Seaborgium Properties

Seaborgium is a radioactive chemical element which is artificially produced and possesses a very short life. Chemically, it is similar to tungsten. The other name of this element is Unnilhexium (Unh). This element was named after a great American chemist, Glenn T. Seaborg. He was an American nuclear physicist honored with the Nobel prize. He also discovered many transuranium elements. It is a transitional metal that covers group two to twelve in the periodic table. In this article, we will focus on the seaborgium properties and seaborgium facts, apart from its history and uses. I am sure that you know, what is seaborgium. So, first let us look at its history.

Seaborgium History

This element was created in 1974 at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory by a collaboration of Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore headed by E. Kenneth Hulet and Albert Ghiorso. They produced this nuclide called seaborgium ²⁶³106 with the bombardment of californium (²⁴⁹Cf) along with oxygen (¹⁸O) ions with the help of a machine known as super heavy ion linear accelerator. This collision of ions produced seaborgium-263 atoms along with four free neutrons. This isotope of seaborgium has a half-life of about one second. Now some facts about this element.

Basic Seaborgium Facts

Here are some basic facts about the seaborgium element.

Common Facts
Name	Seaborgium
Symbol	Sg
Atomic Number	106
Atomic Mass	(263.0) amu
Melting Point	Not Known
Boiling Point	Not Known
Classification	Transitional Element
Crystal Structure	Not Known
Density @ 293 K	Not Known
Color	Not Known
Other Names	Unnilhexium (Unh), Rutherfordium (Rf), Seaborgium (Sg)
Electron Configuration*	[Rn] 7s2 5f14 6d4
Electron Per Shell*	2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 12, 2

* Seaborgium electron configuration and distribution of electrons per shell in a predicted one.

Interesting Facts About Seaborgium

One of the very interesting facts is that it is an unstable metallic chemical element and the instability of this element makes it difficult, rather impossible to find it in nature. So, it is mostly synthesized in the laboratories and not present in nature like other common elements. As this element has a very short life and costs a lot to produce, so it is not used for commercial purposes like many other synthetic heavy element. Their unstable nature does not allow them to stay with anything for more than a few seconds. The element has 106 protons and electrons and 157 neutrons in an atom. Seaborgium has seventeen isotopes that range from ²⁵⁸Sg to ²⁷³Sg. These seaborgium element facts make the element different and unique and restrict the uses of seaborgium.

Properties of Seaborgium

The physical properties says that its phase is assumed to be solid and density is still not known. Even its reactivity with air is not known because it was made in a very small quantity, but its behavior is predicted to be similar to tungsten and molybdenum. Same goes for its reactivity to water, halogens, acids and base. As there is very little information about this element, so are the applications. Seaborgium is a synthetic element so it is not available freely in the environment. The unstable property of this element make it impossible to study or research its effects on human body because it is decomposed into another element as soon as it is formed. Hence, its health effects are also unknown. Apart from its unknown effects on human body, effects on environment and other properties are still a mystery because it has a short half-life, that is of just twenty-one seconds.

The isolation of seaborgium has not been achieved. Some of the other isotopes of this element are made by bombarding neon atom to get californium isotopes. As we know that the transitional elements are good conductors of heat and electricity, and are ductile and malleable so are these properties expected to be.