New Elements
The quest for new elements is usually described using atomic numbers. As of 2010, elements with atomic numbers 1 to 118 have been observed. Synthesis of new elements is accomplished by bombarding target atoms of heavy elements with ions, such that the sum of the atomic numbers of the target and ion elements equals the atomic number of the element being created. In general, the half-life becomes shorter as atomic number increases, though an "island of stability" may exist for undiscovered isotopes with certain numbers of protons and neutrons.
Read more about this topic: Atomic Number
Famous quotes containing the word elements:
“Icebergs behoove the soul
(both being self-made from elements least visible
to see them so; fleshed, fair, erected indivisible.”
—Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979)
“But all subsists by elemental strife;
And Passions are the elements of Life.”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)