Pride of Japanese Scientists

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced on Wednesday that it was naming the four new chemical elements, which included nihonium, Nh, for the element of 113. It is the first time that an element discovered in Japan is listed on the periodic table of the elements, which is familiar to mid-school students in Japan. Japanese scientists are exciting, recognizing the nomination as a historical achievement.

A study group in Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, known as Riken, embarked on the experiment in 2003 for composing an element with 113 protons by collision of nucleus of zinc with 30 protons and bismuth with 83 protons each other. They were successful in composing the element of 113 through nuclear fusion reaction for the first time in 2004. In the 360 trillion times experiments by 2012, the group found it only three times. The element has very short life, 0.002 second in average, and turned into other elements like dubnium or mendelevium.

History of Japanese science in discovering new element has been that of losers. Although Dr. Masataka Ogawa discovered in 1908 the element 43, naming it nipponium, it was proved to be the element 75, which had already been named rhenium by a study team in United States. In 1939, a group in Riken led by Yoshio Nishina attempted to compose the element 93, which was not successful. Experiment for the element 113 has been third time’s the charm for Japanese scientists.

Discovering new elements is in international competition over scientific power. U.S. scientists found the elements from 93 to 103. The element of 99, einsteinium, and of 100, fermium, was discovered in the ash of first experiment of hydrogen bomb. Among the elements from 93 to 118, U.S. found 12, Germany 6, U.S.-Russia team 5, Russia 2 and Japan 1. Discovery of new element has been regarded as the prestige of each nation.

Discovery of nihonium was also in a hard competition with a U.S.-Russia team. Before confirmation of composition in 2012 by Riken team, U.S.-Russia team announced that they were successful in mass-production of the element of 113. However, Riken team achieved naming right of the element by proving the process of collapsing into other elements. The Group Director of Riken, Kosuke Morita, kept on donating ¥113 in his new-year shrine visit for years.

It is unclear how nihonium will contribute to our ordinary life. But, Japanese scientists, who were disappointed with bad reputation stemming from a failure of discovery of stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency, were firmly encouraged. “The periodic table of the elements with an element born in Japan will stimulate Japanese students for chemics. The effect on more young students forwarding study is indispensable,” told former President of IUPAC, Kazuyuki Tatsumi.