Ununoctium facts for kids

Ununoctium (also known as eka-radon or element 118) is a special chemical element. It has the temporary name given by the IUPAC and a temporary symbol Uuo. This element is a transactinide element with an atomic number of 118.

Ununoctium atoms are very unstable. This means they quickly change into different atoms through a process called a nuclear reaction. Scientists have only managed to create a few atoms of ununoctium since 2002. Even though it belongs to a group called noble gases, which are usually not very reactive, ununoctium is actually more reactive than other noble gases. Right now, the only known use for ununoctium is for scientific research in laboratories.

What is Ununoctium?

Ununoctium is a super heavy element that doesn't exist naturally on Earth. Scientists create it in special labs by smashing smaller atoms together. Because it's so unstable, it only lasts for a tiny fraction of a second before changing into another element.

How was Ununoctium discovered?

The first atoms of ununoctium were made in 2002 by a team of scientists at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia. They worked with American scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. They created ununoctium by hitting atoms of californium with atoms of calcium.

Naming Element 118

In 2016, element 118 was officially named oganesson (symbol Og) after Professor Yuri Oganessian. He is a famous Russian scientist who has helped discover many new super heavy elements. The name "ununoctium" was just a temporary placeholder name until the official name was chosen.

Why is Ununoctium important?

Even though ununoctium is very hard to make and doesn't last long, studying it helps scientists understand more about how atoms work. It gives clues about the "Island of stability" – a theory that some very heavy elements might be more stable than others. Learning about these elements helps us understand the limits of the periodic table and the forces inside atomic nuclei.

Images for kids

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  Element 118 was named after Yuri Oganessian, a pioneer in the discovery of synthetic elements, with the name oganesson (Og).

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  Oganesson (row 118) is slightly above the "island of stability" (white circle) and thus its nuclei are slightly more stable than otherwise predicted.

See also

In Spanish: Oganesón para niños