Flerovium

Lore & Background

One atom was detected, alpha decaying with a lifetime of 30.4 seconds, and was assigned to 289Fl. More recent results show its reaction with gold is similar to that of copernicium, suggesting it is very volatile and may even be gaseous at standard temperature and pressure, though it also shows some metallic properties consistent with being the heavier homologue of lead. Very little is known about flerovium, as it can only be produced one atom at a time, and all known isotopes are short-lived.

Reader's Guide

Flerovium is significant as the heaviest known member of the carbon group and a key element in the search for the island of stability, a theorized region of relatively long-lived superheavy nuclei. Although the most stable known isotope, 289Fl, has a half-life of only about 2.1 seconds, the unconfirmed 290Fl may have a half-life of 19 seconds, and heavier isotopes like 298Fl are expected to have even longer half-lives. The element's volatile behavior, similar to copernicium and possibly gaseous at standard conditions, challenges expectations for a group 14 element and provides insights into relativistic effects in superheavy chemistry. Its legacy includes validating decades of theoretical work and opening avenues for exploring the farthest reaches of the periodic table.

Did You Know?

• Flerovium is named after the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, which honors Russian physicist Georgy Flyorov.
• The most stable known isotope, 289Fl, has a half-life of about 2.1 seconds, but the unconfirmed 290Fl may have a half-life of 19 seconds.
• Flerovium is predicted to be near the center of the theorized island of stability, and the possibly magic isotope 298Fl may have even longer half-lives.