Nihonium
Element 113 · Post-Transition Metal
Nihonium is the group 13 transactinide, the superheavy counterpart of thallium. It was first produced in 2004 at the RIKEN laboratory in Japan after nearly a decade of experiments, with only three atoms detected. Theory predicts it will favor the +1 oxidation state and be more reactive than thallium. Its longest-lived isotope decays in about 20 seconds. Properties are predicted, with very limited experimental data. Nihonium is radioactive, decaying in about 20 seconds.
Key facts
| Atomic number | 113 |
|---|---|
| Atomic weight | [286] |
| Category | Post-Transition Metal |
| Group / Period | 13 / 7 |
| Block | p |
| Electron configuration | [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p1 (predicted) |
| Common oxidation states | +1 (predicted) |
| State at STP | Solid |
Occurrence
Nihonium is entirely synthetic, produced by fusing bismuth-209 with zinc-70 in the RIKEN accelerator.
Applications
Single-atom production and decay studies
Research on the island of stability
No commercial applications
Common compounds
- Nihonium compounds (predicted, none observed)
Nihonium, from 'Nihon' meaning Japan, is the first chemical element ever discovered in Asia.
Data source: IUPAC standard atomic weights 2021