In the search for element 120, scientists at Berkeley Lab are relying on titanium ions. A new study gives the blueprint of the process in which titanium ions will be rammed into a californium (atomic number: 98) target. If a new element is produced, it should be element 120. The number of protons present in an element determines its atomic number and, subsequently, its spot on the periodic table. Element 120 will thus have 120 protons in its nucleus.
When Mendeleev proposed his periodic table in 1869, only 63 elements were discovered. An invention truly ahead of time, Mendeleev left gaps to be filled with elements that would be discovered in the future. Currently, the periodic table has 118 elements, of which 24 are purely man-made (not present in nature). If formed, element 116 will raise the tally.
To prove their concept, the scientists focused titanium ions on a plutonium target, yielding two livermorium atoms. A similar method with a californium target promises to produce element 120, although it would take ten times longer to get a result.
The last time the United States discovered an element was in 1974: the discovery of seaborgium. Although the US provided targets for producing superheavy (SHE) elements (atomic number 114-118), the elements were discovered in other countries. The scientists produce these elements by firing a beam of calcium-48 ions onto different target elements. The higher the number of protons (atomic number) of the target element, the heavier the produced element will be. However, the following targets for the calcium ion beam are radioactive and short-lived, so scientists have turned to titanium-50 ion beams. These allow scientists to search for heavier elements with more durable targets. According to nuclear scientist Jacklyn Gates, it is necessary to find a way to produce heavy elements to go beyond our current knowledge regarding the periodic table.
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