What is Oganesson?
Oganesson is a radioactive, man-made element about which little is known. It is categorized as a non-metal and is predicted to be a gas. It belongs to the category of noble gases. Oganesson is categorized as a super-heavy element because it contains a total of 176 Neutrons and 118 Electrons constituting an atomic mass of 294. Moreover, the number of protons in the nuclei is 104.
Oganesson was created by bombarding the californium atoms with calcium ions for 1,080 hours. Three oganesson atoms were produced as a result of this intense bombardment.
Oganesson
Discovery Of The Element 118
Russian researchers at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, made Oganesson their first official discovery in 2002. A study announcing the discovery of element 118 was released three years earlier, in 1999, by a team from the Lawrence Berkeley Labs in California. However, the team's findings could not be verified, and they subsequently withdrew their paper. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory team and the Dubna team, who had been collaborating with the Dubna scientists, officially declared the element in 2006.
Nomenclature Of Oganesson
The element was once known as ununoctium, a placeholder name that stands for one-one-eight in Latin and is listed as element 118 on the Periodic Table of Elements. The name oganesson for element 118 was authorized by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in November 2016.
According to IUPAC representatives, the name oganesson pays homage to Yuri Oganessian "for his significant contributions to transactinide elements research," which refers to elements having atomic numbers 104 through 120.
Russian nuclear physicist Yuri Oganessian
Electronic Configuration Of Oganesson
Since all of the shells of Oganesson are completely filled, the element with atomic number 118 will be grouped with the noble gases in group 18 and possesses the Electronic Configuration: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s22 3p6 4s2 3d10 4p6 5s2 4d10 5p6 6s2 4f14 5d10 6p6
Reduced Electronic Configuration: [Rn] 7s2 7p65f14 6d10.
Isotopes Of Oganesson
With a half-life of roughly 0.89 milliseconds, Oganesson has only one isotope that is known to be the most stable ²⁹⁴Og (oganesson-294). It becomes ²⁹⁰Lv (livermorium-290) through alpha decay. The rate of radioactive decay of the isotope- oganesson-294 is given as: ²⁴⁹₉₈Cf + ⁴⁸₂₀Ca → ²⁹⁴₁₁₈Og +3n
Properties Of Oganesson
Oganesson hasn't been generated in sufficient amounts to be properly studied. On theoretical calculations and computational techniques, all of the physical and chemical predictions are predicated.
Oganesson is predicted to have a boiling point between 320 K and 380 K, making it liquid at room temperature in contrast to other noble gases.
It may be a viable semiconductor, according to more studies.
Uses Of Oganesson
A few oganesson atoms have been created, however other than scientific research, it has no practical applications.
Interesting Facts About Oganesson
This element is artificial, therefore its properties are unknown, however, it is thought to be a noble gas.
One living person, Yuri Oganessian, is honored by having his name placed on just one element at the moment.
Of the 25 elements, oganesson is one of them that has not yet been seen in a crystal structure.
Less than 6 oganesson atoms have been found in studies worldwide since 2005.
Of all known elements, oganesson presently has the greatest atomic mass number (118).
Conclusion
Oganesson is an atomic number 118 chemical element with the symbol Og. Oganesson is a noble gas that is anticipated to be a gas at room temperature. This is an artificially created element that does not exist in nature. Because of its extreme radioactivity, this element can only be created for a short moment (less than a second) before radioactive decay occurs.
Oganesson has only ever been used for scientific purposes; nothing else. In a similar vein, since scientists have only been able to create a little amount of oganesson, it is unable to speculate on its potential impacts on health.
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FAQs on Oganesson
1. What is Oganesson (Og) and where is it placed in the periodic table?
Oganesson, with the symbol Og, is a synthetic chemical element with an atomic number of 118, making it the heaviest element discovered to date. In the periodic table, it is located in Group 18 and Period 7, classifying it as a noble gas. However, due to significant relativistic effects, its chemical and physical properties are predicted to differ from other elements in its group.
2. What is the electron configuration of Oganesson?
The predicted electron configuration of Oganesson (atomic number 118) follows the Aufbau principle. Its condensed or shorthand configuration is [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² 7p⁶. This completely filled valence shell (7s² 7p⁶) is the reason for its classification as a Group 18 element, or noble gas.
3. How is Oganesson created?
Oganesson does not exist in nature; it is a man-made element produced exclusively in laboratories. It is synthesised through a nuclear fusion reaction by bombarding a target of Californium-249 atoms with a high-energy beam of Calcium-48 ions in a particle accelerator. This process is extremely inefficient, and only a handful of Oganesson atoms have ever been successfully created.
4. How did Oganesson get its name?
The element with atomic number 118 was officially named Oganesson (Og) by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). The name honours the Russian nuclear physicist Professor Yuri Oganessian for his pioneering contributions to the research and discovery of transactinide (super-heavy) elements. It is notable for being one of the only elements named after a living person.
5. What are the practical uses of Oganesson?
Currently, Oganesson has no practical or commercial applications. Its significance is purely for scientific research. The reasons for this are:
- Extreme Scarcity: Only a few atoms have ever been synthesized.
- High Instability: It is highly radioactive, with its most stable known isotope having a half-life of less than a millisecond.
Its study helps scientists test and refine theories about atomic structure and nuclear stability at the extreme limits of the periodic table.
6. Why is Oganesson so rare and unstable?
Oganesson's rarity is a direct result of its creation method and its inherent instability. It can only be formed in highly specialised particle accelerators, and the probability of the required nuclear fusion event is extremely low. More importantly, its nucleus is highly unstable due to the immense electrostatic repulsion between its 118 protons. This leads to it being extremely radioactive, decaying into lighter elements almost instantly via alpha decay, with a half-life of about 0.89 milliseconds for its most stable known isotope (²⁹⁴Og).
7. If Oganesson is in the noble gas group, why is it predicted to be a solid and chemically reactive?
This predicted anomaly is due to relativistic effects. In an atom as heavy as Oganesson, electrons orbit the nucleus at speeds approaching the speed of light. This causes the electrons' mass to increase and their orbital paths to change. For Oganesson, these effects are so strong that they are predicted to:
- Increase Inter-atomic Forces: Making it a solid at standard temperature and pressure, unlike all other noble gases.
- Destabilise the Outer Electron Shell: Making it easier for Oganesson to lose an electron, thus rendering it significantly more chemically reactive than other noble gases.
8. What makes Oganesson unique compared to other elements on the periodic table?
Oganesson holds several unique distinctions in chemistry. It has the highest atomic number (118) and the largest atomic mass of any element discovered. While it is formally a noble gas, it is the first element in that group predicted to be a solid and possess significant chemical reactivity. Its properties challenge standard periodic trends, providing a real-world example of how relativistic effects can dominate an element's behaviour.
9. Does studying an element like Oganesson have any importance for understanding basic chemistry?
Yes, studying Oganesson is very important for a deeper understanding of chemistry. It serves as an extreme example that tests the limits of the chemical principles taught in school. It demonstrates that:
- Periodic trends (like reactivity and physical state) are not absolute and can be altered by other powerful forces.
- Relativistic effects, typically ignored for lighter elements, are crucial for accurately predicting the properties of super-heavy elements.
- It expands our knowledge of nuclear stability and helps scientists refine models of the atomic nucleus.
