Facts for Kids

Nihonium is a super cool element on the periodic table with the symbol Nh and atomic number 113! 🧪

It was discovered in 2003 by scientists in Japan at the RIKEN Institute. Nihonium is special because it is synthetic, which means it does not exist naturally on Earth. This element is named after Japan (Nihon in Japanese) to honor its birthplace! 🇯🇵 You can find it in groups of heavy elements called "post-transition metals." Nihonium is one of the newest elements added to the periodic table, making it quite exciting! 🎉

Nihonium is not found in nature, which means people don’t usually come into contact with it. 😷

Since it is very unstable and decays quickly, there isn't much threat from it. However, it’s important to have safety precautions in place when handling heavy elements. Scientists in labs use protective gear like gloves and glasses! 🦺

Understanding safety is super important when dealing with any chemical, no matter how rare or unfamiliar it is!

Nihonium was discovered by a group of researchers led by Dr. Kosuke Morita. They used a particle accelerator ⚡️ to smash lighter atoms together in hopes of creating nihonium. After several successful reactions, they confirmed its existence! This amazing discovery took place in the city of Saitama, Japan. The name "nihonium" was officially approved by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in November 2016. This showed that scientists loved the idea of honoring Japan and the hard work of the team! 🥇

At this time, because nihonium is super rare and decays quickly, scientists haven't found any practical uses for it yet! 🌱

It's too unstable to use in everyday life or products. However, studying nihonium helps scientists learn more about heavy elements and the forces at play in chemistry! 🔬

This research could lead to the discovery of new materials and technologies in the future. So, even if we can't use it today, it might be helpful later!

Nihonium has several isotopes, which are different versions of the same element! 🎇

The most stable isotope, nihonium-286, lasts only about 20 milliseconds before turning into other elements! That's super fast! 😲

Scientists are still studying nihonium and its isotopes to learn more about its stability and how it behaves. Isotopes are important for scientists because they help us understand elements better and explore their uses in science and technology!

Nihonium doesn't exist in nature, so it needs to be made by scientists in labs! 🏭

It is produced by smashing together atoms of bismuth (element number 83) with calcium (element number 20). When they collide, nihonium atoms may form but only for a tiny moment! ⚛

️ That's why it can’t be found anywhere on the planet! Scientists have created only a few atoms of nihonium at a time, which means it is super rare! 🌌

Scientists are excited to study nihonium further to discover more about its properties and gather more data! 📚

Future research could involve finding if nihonium bonds with other elements and how it might behave in different conditions. This research can help us understand the rules of chemistry better! 🔍

Who knows, maybe discovering new uses or applications for nihonium will lead to amazing inventions in the and even help laboratories in the future! 🚀

Nihonium belongs to a family of elements called the "p-block" group, which includes elements like gallium (Ga) and thallium (Tl). 🌟

Like these elements, nihonium is a metal! While gallium and thallium are known to be less reactive and have different melting points, nihonium is still being explored by scientists. It's interesting to think about how nihonium compares to its "family" members, especially since it's one of the heaviest elements on the periodic table! 🌍

Keep an eye on nihonium as we learn more!

Nihonium is a heavy metal, and because it is so new, scientists don't know much about it! However, they think it's going to look like a shiny metal similar to gold! ✨

Nihonium is predicted to be a solid at room temperature, but it might melt at really high temperatures. It is also believed to be less reactive than some other metals, meaning it could be stable and not easily change into other substances. 🧊

Just remember, because it's very new, scientists are still figuring out its exact properties!