History and Discovery of the Ununoctium Element The element was discovered on July 19, 2000 by scientists working at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia together with scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The scientists produced ununoctium by bombarding atoms of californium-249 with ions of calcium-48. This produced ununoctium-294, an isotope with a half-life of about 0.89 milliseconds (0.00089 seconds), and three free neutrons. The californium target was irradiated with a total of 1.6*1019 calcium ions over the course of 1080 hours, resulting in the production of three atoms of ununoctium. Uses Ununoctium currently has no uses outside of basic scientific research. The Properties of the Ununoctium Element Atomic Number: 118 Atomic Weight: 294 Ununoctium and the Periodic Table Period Number: 7 Group Number: 18 Group Name: Noble Gas Abundances % in Universe N/A % in Sun None % in Meteorites None % in Earth's Crust None % in Oceans None % in Humans None Ununoctium - IUPAC and the Modern Standardised Periodic Table The Standardised Periodic Table in use today was agreed by the International Union of Pure Applied Chemistry, IUPAC, in 1985 and now recognises more periods and elements than Dimitri Mendeleev knew in his day in his day but still all fitting into his concept of the "Periodic Table" in which Ununoctium is just one element that can be found. Learn about what is Ununoctium with these fast facts... These articles contain facts and information relating to Ununoctium and each of the other elements including the Periodic Symbol, group, classification, properties and atomic number which is often referred to as the Periodic Table Number. Test your knowledge of chemistry and the Periodic Table by completing the Element Symbols and Atomic Numbers on our Blank Periodic Table. Chemistry students will also find a helpful section on Chemical Formulas. |