Ninovium

Ninovium

Ninovium

Synthetic element announced by Victor Ninov

Ninovium was a synthetic element that was purportedly discovered in 1999 by Victor Ninov and his team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Initially claimed as element 118, now oganesson, Ninovium's existence was based on alleged decay chains observed during experiments aimed at synthesizing superheavy elements. However, subsequent investigations revealed discrepancies and fabricated data, leading to the retraction of the claimed discovery and the dismissal of Ninov for scientific misconduct.[1][2]

Etymology

The word Ninovium originates from Victor Ninov's surname, following with the suffix -ium, which is used indicate an entity that is an element according to the IUPAC rules.

Characteristics

Ninovium was reported by original observations as a superheavy element. While its exact characteristics remain lost media, theoretical predictions suggest that Ninovium would likely possess a high atomic number, potentially exceeding 118 protons and 184 neutrons in its nucleus.[3] Due to its position in the periodic table, Ninovium would belong to the transactinide series and is expected to exhibit properties similar to other superheavy elements, such as high instability and extremely short half-lives. However, these predictions are based on theoretical models and have not been experimentally confirmed.[1][citation needed]

History

Discovery

In 1999, Victor Ninov, along with his team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, reported the creation of element 118 based on observed decay chains. However, further attempts to recreate element weren't successful. Berkeley Laboratory allowed investigation to take place in 2001, which later revealed that data in report was manually modified. Ninov was convicted to be the fabricator of the report, but he denied all allegations of the investigation.[1][2]

In 2002, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia, Dubna has acquired element 118 with use of Californium and Calcium, and named it Oganesson. Research was published in 2006 and International tests confirmed that the element was indeed acquired. Since then Ninov's formula for acquiring 118th element hasn't been proven working.

Refutation

The controversy surrounding Ninovium's discovery led to allegations of scientific misconduct against Victor Ninov, ultimately resulting in his dismissal from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2002.

Despite the initial claims of its discovery, Ninovium's existence as a valid element remains unsubstantiated, and its characteristics remain uncertain.[1][2]

References

  1. [1]
    Chapman, Kit (10 June 2019). "Victor Ninov and the element that never was". Chemistry World. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  2. [2]
    "The scientific fraud behind the "discovery" of element 118". Big Think. The Past. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  3. [3]
    Yarris, Lynn (7 June 1999). "New Superheavy Elements 116 and 118 Discovered at Berkeley Lab". enews.lbl.gov. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
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