Properties and Overview of Flerovium

Overview:

Flerovium (Fl) represented by the chemical symbol Fl and atomic number 114 on the periodic table, is a synthetic element that was first produced in 1998 by a team of Russian and American scientists at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia. Named after the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, which itself honors the Soviet physicist Georgy Flerov, flerovium is a member of the superheavy elements, specifically placed in group 14 of the periodic table. However, its properties deviate significantly from lighter group members such as carbon, silicon, and lead. Physically, flerovium is expected to be a solid under normal conditions, although due to its extremely short half-life, direct observation of its bulk properties has not been possible. Theoretical models suggest that flerovium might have a relatively high atomic mass and density, with some predictions indicating a metallic appearance. However, these physical properties remain primarily speculative because of its instability and rapid decay of its isotopes.
Chemically, flerovium is thought to exhibit properties that reflect its position in group 14; it may exhibit some noble gas-like properties, displaying lower reactivity than expected. It might form weak chemical bonds or be largely inert, but these hypotheses are difficult to confirm due to the limited experimental data.
Regarding safety, flerovium is highly radioactive and exists only in minute, laboratory-produced quantities. Its most stable isotope, flerovium-289, has a half-life of just a few seconds, decaying rapidly into lighter elements through alpha decay. The short half-life and high radioactivity mean that flerovium must be handled with extreme care, typically within specialized facilities designed to contain and study superheavy elements. The element poses significant radiological hazards due to the intense radiation emitted during its decay, making it dangerous to handle outside controlled environments.

Production:

Flerovium is produced through nuclear fusion reactions involving the bombardment of lighter nuclei with heavy ions. The most common production method involves bombarding plutonium-244 targets with calcium-48 ions in a particle accelerator. This collision occasionally results in the fusion of the nuclei, forming flerovium. The production of flerovium is highly challenging due to the low probability of successful fusion and the rapid decay of the element once it is formed. Only a few atoms of flerovium have been produced and observed, making it one of the rarest elements known.

Applications:

Applications of flerovium are currently nonexistent outside of scientific research. Its short half-life and the difficulty in producing it in meaningful quantities limit its use to basic scientific investigation, particularly in studying the properties of superheavy elements and the forces that hold atomic nuclei together. Research on flerovium and other superheavy elements helps scientists explore the "island of stability," a theoretical region in the periodic table where superheavy elements might have relatively longer half-lives, leading to potential new insights into nuclear physics and chemistry.

Summary:

Flerovium is a synthetic, highly radioactive element with an atomic number of 114, known for its short half-life and challenging production process. Due to its instability, its physical and chemical properties remain primarily theoretical. However, it is expected to exhibit unique characteristics influenced by relativistic effects, possibly showing some noble gas-like behavior. Currently, flerovium has no practical applications and is studied primarily for its role in expanding our understanding of superheavy elements and nuclear structure.

See a comprehensive list of atomic, electrical, mechanical, physical and thermal properties for flerovium below: