Dubnium

Dubnium (atomic number 105. This is a highly isotope has a half life of 32 hours (²⁶⁸Db). This relatively high stability compared to the surrounding elements on the periodic table gives evidence that by manipulating the number of neutrons in a nucleus, one can alter the stabilities of such nuclei.

History

Dubnium (named after Dubna, Russia) was reportedly Albert Ghiorso working at the University of California, Berkeley had positively identified element 105.

The American team synthesized the element by bombarding a target ²⁴⁹Atoms of element 105 were detected conclusively on March 5, 1970 but there is evidence that this element had already been formed at Berkeley a year earlier using the same method.

The Berkeley scientists later tried to confirm the Soviet findings using more sophisticated methods but were not successful. They proposed that the new element should be named hahnium (symbol Ha) in honor of the late German scientist Otto Hahn. Consequently this was the name that most American and Western European scientists used.

An systematic element name. However in 1997 they resolved the dispute and adopted the current name, dubnium (symbol Db), after the city that contains the Russian Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. Its former names have included hahnium (/ˈhɑːniəm/), joliotium (/ˌdʒoʊliˈoʊtiəm/) and nielsbohrium, symbol Ns (/ˌniːlzˈbɔəriəm/).

References

• Los Alamos National Laboratory - Dubnium