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For more than 50 years, the Office
of Science and predecessor agencies
have supported the discovery and study
of the actinide elements, in particular
the transuranium elements-atoms that
are heavier than uranium. Glenn Seaborg
and Ed McMillan of the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory, 1951 Nobel Laureates
in Chemistry for the discovery of
plutonium and other actinide elements,
began this quest. Today, the Heavy
Element Chemistry program continues
the pursuit for a fundamental understanding
of actinide and fission product chemistry.
The discovery and the exploration
of the properties of the transactinides,
elements heavier than the actinides,
is also being undertaken and presents
significant challenges since these
elements decay to the lighter elements
in minutes, seconds, or milliseconds.
One of the leading researchers in
this area is Darleane Hoffman of Lawrence
Berkeley, whose work earned her the
National Medal of Science in 1997
(the nation's highest scientific honor)
and the Priestly Medal of the American
Chemical Society in 2000. Hoffman
contributed to the development of
"atom at a time" chemistry which makes
possible the study of heavy elements
with half-lives of a minute or less.
She was among the researchers to confirm
the existence of the element seaborgium,
named after Seaborg. Hoffman now is
involved in an international collaboration
to study the chemistry of the transactinides,
work inspired by predictions of unexpected
chemical properties caused by relativistic
effects.
Scientific Impact:
Research on the heavy elements yields
the basic knowledge that can be used
to develop new technologies and processes
for the safe handling and disposition
of these radioactive materials. For
the transactinides, new "atom at a
time" chemical techniques are being
used to determine and compare their
chemical properties to other known
elements. The Office of Science heavy
element chemistry program is the nation's
sole effort addressing the fundamental
science of the transuranium elements.
Social Impact: This
research helps DOE carry out what
is perhaps its most important and
difficult responsibilitystewardship
of the nation's nuclear science and
technology. Studies of these elements
and their fission products are needed
to address the environmental consequences
of the weapons programs and possible
accidental release of nuclear materials.
Reference: http://teidnt3.lbl.gov/seaborg/heavyIon.htm
URL: http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/bes/chm/Programs/programs.html
http://www.nobel.se/chemistry/laureates/1951/seaborg-bio.html
http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/cenear/032700/7813pries.html
Technical Contact:
Don Freeburn, Office of Basic Energy
Sciences, 301-903-3156
Press Contact: Jeff
Sherwood, DOE Office of Public Affairs,
202-586-5806
SC-Funding Office:
Office of Basic Energy Sciences |