Scientists from the Chemistry, Materials and Life Sciences Directorate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers from Dubna, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Russia , have discovered the newest superheavy element, element 118.

In experiments conducted at the JINR U400 cyclotron between February and June 2005, the researchers observed atomic decay patterns, or chains, that establish the existence of element 118. In these decay chains, previously observed element 116 is produced via the alpha decay of element 118.

The results are published in the October 2006 edition of the journal Physical Review C.

Source:
http://www.llnl.gov/pao/news/news_releases/2006/NR-06-10-03.html

DA Morgan