PHYSICAL
SCIENCE
FOR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
SYNTHESIS OF
ARTIFICIAL ELEMENTS
QUARTER 3 LESSON 2
LEARNING COMPETENCIES
The learners will be able to:
1. Explain how the concept of atomic number led to the
synthesis of new elements in the laboratory
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever wondered
how some artificial
elements in the Periodic
Table were formed? Have
you noticed the missing
blanks on the Periodic
Table? There could be new
elements to be discovered
by scientists in the future.
WHO IS DMITRI MENDELEEV?
A Russian chemist who came to
prominence with his tabular diagram of known
elements in 1869. This became known as the
periodic table. Here’s what’s especially
amazing: Mendeleev’s chart allotted spaces for
elements that were yet to be discovered. For
some of these missing pieces, he predicted what
their atomic masses and other chemical
properties would be. Mendeleev paved way for
other scientists to have a glimpse of the
brilliance behind the periodic table.
WHO IS HENRY MOSELEY?
An English physicist who showed that
atomic number (number of protons in an atom)
determines most of the properties of an
element. He started his study in Ernest
Rutherford’s laboratory about radioactivity, but
later decided to dwell more on X-rays.
In 1913, he made use of X-ray
Spectroscopy to determine the atomic number
of an element. With his findings, he published a
paper on a better arrangement of the elements
in the Periodic Table based on their atomic
numbers.
WHO IS HENRY MOSELEY?
This discovery of X-ray
spectroscopy predicted elements
that were not yet discovered. In
fact, he found out that there are
four gaps in the table when
elements were arranged based
on their atomic numbers. These
gaps corresponded to the
atomic numbers 43, 61, 85, and
87. These elements were later
prepared in the laboratory.
WHO IS ERNEST RUTHERFORD?
A British physicist who performed
successfully a nuclear transmutation, a reaction
that changes one element or isotope into another
element, in 1919. He used alpha particles to fire on
nitrogen nuclei, thereby producing Oxygen (O).
But alpha particles and atomic nuclei repel
each other since both are positively charged. As a
result, he often used neutrons, neutral particles, in
particle accelerators to synthesize or form new
elements.
WHO IS ERNEST RUTHERFORD?
A Particle Accelerator is
a device used to accelerate the
protons to very high energies by
using magnetic and electrical
fields to form new elements.
Remember that Moseley
noted four gaps in the periodic
table. Two of these elements
were artificially prepared in the
laboratory using particle
accelerators.
MISSING ELEMENT NO. 43
The name Technetium, Tc comes from the
Greek word “technetos” which means artificial.
Technetium was the first element to be produced
artificially. This element was found in a sample of
molybdenum (Mo-atomic number 42) sent by Ernest
Lawrence that was bombarded by deuterons in the
Berkeley cyclotron.
Technetium is a remarkable corrosion
inhibitor for steel and adding very small amounts
can provide excellent protection. In medical
diagnostic procedures, technetium is the most
commonly used medical isotope.
MISSING ELEMENT NO. 43
MISSING ELEMENT NO. 85
Dale Corson, Kenneth Ross
Mackenzie and Emilio Segre produced
the element with atomic number 85 in
1940. Using electric field and magnetic
field, they bombarded Bismuth (atomic
number 83) with fast-moving alpha
particles. As a result, element-85 was
formed and named Astatine from the
Greek word “astatos” meaning
unstable. Interestingly, Astatine can be
used in the treatment of thyroid cancer
and as a radioactive tracer.
MISSING ELEMENT NO. 85
MISSING ELEMENTS NO. 87 AND 61
Element 87 (Francium), discovered by
Marguerite Catherine Perey, was
discovered as a decay product of Actinium
(Ac). It is the last element to be discovered
in nature. On the other hand, Element 61
(Promethium), was discovered by
bombarding neodymium and praseodymium
with neutrons.
DISCOVERY OF SYNTHETIC ELEMENTS
In 1940, Edwin McMillan used a particle accelerator to bombard Uranium with
neutrons.
The new element formed is Neptunium (Np). It is used for spacecraft generators
and terrestrial navigation beacons. It is also used in neutron detection equipment.
DISCOVERY OF SYNTHETIC ELEMENTS
At the end of 1940, Seaborg, McMillan, Kennedy and Wahl synthesized the
element Plutonium. They bombarded Uranium with deuterons (particles composed
of a proton and a neutron).
The new element formed is Plutonium (Pu). It is used as a fuel in nuclear power
plants and in making nuclear weapons like atomic bombs.
DISCOVERY OF SYNTHETIC ELEMENTS
Using particle accelerator, transuranium elements are
artificially prepared in the laboratory. These are elements with atomic
numbers greater than 92, the atomic number of Uranium. Thus, Neptunium
and Plutonium are both transuranium elements. They decay radioactively into
a new element. For more transuranium elements, you may refer to the
Periodic Table of Elements.
The most recent element discovered is Tennessine. It is a
synthetic element with the symbol Ts and the atomic number 117. It is the
second-heaviest known element and the penultimate element of the 7th
period of the periodic table.
