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In nuclear physics, the island of stability is a predicted set of isotopes of superheavy elements that may have considerably longer half-lives than known isotopes of these elements. It is predicted to appear as an "island" in the chart of nuclides , separated from known stable and long-lived primordial radionuclides .
Transuranic elements may be used to synthesize superheavy elements. [7] Elements of the island of stability have potentially important military applications, including the development of compact nuclear weapons. [8] The potential everyday applications are vast; americium is used in devices such as smoke detectors and spectrometers. [9] [10]
Later work suggests the islands of stability around hassium and flerovium occur because these nuclei are respectively deformed and oblate, which make them resistant to spontaneous fission, and that the true island of stability for spherical nuclei occurs at around unbibium-306 (122 protons, 184 neutrons).
In the periodic table of the elements, it is expected to be an s-block element, an alkaline earth metal, and the second element in the eighth period. It has attracted attention because of some predictions that it may be in the island of stability. Unbinilium has not yet been synthesized, despite multiple attempts from German and Russian teams.
In the periodic table of the elements, copernicium is a d-block transactinide element and a group 12 element. During reactions with gold , it has been shown [ 8 ] to be an extremely volatile element, so much so that it is possibly a gas or a volatile liquid at standard temperature and pressure .
Other islands of stability beyond the known elements may also be possible, including one theorised around element 164, though the extent of stabilizing effects from closed nuclear shells is uncertain. It is not clear how many elements beyond the expected island of stability are physically possible, whether period 8 is complete, or if there is a ...
Unbihexium has attracted attention among nuclear physicists, especially in early predictions targeting properties of superheavy elements, for 126 may be a magic number of protons near the center of an island of stability, leading to longer half-lives, especially for 310 Ubh or 354 Ubh which may also have magic numbers of neutrons.
Livermorium is expected to be near an island of stability centered on copernicium (element 112) and flerovium (element 114). [85] [86] Due to the expected high fission barriers, any nucleus within this island of stability exclusively decays by alpha decay and perhaps some electron capture and beta decay. [4]