Flerovium (Fl), a synthetic element with the atomic number 114, is classified as a superheavy and radioactive element. It is one of the heaviest elements created and sits on the extended edge of the periodic table. Flerovium has no commercial or industrial uses; its study is confined entirely to specialized nuclear physics laboratories to understand the limits of matter.
The Nature of Flerovium
Flerovium is defined by its massive nucleus, containing 114 protons, which places it among the transactinide and superheavy elements. It is exclusively produced in particle accelerators by bombarding a target of a lighter element with a beam of accelerated ions. Specifically, the element is synthesized by colliding calcium-48 nuclei with a plutonium target, such as plutonium-244, in a fusion reaction to create a few atoms at a time.
This process results in isotopes, all of which are highly unstable. The most stable isotope of Flerovium, Fl-289, has a half-life of only about 2.1 to 2.6 seconds. This rapid decay is a defining characteristic of superheavy elements, as the extreme number of protons and neutrons makes the nucleus highly susceptible to breaking apart. Flerovium’s placement in the periodic table suggests it should share chemical properties with lead, but experimental evidence indicates it may be surprisingly volatile, possibly behaving more like a noble metal or even a gas at standard conditions.
Why Flerovium Has No Practical Applications
Flerovium lacks practical application due to the twin hurdles of extreme scarcity and nuclear instability. Scientists have only ever created a handful of atoms. The production process is incredibly expensive and inefficient, often requiring billions of billions of target atoms to yield a single atom of Flerovium.
This minute quantity means there is no way to gather enough material for any commercial or technological use. Even if it could be mass-produced, the short half-life of all known isotopes makes it impossible to store, transport, or incorporate into any device. Any atom created decays into a different element in a matter of seconds, rendering it useless for industrial, medical, or military purposes.
The Role in Nuclear Physics Research
Flerovium serves as a laboratory tool for testing theories about the atomic nucleus. Experiments involving Flerovium are crucial for confirming the boundaries of the periodic table and validating nuclear models that predict the existence of new elements. Flerovium’s position is particularly interesting because it is predicted to be near the center of the theoretical “Island of Stability.”
The “Island of Stability” is a concept suggesting specific combinations of protons and neutrons, known as “magic numbers,” could result in superheavy nuclei with significantly longer half-lives. Theoretical models propose that the isotope Flerovium-298 could be far more stable, potentially existing for days or even years. While this specific isotope has not yet been synthesized, the Flerovium atoms currently produced provide data that guides the search for this region. By studying how Flerovium’s nucleus decays and what its chemical properties are, physicists gain insights into the quantum mechanics that govern the most massive nuclei in existence.