Element 115, Moscovium:7 Interesting Facts

by

Element 115

The synthetic chemical element with atomic number 115 is called Moscovium [Mc].

Discovery of Element 115

Moscovium was first synthesized by a joint team of American and Russian scientists in the year 2003. They conducted their research at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. The element was formerly labeled as Ununpentium, a placeholder name that translates as one-one-five in Latin. It was officially named Moscovium on 28th November 2016 honoring the Moscow Oblast, in which the JINR is situated.

Quick Facts

Symbol of element 115 : Mc
Atomic Number of element 115: 115
Atomic Weight of element 115 : 288
Period of element 115: 7
Group : 15{ pnictogen family}
VB (IUPAC), VA (CAS)
Metal, Radioactive, Synthetic.
Block: P
Systematic [IUPAC] symbol and name Ununpentium [Uup]
State at room temperature Solid
Electrons per shell 2 8 18 32 32 18 5

* The atomic weight for synthetic trans-uranium elements is based on the element’s longest-living isotope.

Electronic configuration of element 115

Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p3
Or,
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p3

Orbital Diagram of element 115

1s ↿⇂
2s ↿⇂ 2p ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂
3s ↿⇂ 3p ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ 3d ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂
4s ↿⇂ 4p ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ 4d ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ 4f ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂
5s ↿⇂ 5p ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ 5d ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ 5f ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂
6s ↿⇂ 6p ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ 6d ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ ↿⇂ 6f
7s ↿⇂ 7p ↿ ↿ ↿ 7d 7f

Structure of element 115

element 115
Image credit : “File:Electron shell 115 Moscovium.svg” by Pumbaa (original work by Greg Robson) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Properties of element 115

• Moscovium is a highly radioactive, synthetic element that is classified as a metal and is estimated to be a solid at room temperature.
• Moscovium is a member of the 7th period in p-block transactinide and is placed in group 15 as the heaviest pnictogen.

How is element 115 (Moscovium) created?

Atoms of americium-243 are bombarded with ions of calcium-48 with the help of a device called a cyclotron. This produces one atom of moscovium-287 and three atoms of moscovium-288.
However, all four atoms formed, rapidly decays into other elements like Nihonium-285 [atomic number 113].

Element 115: Nuclear Stability

In super-heavy elements, two types of radioactive decay are possible: alpha-decay and spontaneous fission.
Alpha decay: Discovered by Henri Becquerel in 1898, refers to the spontaneous emission of an alpha particle or [4He2] by a dense nucleus. This form of decay can be seen in nuclei heavier than lead.
Spontaneous fission: Discovered by Georgy Flerov and Konstantin Petrjak in 1940 refers to the spontaneous splitting of a nucleus into two fragments. This form of decay is observed in actinides and transactinides.

In 1969 a new theory predicted that the stability of an atom is expected to increase in the range of neutron-rich nuclei (with mass numbers between 280 and 300). Near ‘magic’ numbers of protons and neutrons, Z = 114 and N = 184, a range of relatively stable elements are found.
288Mc115 has odd number of protons and neutrons (Z = 115, N = 173). Such a configuration prevents spontaneous fission, so it is expected that the nucleus will undergo alpha decay.

Emission of an alpha particle from 288M115 forms the nucleus of the element 113, i.e. Nihonium. This nucleus again decays to produce the element 111, which then follows the same pattern to form element 109, and so on. At each step, we move away from the magic number N = 184. Due to this, the nucleus becomes more stable towards alpha decay and more prone to spontaneous fission, and eventually, the chain is terminated by spontaneous fission.

Element 115 Isotopes:

Moscovium has four isotopes, meaning that scientists have managed to produce d 4 different ‘versions’ of Moscovium, each with a unique number of neutrons.
The most stable isotope Moscovium-290 has a half-life of only 220 milliseconds, i.e. half of the Moscovium atoms break down into different atoms in 220 milliseconds.
Due to its radioactive nature and rapid decay factor, it has not been possible to synthesize the element in large quantities.

Element 115 Gravity waves:

Gravity B field is native to every form of matter. But, a heavy element like Moscovium possesses additional Gravity A waves. This Gravity A wave extends past the perimeter of the atom. Thereby establishing the element’s own Gravity A field.

No naturally occurring element on earth has an adequate number of protons and neutrons for the cumulative Gravity A field to extend past the perimeter of its atom such that it becomes accessible. Even though the Gravity A wave extends infinitesimally past the perimeter of the atom, it is accessible, and it has a wavelength, amplitude and frequency. Once the Gravity A wave is accessed, we can amplify it in the manner we amplify other electromagnetic waves. The amplified Gravity A wave can then be focused on the desired destination to cause space/time distortion essential for practical space travel.

The power of this amplified Gravity A wave is immense. The only naturally occurring gravity source that could cause this much space/time distortion is the black hole.

Element 115 uses | Moscovium Uses

• At present, scientists have been able to produce only a few Moscovium atoms. These atoms are mainly used for research purposes.
• Moscovium is used to create metal ununtrium or nihonium after it undergoes alpha decay.
• Being an entirely synthetic element, it does not have any significant biological role. Its effect on nature is also negligible due to its rapid decay.

Element 115 : Bob Lazar’s Conspiracy theory

In 1989, Bob Lazar [an American physicist/conspiracy theorist] stated that the UFOs or the extraterrestrial spacecraft recovered by the US government were powered by a mysterious ‘Element 115’. At that time, no knowledge of ‘Element 115’ was present. So, the statements made by Lazar were tagged as irrational.

In 2003, his claims gained more credibility when some Russian scientists succeeded to produce the mysterious element. However, the scientific version of ‘Element 115’ or Moscovium is significantly different from what Bob Lazar described.
According to Lazar, element 115 is the main source of fuel for the extraterrestrial spacecraft and can be considered to be a major power source. However, the scientifically synthesized element 115, i.e. Moscovium, decays in less than a second, making it incapable of being utilized for anything.

Element 115: Urban Myths

After Bob Lazar introduced element 115 into the extraterrestrial domain, it has become the core of urban alien myths.

Zombie Element

Element 115 is playing the role of a mysterious Zombie Element in Call of Duty [Video game]. In the game, exposure to element 115 can cause illusions, memory loss and reanimation of dead cells creating zombies.

Elerium

In the X-COM franchise, Element 115 or Elerium appears as a source of energy for all alien technologies. Elerium cannot be synthesized on Earth. It can be obtained only from alien bases.

Dark Reign

In Dark Reign , element-115 is referred to as the substance that could literally hide the secrets of the universe.

Element 115 or Moscovium still holds a lot of secrets that only future researches can reveal.

To know about more science related article click here

Also Read: