Roentgenium facts for kids

A display about Roentgenium, element 111.

Roentgenium is a special kind of chemical element. It's a transition metal, which is a group of elements known for being good conductors of heat and electricity. Its short symbol is Rg. You can find it at position 111 on the periodic table of the elements. This element is named after Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, a German scientist. He was famous for discovering X-rays!

Scientists have not found Roentgenium naturally on Earth. It is only made in laboratories.

What is Roentgenium?

Roentgenium is a "superheavy" element. This means it has a very large number of protons in its atoms. Elements like this are usually made by smashing smaller atoms together.

Isotopes and Radioactivity

There are about 7 different types of Roentgenium, called isotopes. Think of isotopes as different versions of the same element. All of these Roentgenium isotopes are radioactive. This means they are unstable and slowly break down into other elements over time.

Half-Life

The time it takes for half of a radioactive substance to decay is called its half-life. For Roentgenium, its isotopes have very short half-lives. They range from just 1.6 milliseconds (super fast!) to about 26 seconds. Because it disappears so quickly, it's very hard to study.

What Color is Roentgenium?

Scientists believe Roentgenium might look like gold. This is because of something called the "inert pair effect." This effect can make very heavy elements behave in unexpected ways. It can also influence their color.

Images for kids

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  Roentgenium was named after the physicist Wilhelm Röntgen, who discovered X-rays.

See also

In Spanish: Roentgenio para niños