Category: Noble gas | State: Unknown
The periodic table of elements serves as the ultimate map of the physical world, organizing the fundamental building blocks of matter that make up everything from distant galaxies to the human body. At the very edge of this map, pushing the absolute boundaries of scientific understanding, sits Oganesson. Represented by the symbol Og and the atomic number 118, Oganesson holds the record as the heaviest element ever synthesized. It completes the seventh row of the periodic table, occupying the space of a noble gas, yet its theoretical behavior challenges almost everything scientists thought they knew about chemistry.
Because Oganesson is a synthetic, superheavy element with a lifespan measured in fractions of a millisecond, it cannot be mined from the earth, bought on a commodities market, or used in everyday applications. However, the story of its creation, the extreme quantum physics that govern its properties, and the global cooperation required to bring it into existence provide a fascinating look at the limits of human knowledge. The comprehensive analysis that follows explores Oganesson step by step, from its theoretical cosmic origins to its profound impact on the future of nuclear physics.
To understand how elements come into existence, it is necessary to look at the life cycles of stars and the fundamental forces that govern the cosmos. According to current astrophysical theories, the universe began with the Big Bang, which produced only the lightest and simplest elements: hydrogen, helium, and trace amounts of lithium. Everything else on the periodic table was forged in the cosmic furnaces of stars or the violent aftermath of their deaths.
Light elements are created through stellar nucleosynthesis, where immense heat and pressure in a star’s core force atomic nuclei to fuse together. This process can build elements up to iron and nickel. However, creating elements heavier than iron requires a fundamentally different mechanism, primarily the capture of free neutrons.
The most extreme heavy elements are formed through the rapid neutron-capture process, universally known as the “r-process.” This occurs in locations with an extraordinarily high density of free neutrons, such as the violent explosions of supernovae or the catastrophic collisions of neutron stars, known as kilonovae. In the r-process, a seed nucleus rapidly captures multiple neutrons before it has time to undergo radioactive beta decay. This rapid-fire sequence builds increasingly heavy and neutron-rich isotopes, pushing nuclei to the very limits of their physical stability.
Recent research into the jets and surrounding cocoons of collapsed stars suggests that high-energy photons might dissolve the outer layers of a star into free neutrons, providing a dynamic, high-energy environment where superheavy elements could theoretically form. Analysis of light curves and electromagnetic counterparts from neutron star mergers hints that superheavy elements with atomic numbers above 104 might be synthesized in these cataclysmic cosmic events.
If Oganesson is ever created naturally in the universe, it occurs during these violent celestial phenomena. However, because the known isotopes of Oganesson are incredibly unstable, any atoms forged in a neutron star merger would undergo radioactive decay almost instantaneously, long before they could be detected by Earth-based telescopes.
When evaluating how much Oganesson exists in the Earth’s crust, mantle, or core today, the answer is definitively zero. Even if trace amounts of superheavy elements were present in the primordial dust cloud that formed the solar system billions of years ago, their fleeting half-lives mean they would have decayed into lighter, more stable elements long before the Earth fully formed and cooled. Oganesson does not exist in nature; it can only be coaxed into existence for the briefest of moments within advanced, human-built particle accelerators.
The history of Oganesson differs vastly from ancient metals like gold, copper, or iron. There is no archaeological evidence of Oganesson in early civilizations—such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, the Indus Valley, or the Maya—because the element simply did not exist on Earth to be discovered, traded, or utilized. While ancient artisans in Mesopotamia were mastering bronze, and Egyptian jewelers were shaping gold, the 118th element remained a mathematical impossibility. The history of Oganesson is instead a modern tale of high-energy physics, international collaboration, the rigorous demands of the scientific method, and a dramatic scientific scandal.
The journey to discover element 118 was marred by one of the most significant controversies in modern physics. In April 1999, a team of researchers led by Victor Ninov at the prestigious Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in California announced that they had successfully synthesized elements 116 and 118. The team claimed to have fired krypton-86 ions into a lead-208 target using a particle accelerator, observing decay chains that perfectly matched the predicted signature of the new element 118.
The announcement made global headlines. However, when other leading laboratories, including the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany, and the RIKEN facility in Japan, attempted to replicate the experiment using the exact same parameters, they found absolutely nothing. A subsequent internal investigation by a committee of high-level scientists revealed a shocking truth: the data had been deliberately falsified. Victor Ninov, who was the only person in the research group with access to the original raw data files, had digitally altered the results to simulate the decay signatures of the new elements. The claim was formally retracted by the laboratory in 2001, Ninov was dismissed, and the 118th square on the periodic table was left empty once again.
The actual, verified synthesis of Oganesson was achieved through a formidable and peaceful international partnership between the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California, USA.
In 2002, and again in more refined experiments in 2005, the joint American-Russian team took a different approach. They bombarded a target made of californium-249 with a highly energetic beam of calcium-48 ions. In these experiments, they indirectly detected the decay of three, and later a fourth, nuclei of Oganesson-294. The collaboration leveraged American expertise in producing rare, highly radioactive actinide target materials (californium) and Russian expertise in operating ultra-sensitive cyclotrons and gas-filled recoil separators.
In December 2015, after years of rigorous peer review and independent verification of the decay chains, the Joint Working Party of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) officially recognized the discovery of element 118, crediting the JINR-LLNL collaboration.
On November 28, 2016, element 118 was formally named Oganesson, accompanied by the chemical symbol Og. The name was chosen to honor Yuri Oganessian, the pioneering Russian-Armenian nuclear physicist who played a leading and visionary role in the discovery of multiple superheavy elements at the Dubna facility. This was a historic moment in science, as Oganessian became only the second person in history to have an element named after him while still living, the other being the American chemist Glenn T. Seaborg (Seaborgium). The suffix “-on” was chosen to align with the traditional naming conventions for other elements in Group 18 of the periodic table, such as neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon.
Understanding the properties of Oganesson requires venturing into the complex realm where chemistry meets the theory of relativity. Because only a handful of atoms of Oganesson have ever been produced, and they survive for less than a millisecond, it is physically impossible to put Oganesson in a test tube, observe its color, or measure its electrical conductivity with standard instruments. Instead, its properties are predicted using highly complex relativistic quantum mechanics and advanced computer modeling.
Oganesson has an atomic number of 118, meaning its incredibly dense nucleus contains exactly 118 protons. Its predicted electron configuration is 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p6, which theoretically gives it a full, closed outer valence shell of electrons, completing the seventh period of the periodic table.
| Property | Theoretical Value |
|---|---|
| Atomic Number (Z) | 118 |
| Atomic Weight | (mass of the most stable known isotope) |
| Predicted State at Room Temp | Solid |
| Electron Configuration | 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p6 |
| Classification | Group 18 (Traditionally Noble Gases) |
Like all synthetic superheavy elements, Oganesson has no stable isotopes. The only isotope that has been definitively synthesized and verified by IUPAC is Oganesson-294, which contains 118 protons and 176 neutrons. It is exceptionally unstable, possessing a half-life of just 0.69 to 0.89 milliseconds. The atom decays almost instantly via alpha emission. Theoretical models suggest that heavier, more neutron-rich isotopes, such as those near Oganesson-298 or Oganesson-313, might be located closer to a theoretical “island of stability” and could possess slightly longer half-lives, but these heavier isotopes have not yet been successfully synthesized in any laboratory.
In a standard high school chemistry textbook, elements in Group 18—helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon—are described as colorless, odorless, non-reactive gases. If periodic trends held true, one would expect Oganesson to be a gas as well. However, Oganesson breaks these fundamental rules due to profound relativistic effects.
Because the Oganesson nucleus is incredibly massive and highly charged (118 protons), it exerts a tremendous electrostatic pull on its orbiting electrons. To avoid falling into the nucleus, the innermost electrons must travel at velocities approaching the speed of light. According to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, as objects move closer to the speed of light, their effective mass increases. This increase in electron mass causes the inner orbitals (specifically the s and p orbitals) to contract tightly closer to the nucleus.
This severe inner orbital contraction perfectly shields the outer electrons from the positive pull of the nuclear charge, causing the outermost orbitals to expand and diffuse. As a result, the electron shells of Oganesson are spread out and smeared together, acting more like a homogenous “electron gas” than discrete, structured planetary rings.
Because of these powerful relativistic effects, calculations using parallel tempering Monte-Carlo simulations and density functional theory predict that Oganesson is not a gas at all. It is expected to be a solid at room temperature, with a melting point of approximately 325 K (52 °C) and a boiling point of 450 K (177 °C). Its density is predicted to be relatively high, around 7.2 to 7.4 g/cm³ in its solid state. Because it cannot be produced in bulk, macroscopic physical properties like malleability, ductility, and physical hardness cannot be empirically tested.
Oganesson is predicted to be a highly unusual substance chemically. While its lighter Group 18 cousins are electrical insulators and chemically inert, the energy gap between Oganesson’s valence band and conduction band is remarkably small. Advanced calculations suggest Oganesson has a band gap of just 1.5 eV, meaning that solid Oganesson would actually function as a semiconductor, entirely breaking rank with the rest of the noble gases.
Furthermore, Oganesson is expected to be quite reactive. Relativistic effects alter the spin-orbit splitting of its electrons, effectively breaking the thermodynamic stability of its closed outer shell. Theoretical chemists believe it could form stable compounds, such as interacting with other superheavy elements like Tennessine to form complex pentatomic molecules (e.g., OgTs4). It would likely exhibit positive oxidation states (such as +2 or +4), readily giving up electrons to form bonds. In essence, it would behave much more like a post-transition metal or a metalloid than a true noble gas. It has no natural minerals, and it cannot be subjected to empirical tests for corrosion resistance or reactivity with water, air, or acids, as it cannot be gathered in quantities larger than a single atom.
The traditional industrial concepts of global reserves, geological settings, mining ores, and refining methods do not apply to Oganesson. There are no mines producing this element, no rock formations containing its ores, and no country holds a percentage of global reserves. Oganesson is entirely artificial, brought into existence through incredibly complex, expensive, and energy-intensive laboratory processes.
Creating Oganesson requires a massive machine known as a particle accelerator or cyclotron. This device is capable of stripping atoms of their electrons to create charged ions, and accelerating them in a circular path to phenomenal speeds—often up to 10 percent the speed of light. These high-speed ions are then smashed into a stationary target material in the hopes that their nuclei will merge.
To create Oganesson, scientists employ a specific method known as “hot fusion.” The precise nuclear recipe involves accelerating a beam of Calcium-48 ions (an extremely rare, neutron-rich isotope of calcium with 20 protons and 28 neutrons) and firing it at a target made of Californium-249 (a highly radioactive, synthetic actinide element with 98 protons).
The reaction is mathematically written as: 249Cf + 48Ca → 294Og + 3n.
When the 20 protons of the calcium projectile fuse with the 98 protons of the californium target, they briefly form a highly excited compound nucleus containing 118 protons. The extreme kinetic energy from the collision causes the new nucleus to “boil off” or evaporate three free neutrons (3n) to cool down and stabilize slightly, leaving behind a single atom of Oganesson-294.
This process is incredibly difficult, highly inefficient, and requires immense patience. A modern cyclotron might fire trillions of calcium ions at the californium target every single second over the course of several months. The vast majority of these projectiles simply miss the target nuclei, bounce off, or shatter the target without fusing. Out of 10 billion billion (10^19) collisions, perhaps only one or two will successfully fuse to create a single atom of Oganesson. Since its initial synthesis, only about five or six atoms of Oganesson have ever been confirmed by scientific facilities globally. Therefore, the annual global production of Oganesson is practically zero tonnes; its production is measured in single atoms per decade.
Only a handful of elite facilities in the world possess the technology, funding, and expertise necessary to attempt superheavy element synthesis. The most prominent include:
| Facility | Location | Key Accelerator/Equipment | Known For Discoveries |
|---|---|---|---|
| JINR | Dubna, Russia | DC-280 Cyclotron, DGFRS-2 | Elements 114, 115, 116, 117, 118 |
| GSI | Darmstadt, Germany | UNILAC, Heavy Ion Synchrotron | Elements 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112 |
| RIKEN | Saitama, Japan | SRILAC, GARIS-III | Element 113 |
When analyzing the applications of chemical elements, they are typically divided into sectors such as industry, technology, medicine, and energy. For Oganesson, a comprehensive breakdown reveals a stark reality dictated entirely by the laws of physics: it has absolutely no commercial, medical, or industrial uses.
To understand why Oganesson is entirely absent from modern technology or industry, one must consider its half-life. Oganesson-294 exists for less than one millisecond. It takes longer for a human eye to blink than for an atom of Oganesson to decay into a lighter element. Furthermore, it can only be produced one atom at a time, requiring months of continuous operation in a multi-million-dollar particle accelerator.
Therefore, evaluating Oganesson against global economic sectors yields the following explicit conclusions:
The sole, exclusive use of Oganesson is in fundamental scientific research. The synthesis of superheavy elements allows physicists and chemists to test the very limits of the laws of nature.
Because Oganesson has absolutely no practical applications, it is not treated as a global commodity. It is not traded on any stock exchange like the London Metal Exchange, it has no benchmark or reference price per ounce, and it is not considered a “critical mineral” for supply chain security in the traditional sense of lithium, cobalt, or rare earth metals.
However, the science of Oganesson carries immense geopolitical, economic, and strategic weight.
While you cannot buy an atom of Oganesson, the financial investment required to synthesize it is astronomically high. Building and maintaining the infrastructure to create superheavy elements requires the sustained financial backing of entire nations. For instance, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research operates with an annual budget exceeding $133 million USD. Funding cyclotron operations, powering heavy-ion beams, maintaining high-vacuum systems, and running cryogenic cooling systems demand massive capital and energy.
The precursor materials represent another massive bottleneck and expense. The target material used to make Oganesson, Californium-249, is exceptionally rare and incredibly difficult to produce. It must be synthesized by irradiating lighter actinides in specialized high-flux nuclear reactors for extended periods, followed by intensive radiochemical purification in shielded hot cell facilities. The production cost of such synthetic radioisotopes can range into the billions of dollars per kilogram, making the targets themselves a highly valuable and strategic commodity.
The synthesis of Oganesson represents a unique and fascinating intersection of geopolitics and science. The heaviest elements on the periodic table were discovered during an era of profound collaboration between former Cold War rivals. The American laboratory LLNL and the Russian laboratory JINR combined their resources because neither nation could achieve the goal alone. The United States possessed the advanced nuclear reactors at Oak Ridge National Laboratory needed to create the rare berkelium and californium targets, while Russia possessed the unparalleled U-400 cyclotron technology required to fire the heavy-ion beams with the necessary intensity.
Despite historical and current international tensions, trade wars, and severe political conflicts, the pursuit of superheavy elements has frequently remained a protected zone of cooperative diplomacy. The shared triumph of discovering elements 115, 117, and 118 stands as a testament to the fact that unlocking the fundamental secrets of the universe often transcends national borders. The control of this specific scientific supply chain is not about commercial monopolies, but rather about maintaining national prestige and leading the global scientific community.
Traditional elements like copper, gold, and lithium carry heavy environmental burdens associated with strip mining, deforestation, soil erosion, acid mine drainage, and the severe risk of tailings dam failures. Because Oganesson is synthesized in pristine laboratories rather than extracted from the earth, it causes none of these specific environmental issues directly.
However, the lifecycle of creating superheavy elements does leave a distinct environmental and safety footprint, primarily linked to immense energy consumption and the complex realities of nuclear waste management.
The continuous operation of particle accelerators is highly energy-intensive. Facilities like the newly constructed DC-280 cyclotron at JINR require massive amounts of electricity to generate high-frequency radio waves (RF amplifiers), cool powerful electromagnets, and maintain the facility’s complex infrastructure. The main magnet of the DC-280 cyclotron alone weighs 1,000 tonnes and consumes 300 kW of continuous power. Depending on the source of the electrical grid powering the laboratory, the continuous, month-long operation of these facilities can result in a notable carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity generation.
The indirect environmental impact of Oganesson stems from the creation of its target material, Californium-249. Creating macroscopic amounts of transuranium actinides requires the use of high-flux nuclear reactors. Operating these reactors carries the inherent environmental considerations of the broader nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, fuel processing, cooling water usage, and the generation of highly radioactive reactor byproducts.
In the laboratories where superheavy element chemistry and synthesis occur, protecting worker health and local communities is paramount. While Oganesson itself vanishes too quickly to pose a biological radiation hazard to researchers, the target materials are highly radioactive alpha and gamma emitters.
Laboratory personnel must adhere to stringent As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) safety protocols. Radioactive targets are handled using remote manipulators behind thick lead glass shielding in specialized “hot cells.” Any materials contaminated during the preparation of the targets—such as solvents, gloves, and glass vials—must be managed as hazardous radioactive waste. Biological and multihazardous wastes are rigorously separated, with radioactive sharps and glass stored in secure, designated containers to prevent environmental contamination and ensure safe, long-term disposal.
The modern industrial concepts of the circular economy, urban mining, and global recycling rates are entirely irrelevant to Oganesson. Recovering an element from electronic waste requires the element to physically persist in the device. Because Oganesson decays in less than a millisecond, there is nothing left to recover.
When researchers seek alternatives to Oganesson, they are not looking for synthetic industrial substitutes for manufacturing. Instead, they seek alternative nuclear reactions and elements to study the superheavy region of the periodic table. Historically, the “hot fusion” method using calcium-48 beams has been the gold standard for producing elements up to Oganesson. However, as researchers push toward heavier undiscovered elements, the probability of successful fusion using calcium drops drastically. Scientists are currently developing alternative projectiles, such as titanium-50, vanadium-51, and chromium-54, to bombard curium and californium targets. These alternative pathways represent the future of “mining” in the truest scientific sense—mining the building blocks of the universe itself within the walls of a laboratory.
Oganesson does not possess the ancient mythological significance of gold, which was revered by the Egyptians and Aztecs, nor does it play a role in cultural customs, weddings, or family inheritance. Yet, in the modern era, Oganesson has achieved a profound symbolic meaning in global science and culture.
The synthesis of Oganesson represented a monumental milestone in human history: the final completion of the seventh row of the periodic table. For over a century, scientists had been methodically filling in the gaps of Dmitri Mendeleev’s foundational chart. Oganesson placed the final puzzle piece in the modern iteration of the table. Its discovery symbolizes humanity’s ultimate mastery over the atomic realm, proving that humans can artificially forge the heaviest matter in existence through pure intellect and engineering.
The naming of Oganesson carries deep cultural weight, particularly in Russia and Armenia. Yuri Oganessian, affectionately known by many in the field as the “grandfather of superheavy elements,” is a revered and highly decorated figure. His ability to unite scientists from different nations and cultures—fostering collaboration between East and West even during times of geopolitical tension—is celebrated as a triumph of scientific diplomacy.
To honor his unparalleled contributions, the Republic of Armenia granted him citizenship, and in 2017, the national postal service HayPost issued a postage stamp bearing his likeness. In 2022, the Central Bank of Armenia issued a special silver commemorative coin dedicated specifically to Oganessian and the element Oganesson. In modern science education across the globe, Oganesson serves as an inspiration. Student art projects and periodic table displays worldwide often feature custom tiles for Oganesson, combining elements of the Russian flag, chalkboards, and depictions of Oganessian to celebrate the human ingenuity behind its creation.
The concept of synthesizing superheavy, exotic matter has long been a staple of science fiction. While Oganesson itself is too recently discovered to have deep literary roots, the idea of pushing atomic stability to its absolute limits resonates deeply with themes found in futuristic literature. Authors like Dan Simmons, in acclaimed works such as Hyperion, frequently draw upon advanced physics and hypothetical technologies that mirror the cutting-edge ambitions of today’s heavy element researchers. Oganesson bridges the gap between science fiction and science fact, proving that humanity can create materials that exist nowhere else in the known universe.
Because there is no commercial demand for Oganesson, industrial questions about “peak production,” running out of reserves, or the impacts of climate change on supply chains do not apply. The true future outlook for Oganesson—and the superheavy elements it represents—lies in pushing the periodic table into completely uncharted territory.
Oganesson is the end of the line for the 7th row, but it is not the end of physics. Global scientific facilities are currently engaged in a highly competitive but peaceful race to synthesize elements 119 and 120, which would inaugurate an entirely new 8th row on the periodic table. Laboratories at RIKEN in Japan are currently utilizing their powerful SRILAC accelerator to bombard curium-248 targets with vanadium-51 ions in pursuit of element 119. Meanwhile, the LBNL in the United States and the Superheavy Element Factory in Russia are optimizing titanium-50 beams in elaborate attempts to forge element 120. These endeavors require unprecedented levels of precision, beam intensity, and target stability.
The ultimate, holy grail of superheavy element research is reaching the hypothetical “Island of Stability”. Nuclear physicists theorize that as atoms grow heavier, the immense electrostatic repulsion between the dense cluster of positive protons makes the nucleus increasingly fragile, leading to the microsecond half-lives seen in elements like Oganesson.
However, the nuclear shell model predicts that specific “magic numbers” of protons and neutrons create tightly bound, highly stable nuclear structures, much like closed electron shells create stable noble gases. Theorists predict that an island of stability exists somewhere near atomic numbers 114, 120, or 126, containing a specific, perfect configuration of neutrons (likely N=184).
If scientists can successfully synthesize isotopes that land squarely on this island, the half-lives of superheavy elements could leap from milliseconds to minutes, days, or—according to the most optimistic theoretical predictions—even millions of years. Reaching this island would completely revolutionize nuclear physics, allowing scientists to study these extreme elements in bulk and perhaps unlocking exotic, entirely new branches of chemistry.
Oganesson is fundamentally defined by its extreme radioactivity. As a synthetic transactinide element, it sits at the absolute limit of nuclear stability, constantly fighting the forces that seek to tear it apart.
The moment an atom of Oganesson-294 is synthesized, it undergoes rapid radioactive decay. The electrostatic forces tearing the massive nucleus apart quickly overwhelm the strong nuclear forces trying to hold it together. With a fleeting half-life of roughly 0.7 milliseconds, Oganesson-294 emits an alpha particle (a heavy, highly energetic helium nucleus consisting of two protons and two neutrons).
The emission of this alpha particle fundamentally alters the atomic structure, transforming the Oganesson atom into another highly radioactive superheavy element, Livermorium-290 (atomic number 116). The equation is: 294Og → 290Lv + 4He (alpha particle).
This triggers a rapid cascade of subsequent alpha decays. Livermorium quickly decays into Flerovium (114), which then decays into Copernicium (112), and so on, until the nucleus eventually undergoes spontaneous fission, ripping itself apart violently into two lighter, more stable fragment elements. Scientists actually confirm the synthesis of Oganesson not by seeing the element itself, but by precisely measuring the energy and timing of this unique, predictable sequence of alpha decays striking their silicon detectors.
| Isotope | Decay Mode | Half-Life | Daughter Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oganesson-294 | Alpha Emission (α) | ~0.7 milliseconds | Livermorium-290 |
Oganesson itself is not part of the commercial nuclear fuel cycle. It cannot be used to power commercial nuclear reactors, nor does it pose a long-term nuclear waste storage problem itself, because it simply ceases to exist almost immediately after it is created. It is entirely detached from international treaties like the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), as its microscopic production rate and instant decay mean it cannot possibly be weaponized.
However, the materials required to create Oganesson are deeply intertwined with the nuclear fuel cycle. Californium-249 and other heavy actinides used as targets must be synthesized in high-flux nuclear reactors. These reactors are strictly regulated facilities subject to intense international safeguards to prevent the proliferation of fissile materials. Because actinide targets are potent alpha emitters with relatively long half-lives, they pose severe, life-threatening health hazards if ingested or inhaled. The synthesis laboratories must implement rigorous radiation protection standards to handle these targets safely. This includes utilizing heavily shielded gloveboxes, continuous personnel dosimetry monitoring, and complex procedures for treating, packaging, and burying the resulting radioactive waste streams to prevent environmental contamination and ensure long-term public safety.
1. What exactly is Oganesson? Oganesson is a highly radioactive, synthetic chemical element with the atomic number 118 and the symbol Og. It is currently the heaviest element on the periodic table. It occupies the position of a noble gas, though theoretical physics suggests it behaves quite differently from standard noble gases like helium or neon.
2. Where can Oganesson be found in nature? Oganesson is not found anywhere in nature. Because its half-life is less than a millisecond, any atoms that might have existed in the extreme environments of the early universe decayed billions of years ago. Today, it must be artificially created in advanced nuclear laboratories.
3. How do scientists actually make Oganesson? Scientists synthesize Oganesson using a massive machine called a particle accelerator or cyclotron. They accelerate a beam of calcium-48 ions to immense speeds and crash them into a target made of californium-249. Very rarely—perhaps once a month—the nuclei fuse together to create a single atom of Oganesson.
4. Why was it given the name Oganesson? The element is named in honor of Yuri Oganessian, a pioneering Russian-Armenian nuclear physicist who led the discovery of several superheavy elements. It is an extraordinary honor, as it is one of the very few elements ever named after a living person.
5. What does Oganesson look like? Because only a few atoms have ever been made, and they vanish instantly, no human has actually seen Oganesson. However, based on complex physics calculations regarding how fast its inner electrons move (known as relativistic effects), scientists predict it is a solid metal or semiconductor at room temperature, rather than an invisible gas.
6. What are the practical uses for Oganesson? Oganesson has absolutely no practical uses in industry, medicine, or technology. Because it disappears in a fraction of a millisecond and can only be made one atom at a time, it can only be used for fundamental scientific research to help physicists understand the laws of atomic structure and quantum mechanics.
7. How much does Oganesson cost to buy? You cannot buy Oganesson at any price. However, the cost to make it is astronomically high, requiring heavy-ion cyclotrons that cost millions of dollars to build and operate, as well as highly expensive, rare radioactive target materials like californium.
8. Is Oganesson dangerous to human health? Oganesson is highly radioactive, decaying instantly by emitting high-energy alpha particles. However, because it is only created one atom at a time deep inside shielded, secure laboratory environments, it poses no danger whatsoever to the general public or the environment.
9. Can Oganesson be recycled from old electronics? No. Oganesson transforms into an entirely different element (Livermorium) through radioactive decay almost immediately upon creation. There is absolutely no physical material left to recover or recycle.
10. What is the “Island of Stability” that scientists are looking for? The “Island of Stability” is a theoretical region on the chart of nuclides where undiscovered, superheavy elements might possess a perfect, stable balance of protons and neutrons. Scientists hope that as they create elements heavier than Oganesson, they might discover isotopes that exist for days, years, or even millions of years instead of mere milliseconds.