Names Proposed for Elements of Atomic Number 114 and 116
At the Closing Ceremony of the International Year of Chemistry in Brussels on December 1st
2011 the President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC),
Professor Nicole J. Moreau, announced the proposed names for the elements with atomic
numbers 114 and 116.
On May 1st last a Joint IUPAC-IUPAP (International Union of Pure
and Applied Physics) Working Party assigned the priorities for the discoveries of these
elements (see www.IUPAC.org for details) to collaborative work between scientists from the
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia and from Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory, California, USA (hereinafter referred to as the Dubna-Livermore collaborations).
Following the procedure laid down by IUPAC the scientists involved in the collaboration were
invited to propose names for the elements. With Professor Yuri Oganessian as
spokesperson the collaborators have proposed the name flerovium (symbol Fl) for element
number 114 and the name livermorium (symbol Lv) for that with number 116. These
proposed names have now also been examined and approved by the Inorganic Chemistry
Division (Division II) of IUPAC which clears the way for IUPAC to issue a Provisional
Recommendations document. The Provisional Recommendations will be made available in
the very near future for Public Comment for five months and will also be sent to expert
referees. At the end of the Public Comment period, the Inorganic Chemistry Division will
review the comments made and either revise the Recommendations or recommend approval
by the IUPAC Council. After approval by the IUPAC Council, or its designate, the
Recommendation of the name and symbol will be published in the IUPAC Journal, Pure and
Applied Chemistry.
Both of the names proposed lie within the long tradition of the choice of names for elements.
The proposal for 114 will honour the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions where the
superheavy elements are synthesised. Georgiy N. Flerov (1913 – 1990) is recognised as a
renowned physicist, author of the discovery of the spontaneous fission of uranium (1940,
with Konstantin A. Petrzhak), pioneer in heavy-ion physics; and founder in the Joint Institute
for Nuclear Research the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions (1957). It is an especially
appropriate choice because since 1991 this laboratory, in which the element was
synthesised, has borne his name. Professor G.N. Flerov is known also for his fundamental
work in various fields of physics that resulted in the discovery of new phenomena in
properties and interactions of the atomic nuclei; these have played a key role in the
establishment and development of many areas of further research.
The name proposed for element number 116 honours the Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory (1952). A group of researchers of this Laboratory with the heavy element
research group of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions took part in the work carried
out in Dubna on the synthesis of superheavy elements including element 116. Over the
years scientists at Livermore have been involved in many areas of nuclear science: the
investigation of fission properties of the heaviest elements, including the discovery of
bimodal fission, and the study of prompt gamma-rays emitted from fission fragments
following fission, the investigation of isomers and isomeric levels in many nuclei and the
investigation of the chemical properties of the heaviest elements.
About IUPAC - IUPAC was formed in 1919 by chemists from industry and academia. For
more than 90 years, the Union has succeeded in fostering worldwide communications in the
chemical sciences and in uniting academic, industrial, and public-sector chemistry in a
common language. IUPAC is recognized as the world authority on chemical nomenclature,
terminology, standardized methods for measurement, atomic weights, and more. In recent
years, IUPAC has been proactive in establishing a wide range of conferences and projects
designed to promote and stimulate modern developments in chemistry. Another key focus of
the organization is on improving chemistry education and encouraging public understanding
of chemistry. More information about IUPAC and its activities is available at www.iupac.org.
For questions, contact Dr. Terry Renner, Executive Director, at secretariat@iupac.org. In
2011, IUPAC was co-sponsor with UNESCO of the International Year of Chemistry,
www.chemistry2011.org. IUPAC's next Congress and General Assembly will be held in
Istanbul, 9 – 15 August, 2013.
2011 the President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC),
Professor Nicole J. Moreau, announced the proposed names for the elements with atomic
numbers 114 and 116.
On May 1st last a Joint IUPAC-IUPAP (International Union of Pure
and Applied Physics) Working Party assigned the priorities for the discoveries of these
elements (see www.IUPAC.org for details) to collaborative work between scientists from the
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia and from Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory, California, USA (hereinafter referred to as the Dubna-Livermore collaborations).
Following the procedure laid down by IUPAC the scientists involved in the collaboration were
invited to propose names for the elements. With Professor Yuri Oganessian as
spokesperson the collaborators have proposed the name flerovium (symbol Fl) for element
number 114 and the name livermorium (symbol Lv) for that with number 116. These
proposed names have now also been examined and approved by the Inorganic Chemistry
Division (Division II) of IUPAC which clears the way for IUPAC to issue a Provisional
Recommendations document. The Provisional Recommendations will be made available in
the very near future for Public Comment for five months and will also be sent to expert
referees. At the end of the Public Comment period, the Inorganic Chemistry Division will
review the comments made and either revise the Recommendations or recommend approval
by the IUPAC Council. After approval by the IUPAC Council, or its designate, the
Recommendation of the name and symbol will be published in the IUPAC Journal, Pure and
Applied Chemistry.
Both of the names proposed lie within the long tradition of the choice of names for elements.
The proposal for 114 will honour the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions where the
superheavy elements are synthesised. Georgiy N. Flerov (1913 – 1990) is recognised as a
renowned physicist, author of the discovery of the spontaneous fission of uranium (1940,
with Konstantin A. Petrzhak), pioneer in heavy-ion physics; and founder in the Joint Institute
for Nuclear Research the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions (1957). It is an especially
appropriate choice because since 1991 this laboratory, in which the element was
synthesised, has borne his name. Professor G.N. Flerov is known also for his fundamental
work in various fields of physics that resulted in the discovery of new phenomena in
properties and interactions of the atomic nuclei; these have played a key role in the
establishment and development of many areas of further research.
The name proposed for element number 116 honours the Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory (1952). A group of researchers of this Laboratory with the heavy element
research group of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions took part in the work carried
out in Dubna on the synthesis of superheavy elements including element 116. Over the
years scientists at Livermore have been involved in many areas of nuclear science: the
investigation of fission properties of the heaviest elements, including the discovery of
bimodal fission, and the study of prompt gamma-rays emitted from fission fragments
following fission, the investigation of isomers and isomeric levels in many nuclei and the
investigation of the chemical properties of the heaviest elements.
About IUPAC - IUPAC was formed in 1919 by chemists from industry and academia. For
more than 90 years, the Union has succeeded in fostering worldwide communications in the
chemical sciences and in uniting academic, industrial, and public-sector chemistry in a
common language. IUPAC is recognized as the world authority on chemical nomenclature,
terminology, standardized methods for measurement, atomic weights, and more. In recent
years, IUPAC has been proactive in establishing a wide range of conferences and projects
designed to promote and stimulate modern developments in chemistry. Another key focus of
the organization is on improving chemistry education and encouraging public understanding
of chemistry. More information about IUPAC and its activities is available at www.iupac.org.
For questions, contact Dr. Terry Renner, Executive Director, at secretariat@iupac.org. In
2011, IUPAC was co-sponsor with UNESCO of the International Year of Chemistry,
www.chemistry2011.org. IUPAC's next Congress and General Assembly will be held in
Istanbul, 9 – 15 August, 2013.
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