Oganesson is a synthetic element with atomic number 118. It belongs to Group 18 of the periodic table and is part of the noble gases. The element was named after Russian Professor Yuri Oganessian, who made significant advances in nuclear physics of super-heavy nuclei.
As a radioactive element, Oganesson is unstable and has a short half-life. It decays into lighter elements. In the case of the isotope 294Og, its half-life is about 0.69 milliseconds.
Scientists at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, discovered oganesson in 2002. This group of molecules was formed after the bombardment of californium with calcium ions. These atoms have slightly higher stability than expected.
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have also discovered oganesson. They produced the element in 2002. Their experiment involved the bombardment of californium-249 with calcium-48 ions for about 2300 hours. Three atoms of oganesson were produced.
Scientists at the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) approved the name of oganesson in November 2016. Oganesson has only been produced in tiny quantities, and its properties have only been measured in lab experiments. However, it is suspected to have characteristics of a metalloid. A chemical study of the element is ongoing.
Oganesson is predicted to resemble other members of Group 8 of the periodic table. It is also suspected to have the characteristics of radon. Although it has not been studied much, it is presumed to be reactive and to be resistant to oxidation.
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