Tennessine
Element 117 · Halogen
Tennessine is the group 17 transactinide, completing the halogen family below astatine. First produced in 2010 at Dubna by bombarding berkelium-249 with calcium-48, only a handful of atoms have ever been detected, decaying in tens of milliseconds. Theory predicts it will be less reactive and more metallic than lighter halogens, possibly even forming positive oxidation states. Properties are predicted, with very limited experimental data. Tennessine is intensely radioactive, decaying within tens of milliseconds.
Key facts
| Atomic number | 117 |
|---|---|
| Atomic weight | [294] |
| Category | Halogen |
| Group / Period | 17 / 7 |
| Block | p |
| Electron configuration | [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p5 (predicted) |
| Common oxidation states | -1 (predicted) |
| State at STP | Solid |
Occurrence
Tennessine is entirely synthetic, made in accelerators from rare berkelium targets shipped from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Applications
Completing the seventh period of the periodic table
Tests of halogen trends at extreme atomic number
No commercial applications
Common compounds
- Tennessine compounds (predicted, none observed)
Tennessine is named after Tennessee, home of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which produced the rare berkelium target used in its discovery.
Data source: IUPAC standard atomic weights 2021