This week, we meet the last element that has been synthesised so far. This element is ununoctium, which has the temporary atomic symbol, Uuo and the permanent atomic number, 118.

This element probably a non-metallic colourless element may be either a volatile solid or possibly a gas -- similar to its little sisters in row column 18 (the noble gases) of the periodic table. This element is known from just three atoms that were claimed to have been synthesised three years apart.

Ununoctium, also known as element 118, was reported as being discovered in 2002 (doi:10.1038/news061016-4). This experiment initially produced one atom and involved bombarding a californium-249 target with 2.5 x 1019 calcium-48 ions. Ununoctium is radioactive (of course) with a half-life that appears to last less than a millisecond -- longer than some predictions, which seems to support the idea that an "island of stability" exists.

The island of stability is a concept first proposed by Glenn Seaborg in the late 1960s (the element seaborgium was named to honour him whilst he was still alive). Although observations revealed that the elements trend towards becoming increasingly unstable as their atomic number (nuclear size) increases, according to the "island of stability" idea, some of the super-heavy elements may be more stable than those with an atomic number that is closer to that of uranium. According to calculations, some of these super-heavy synthetic elements may have half-lives of minutes or days instead of milliseconds. Some physicists even predict half-lives of millions of years.

Probably the most interesting events associated with element 118 is the fact that the original discovery claim was later found to be fraudulent. In 1999, a team at Berkeley announced they had synthesised what appeared to be elements 118 and 116 by bombarding a lead-208 target with krypton-86 ions. They also claimed this work took just 11 days to produce three atoms of element 118. This experiment had originally been suggested by Polish physicist, Robert Smolanczuk, but the claim was later retracted when several groups (including the Berkeley team) were unable to reproduce these results. An investigation found that the original claim by Bulgarian physicist, Victor Ninov, was based on fraudulent data (doi:10.1038/420728a). Ninov was fired in 2001.

Interestingly, Ninov was a member of the team at Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) in Germany where he played a key role in their discoveries of darmstadtium, roentgenium and copernicium (elements 110, 111 and 112, respectively). The investigation found that some of the data for those experiments had also been altered (doi:10.1038/420728a) but when those experiments were repeated, the discoveries were confirmed and allowed to stand (doi:10.1140/epja/i2001-10119-x).

Here's our favourite professor telling us a little about element 118, including how scientists predict some of its chemical properties. Our favourite chemistry professor also explains why we may be waiting a long time before we see an element 119:

[Video link]

Interesting reading about this fraudulent scientific claim and the resulting fallout:

New York Times: At Lawrence Berkeley, Physicists Say a Colleague Took Them for a Ride.

The Journal of Higher Education: Atomic Lies: How one physicist may have cheated in the race to find new elements.

SFGate: Berkeley lab found research fabricated / Scientist accused of misconduct fired.

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Video journalist Brady Haran is the man with the camera and the University of Nottingham is the place with the chemists. You can follow Brady on twitter @periodicvideos and the University of Nottingham on twitter @UniofNottingham

You've already met these elements:

Ununseptium: Uus, atomic number 117

Livermorium: Lv, atomic number 116

Ununpentium: Uup, atomic number 115

Flerovium: Fl, atomic number 114

Ununtrium: Uut, atomic number 113

Copernicium: Cn, atomic number 112

Roentgenium: Rg, atomic number 111

Darmstadtium: Ds, atomic number 110

Meitnerium: Mt, atomic number 109

Hassium: Hs, atomic number 108

Bohrium: Bh, atomic number 107

Seaborgium: Sg, atomic number 106

Dubnium: Db, atomic number 105

Rutherfordium: Rf, atomic number 104

Lawrencium: Lw, atomic number 103

Nobelium: No, atomic number 102

Mendelevium: Md, atomic number 101

Fermium: Fm, atomic number 100

Einsteinium: Es, atomic number 99

Californium: Cf, atomic number 98

Berkelium: Bk, atomic number 97

Curium: Cm, atomic number 96

Americium: Am, atomic number 95

Plutonium: Pu, atomic number 94

Neptunium: Np, atomic number 93

Uranium: U, atomic number 92

Protactinium: Pa, atomic number 91

Thorium: Th, atomic number 90

Actinium: Ac, atomic number 89

Radium: Ra, atomic number 88

Francium: Fr, atomic number 87

Radon: Rn, atomic number 86

Astatine: As, atomic number 85

Polonium: Po, atomic number 84

Bismuth: Bi, atomic number 83

Lead: Pb, atomic number 82

Thallium: Tl, atomic number 81

Mercury: Hg, atomic number 80

Gold: Au, atomic number 79

Platinum: Pt, atomic number 78

Iridium: Ir, atomic number 77

Osmium: Os, atomic number 76

Rhenium: Re, atomic number 75

Tungsten: W, atomic number 74

Tantalum: Ta, atomic number 73

Hafnium: Hf, atomic number 72

Lutetium: Lu, atomic number 71

Ytterbium: Yb, atomic number 70

Thulium: Tm, atomic number 69

Erbium: Er, atomic number 68

Holmium: Ho, atomic number 67

Dysprosium: Dy, atomic number 66

Terbium: Tb, atomic number 65

Gadolinium: Gd, atomic number 64

Europium: Eu, atomic number 63

Samarium: Sm, atomic number 62

Promethium: Pm, atomic number 61

Neodymium: Nd, atomic number 60

Praseodymium: Pr, atomic number 59

Cerium: Ce, atomic number 58

Lanthanum: La, atomic number 57

Barium: Ba, atomic number 56

Cæsium: Cs, atomic number 55

Xenon: Xe, atomic number 54

Iodine: I, atomic number 53

Tellurium: Te, atomic number 52

Antimony: Sb, atomic number 51

Tin: Sn, atomic number 50

Indium: In, atomic number 49

Cadmium: Cd, atomic number 48

Silver: Ag, atomic number 47

Palladium: Pd, atomic number 46

Rhodium: Rh, atomic number 45

Ruthenium: Ru, atomic number 44

Technetium: Tc, atomic number 43

Molybdenum: Mo, atomic number 42

Niobium: Ni, atomic number 41

Zirconium: Zr, atomic number 40

Yttrium: Y, atomic number 39

Strontium: Sr, atomic number 38

Rubidium: Rr, atomic number 37

Krypton: Kr, atomic number 36

Bromine: Br, atomic number 35

Selenium: Se, atomic number 34

Arsenic: As, atomic number 33

Germanium: Ge, atomic number 32

Gallium: Ga, atomic number 31

Zinc: Zn, atomic number 30

Copper: Cu, atomic number 29

Nickel: Ni, atomic number 28

Cobalt: Co, atomic number 27

Iron: Fe, atomic number 26

Manganese: Mn, atomic number 25

Chromium: Cr, atomic number 24

Vanadium: V, atomic number 23

Titanium: Ti, atomic number 22

Scandium: Sc, atomic number 21

Calcium: Ca, atomic number 20

Potassium: K, atomic number 19

Argon: Ar, atomic number 18

Chlorine: Cl, atomic number 17

Sulfur: S, atomic number 16

Phosphorus: P, atomic number 15

Silicon: Si, atomic number 14

Aluminium: Al, atomic number 13

Magnesium: Mg, atomic number 12

Sodium: Na, atomic number 11

Neon: Ne, atomic number 10

Fluorine: F, atomic number 9

Oxygen: O, atomic number 8

Nitrogen: N, atomic number 7

Carbon: C, atomic number 6

Boron: B, atomic number 5

Beryllium: Be, atomic number 4

Lithium: Li, atomic number 3

Helium: He, atomic number 2

Hydrogen: H, atomic number 1

Here's the Royal Society of Chemistry's interactive Periodic Table of the Elements that is just really really fun to play with!

GrrlScientist can also be found here: Maniraptora. She's very active on twitter @GrrlScientist and sometimes lurks on social media: facebook, G+, LinkedIn, Pinterest.