 106
• Atomic Symbol:
• Atomic Weight: (263)
• Electron Configuration: -32-12-2

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History:

In June 1974, members of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, U.S.S.R., reported their discovery of Element 106, which they claim to have synthesized. In September 1974, workers of the Lawrence Berkeley and Livermore Laboratories also reported creation Element 106 "without any scientific doubt." The LBL and LLL Group used the Super HILAC to accelerate 18O ions onto a 249Cf target. Element 106 was created by the reaction 249Cf(18O, 4N)263X, which decayed by alpha emission to rutherfordium, and then by alpha emission to nobelium, which in turn further decayed by alpha between daughter and granddaughter. The element so identified had alpha energies of 9.06 and 9.25 MeV with a half-life of 0.9 +/- 0.2 s. At Dubna, 280-MeV ions of 54Cr from the 310-cm cyclotron were used to strike targets of 206Pb, 207Pb, and 208Pb, in separate runs. Foils exposed to a rotating target disc were used to detect spontaneous fission activities, the foils being etched and examined microscopically to detect the number of fission tracks and the half-life of the fission activity. Other experiments were made to aid in confirmation of the discovery. Neither the Dubna team nore the Berkeley-Livermore Group has proposed a name as yet for Element 106 (unnilhexium).

Source: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 1913-1995. David R. Lide, Editor in Chief. Author: C.R. Hammond