1934 CE
Enrico Fermi's Transuranium Claim
Enrico Fermi bombards uranium with neutrons, claiming discovery of elements 93 and 94, later found to be fission products. #chemistry #nuclear
Chronological Storyline (42 Milestones)
May 1, 1940 CE
Discovery of Neptunium (Np)
Edwin McMillan and Philip H. Abelson produce neptunium-239 at UC Berkeley, the first synthetic transuranium element beyond uranium. #chemistry #elements
By Originally by James St. John, edited by Arònel123 - Cropped from File:Neptunium (Element - 93) 2.jpg, Original source on Flickr by James St. John on https://www.flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/54040270387/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=190956915
Dec 14, 1940 CE
Discovery of Plutonium (Pu)
Glenn T. Seaborg, Arthur C. Wahl, and Joseph W. Kennedy synthesize plutonium-238 via deuteron bombardment of uranium. #chemistry #nuclear
By Los Alamos National Laboratory - Scanned from: Christensen, Dana (1995). "The Future of Plutonium Technology". Los Alamos Science (23): 170., Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1034607
1944 CE
Discovery of Curium (Cm) and Americium (Am)
Glenn T. Seaborg's team at UC Berkeley discovers curium (96) and americium (95) during the Manhattan Project. #chemistry #elements
1945 CE
Discovery of Berkelium (Bk) and Californium (Cf)
Seaborg's group synthesizes berkelium (97) and californium (98) using cyclotron bombardment. #chemistry #elements
By Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US Department of Energy - "The Chemistry of Berkelium" in (1984) Advances in Inorganic Chemistry and Radiochemistry, 28, Orlando: Academic Press Inc., p. 42 ISBN: 0120236281. "Figure 7", Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15320308
1950 CE
Discovery of Einsteinium (Es) and Fermium (Fm)
Albert Ghiorso and colleagues identify einsteinium (99) and fermium (100) in debris from the Ivy Mike hydrogen bomb test. #chemistry #nuclear
By Haire, R. G., US Department of Energy. Touched up by Materialscientist at en.wikipedia. - Cut version of File:EinsteiniumGlow.JPG. Colored by unknown person. Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by User:Urutseg using CommonsHelper., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15127302
Nov 1, 1952 CE
Ivy Mike Thermonuclear Test
First full-scale thermonuclear weapon test; yields new elements einsteinium and fermium, confirming neutron capture processes. #nuclear #history
By USDE - Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129318165
1955 CE
Discovery of Mendelevium (Md)
Albert Ghiorso and team synthesize mendelevium-256 at UC Berkeley's cyclotron, using alpha particle bombardment. #chemistry #elements
1957 CE
Discovery of Nobelium (No) Disputed
A team at the Nobel Institute in Sweden claims element 102, but later work at JINR (USSR) and Berkeley clarifies its synthesis. #chemistry #history
1958 CE
Discovery of Lawrencium (Lr)
Albert Ghiorso et al. synthesize lawrencium (103) at UC Berkeley using heavy-ion fusion. #chemistry #elements
1961 CE
Discovery of Rutherfordium (Rf)
JINR (Dubna) and UC Berkeley independently produce element 104; naming controversy resolved later as rutherfordium. #chemistry #elements
1968 CE
Discovery of Dubnium (Db)
JINR (Dubna) synthesizes element 105 via heavy-ion bombardment; later named dubnium. #chemistry #elements
1974 CE
Discovery of Seaborgium (Sg)
JINR and Lawrence Berkeley Lab independently produce element 106; named after Glenn T. Seaborg. #chemistry #elements
1976 CE
Discovery of Bohrium (Bh)
A team at JINR (Dubna) synthesizes element 107 via lead-chromium fusion; later named bohrium. #chemistry #elements
1982 CE
Discovery of Hassium (Hs)
GSI Helmholtz Centre (Germany) synthesizes element 108 via iron-lead fusion; named after the German state of Hesse. #chemistry #elements
1984 CE
Discovery of Meitnerium (Mt)
GSI synthesizes element 109, named after physicist Lise Meitner. #chemistry #elements
1994 CE
Discovery of Darmstadtium (Ds)
GSI syntheizes element 110 via nickel-lead fusion; named after Darmstadt, Germany. #chemistry #elements
1994 CE
Discovery of Roentgenium (Rg)
GSI produces element 111, named after Wilhelm Röntgen, discoverer of X-rays. #chemistry #elements
Feb 9, 1996 CE
Discovery of Copernicium (Cn)
GSI synthesizes element 112, later named after Nicolaus Copernicus. #chemistry #elements
2000 CE
Discovery of Flerovium (Fl)
JINR (Dubna) and Livermore collaborate to synthesize element 114, named after Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions. #chemistry #elements
2001 CE
Discovery of Nihonium (Nh)
RIKEN (Japan) synthesizes element 113, the first discovered in Asia; named from Japanese 'Nihon'. #chemistry #elements
2002 CE
Discovery of Oganesson (Og)
JINR (Dubna) and Lawrence Livermore produce element 118 via californium-calcium fusion; named after Yuri Oganessian. #chemistry #elements
Feb 2, 2003 CE
Discovery of Livermorium (Lv)
JINR-Livermore collaboration synthesizes element 116, named after Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. #chemistry #elements
2004 CE
Discovery of Moscovium (Mc)
JINR (Dubna) and Livermore synthesize element 115, named after Moscow region. #chemistry #elements
2005 CE
Discovery of Tennessine (Ts)
JINR, LLNL, and ORNL collaborate to produce element 117; named after Tennessee. #chemistry #elements
2009 CE
First Synthesis of Ununpentium (115) Confirmed
Swedish and German teams confirm JINR's discovery of element 115 (moscovium). #chemistry #elements
2010 CE
Discovery of Tennessine (117) Confirmed by GSI
GSI (Germany) independently confirms element 117 synthesis. #chemistry #elements
2011 CE
IUPAC Recognizes Elements 114 and 116
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) officially accepts flerovium and livermorium. #chemistry #science
2012 CE
IUPAC Recognizes Element 110 (Darmstadtium)
Formal recognition of darmstadtium with final naming. #chemistry #science
2012 CE
First Ionization Potential of Fermium Measured
Experiment at JAEA measures ionization potential of fermium, a key step for superheavy element chemistry. #chemistry #experiment
Dec 30, 2015 CE
IUPAC Announces Four New Elements: 113, 115, 117, 118
IUPAC officially recognizes nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson, completing period 7 of the periodic table. #chemistry #science
By Lekritz - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=185001042
Jan 4, 2016 CE
Element 113 Named Nihonium
IUPAC approves the name nihonium (Nh), proposed by RIKEN, the first element discovered in Asia. #chemistry #japan
Jun 8, 2016 CE
Element 118 Named Oganesson
IUPAC names element 118 after Yuri Oganessian, recognizing his contributions to superheavy element research. #chemistry #elements
2017 CE
First Chemical Studies of Oganesson
Theoretical and experimental group at GSI attempts to study oganesson's chemistry, predicted to be a noble gas but with relativistic effects. #chemistry #superheavy
2018 CE
Discovery of Element 119 Predicted and Sought
Multiple labs (RIKEN, JINR, GSI) attempt to synthesize element 119 (ununennium), but no confirmed results yet. #chemistry #future
Jan 28, 2019 CE
Oganesson's Relativistic Electron Cloud Studied
Simulations predict oganesson's electron configuration is influenced by strong relativistic effects, altering chemical properties. #chemistry #physics
2020 CE
Attempted Synthesis of Element 117 at RIKEN
RIKEN launches experiment to reproduce tennessine and search for new isotopes. #chemistry #japan
2021 CE
New Isotopes of Oganesson Detected
JINR announces detection of oganesson-294 with a half-life of about 0.69 ms, confirming earlier results. #chemistry #nuclear
2022 CE
Superheavy Element Chemistry: Seaborgium Boride Synthesized
Researchers at PSI (Switzerland) synthesize seaborgium boride, a compound of element 106. #chemistry #experiment
2023 CE
Element 120 Search Intensifies
Experiments at JINR and GSI target element 120, with predictions of a possible magic number at 184 neutrons. #chemistry #physics
2024 CE
Island of Stability: Theoretical Predictions for 294Og
Nuclear theorists propose that oganesson-294 lies near the predicted island of stability, with enhanced half-lives for neighboring nuclei. #physics #theory
By Lasunncty - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=88475330
Feb 14, 2025 CE
Oganesson's First Chemical Bond Predicted
Quantum chemical calculations show oganesson can form bonds with hydrogen, despite being a noble gas, due to relativistic effects. #chemistry #simulation