Superheavy Elements: The Surprising Uses and Physics Behind Them

Preface

Many know the big-ticket elements of the Periodic Table. Oxygen, Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, and many others. If we didn’t, Mr. Gray probably would not be pleased. Of the nearly 120 elements, 24 of them are not natural. These are synthetic elements, occurring only in the lab and in the first seconds of supernovae before decaying in a fraction of a second, literally shorter than the blink of an eye. At any given moment, these “superheavy” elements may only consist of a few atoms at any time in the entirety of the universe. Many overlook these elements, pushed to the bottom row of the periodic table and decaying too fast to supposedly be useful for anything, but these “useless” elements can teach us a great deal about the physics of the nuclei of atoms and they also come with numerous uses.

Plutonium, Fermi and the Nuclear Bomb

Let’s take a trip back to Italy in the 1930s. Fascist leader Benito Mussolini had just assumed power, and one Enrico Fermi was in his 20s. This young Fermi was trying to become the first to discover the first transuranium element; one we know today as Plutonium, element 93. And in 1934, he’d done it! By bombarding atoms of uranium with neutrons, he formed a new element. Of course, being in Mussolini’s Italy, he was pressured to name it “Fascium” after the namesake of Mussolini’s party, the fasces. Luckily, Fermi did not follow the suggestion. He would win the Nobel prize in Physics in 1938 for the discovery. Also in 1938, however, Mussolini implemented a new set of racial laws, clamping down on the rights of Italian Jews. As his wife was Jewish, Fermi ended up fleeing to the United States. It was here, however, where he got surprising news. He had not discovered the 93rd element. He had discovered something far more powerful: nuclear fission. In other words, he had just found out how to split the atom. In December of 1938, two German scientists replicated his experiment but had instead found that there was only Krypton and Barium in the place of Uranium. Elements 36 and 56. 36 + 56 = 92, Uranium. Fermi had just discovered nuclear fission in his race for Plutonium, and it would irreversibly change the world forever. This, of course, would come in the form of the nuclear bomb, sparking a cold war that lasted almost 45 years and caused many near-encounters with what could possibly have been the end of humanity.

Americium: Keeping You Safe With… Radioactivity?

On a lighter note, or technically heavier, is Americium, another superheavy element with a surprising use. Americium is element number 95 and has a half-life of roughly 7,500 years. A few micrograms of Americium are commonly used in fire alarms. You may be alarmed by this (no pun intended) because as you may know, Americium releases heavy alpha particles, a form of radiation. These particles, which are identical to the nucleus of Helium but with no electrons, are ejected from the nucleus during nuclear decay. But these alpha particles can only travel a few inches through the air before stopping and cannot penetrate your skin. However, alpha particles are crucial to detecting smoke. Inside a fire alarm, there is a small disc containing a few micrograms of Americium. As the Americium decays, it ionizes air particles in the smoke detector, making positive ions and negative free electrons. Normally, these ions would come right back together to neutralize, but in a fire alarm, they are used for a different purpose. Above and below the Americium there are two plates, one positively charged, attracting electrons, and one negatively charged, attracting the ionized air. As these electrons come to the plate, a small electric current is produced from the moving electrons. Smoke interferes with this movement, causing the current to stop and letting the alarms sound, alerting you of a fire so you can get out safely.

Conclusion

In conclusion, heavy elements have more impact on your daily life than you probably thought. This was just a small look at the impact of these often overlooked elements on modern life, and there’s a lot more reading you can do and it’s an expansive topic. Even outside the superheavies, did you know that there is platinum and gold in the computer you’re viewing this article on right now? What about nuclear fusion in the core of our sun, allowing life to exist as we know it? Sometimes the most influential and interesting things are hiding among the tiniest. Sadly, many ignore or just don’t know about the exciting physics and surprising uses of the rarest atoms to ever exist.

Citations

"December 1938: Lise Meitner & Otto Frisch Discover Nuclear Fission". Aps.Org, 2023, https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200712/physicshistory.cfm. Accessed 10 Feb 2023.

"Ionization Vs Photoelectric". Nfpa.Org, 2023, https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Safety-equipment/Smoke-alarms/Ionization-vs-photoelectric#:~:text=How%20they%20work%3A%20Ionization%2Dtype,current%20and%20activating%20the%20alarm. Accessed 10 Feb 2023.

Orear, Jay. "Enrico Fermi-The Master Scientist". Ecommons.Cornell.Edu, 2004, https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/74. Accessed 10 Feb 2023.