Tennessine

Description

The second-to-last gap in the seventh period, filled in 2010 with a berkelium target.

Physical Properties

Atomic Properties

Discovery & History

Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), Russia & Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA (2010-2012)

International Collaboration: Tennessine discovery represents a major achievement in Russian-American scientific cooperation, combining JINR's expertise in superheavy element synthesis with Oak Ridge's unique capabilities in rare actinide target preparation.

Two-Year Intensive Campaign: The tennessine discovery required two years of very challenging experimentation from 2010 to 2012, involving the most sophisticated nuclear synthesis techniques ever attempted and achieving success rates of only individual atoms per week.

Oganessian Team Leadership: Led by Yuri Oganessian at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, the discovery team overcame seemingly impossible technical challenges to create and identify the heaviest halogen ever synthesized.

Oak Ridge Critical Contributions: Oak Ridge National Laboratory provided the extremely rare berkelium-249 target material essential for tennessine synthesis, representing one of the most challenging target preparation achievements in nuclear physics history.

Technical Innovation: Creating tennessine required developing new ion beam optimization techniques, ultra-sensitive particle detection systems, and important data analysis methods that advanced the entire field of superheavy element research.

IUPAC Recognition: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry officially recognized the discovery in 2015, granting naming rights to the discovery team. "Tennessine" honors Tennessee, home state of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Historic Scientific Achievement: Tennessine's discovery represented humanity's first successful synthesis of element 117, filling a crucial gap in the periodic table and demonstrating that even the most challenging scientific goals can be achieved through international cooperation.

Isotopes

Data: IAEA Nuclear Data Section, LiveChart of Nuclides, ground-state evaluations, retrieved October 10, 2026. Abundance is the share of atoms in the natural element; a dash means the isotope has no standard natural abundance.

Applications & Uses

Advanced Nuclear Research

Halogen Chemistry Investigation: Tennessine represents the heaviest known halogen, offering new opportunities to study how relativistic effects influence halogen chemistry. Theoretical predictions suggest tennessine might exhibit metallic properties despite being in group 17, challenging traditional chemical understanding.

Superheavy Element Synthesis Research: Tennessine creation through berkelium-249 bombardment with calcium-48 provides crucial insights into optimal nuclear reaction conditions for synthesizing the heaviest possible elements, advancing techniques for future periodic table exploration.

Nuclear Stability Studies: As element 117, tennessine occupies a unique position for studying nuclear shell effects and stability patterns in superheavy elements. Its decay characteristics provide valuable data about nuclear forces and stability mechanisms.

Relativistic Quantum Chemistry: Tennessine offers exceptional opportunities to test theoretical models of atomic structure under harsh conditions, particularly calculations predicting how relativistic electron orbital effects influence chemical bonding in superheavy elements.

Advanced Detection Technology: Creating and identifying tennessine requires the most sophisticated particle detection systems available, driving innovation in nuclear instrumentation that benefits multiple scientific fields from medical imaging to space exploration.

International Scientific Collaboration: Tennessine research exemplifies global cooperation in fundamental science, with teams from Russia, the United States, and other nations combining expertise and resources to achieve seemingly impossible scientific goals.

Future Applications Foundation: While currently limited to research, understanding tennessine's properties contributes to the long-term scientific goal of discovering stable superheavy elements that might transform technology in ways currently unimaginable.

Abundance