How Is Darmstadtium Prepared and What Are Its Key Uses?
Facts about Darmstadtium
While studying the periodic table, you can find that among 118 elements that have been found yet, 92 are obtained naturally on this planet. The rest 26 are known as transuranic elements. Any element in this periodic table with an atomic number beyond 92 belongs to this group. Thus, darmstadtium is also a transuranic metal.
These substances are highly unstable and also radioactively decay into different elements. These are the most common characteristics of transuranic elements. Their half-lives can vary from millions of years to fractions of one second.
In this content, you will learn about darmstadtium or Ds chemistry chapter – its properties, compounds, applications.
Ds Element
Darmstadtium or Ds element is an artificially produced element with an atomic number of 110. Thus, it is also termed as element 110 in chemistry. Ds signifies its chemical symbol in the periodic table. This element is highly radioactive and not abundant in nature.
The longest stable isotope of darmstadtium is Ds – 281 with a half-life of near about 12.7 seconds. Ds was first ever produced by Sigurd Hofmann, Gottfried Münzenberg, and Peter Armbruster in 1994. This incident took place in Germany - at the Institute for Heavy Ion Research (Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung) in Darmstadt.
Ds was produced by bombarding nickel – 62 atoms with lead – 208 atoms inside a heavy ion accelerator.
As it was found out near the city of Darmstadt, the element was named Darmstadtium. This substance has some distinguished physical and chemical properties.
Following are the darmstadtium physical properties in a nutshell-
Darmstadtium Physical Properties
Darmstadtium Chemical Properties
Preparation
As said earlier, this metal was first created in 1994 at the Institute for Heavy Ion Research. During that time, the reaction was conducted by bombarding accelerated nuclei of nickel – 62 towards lead-208 atoms in a heavy-ion accelerator. Through this reaction, the team identified one single atom of darmstadtium isotope – Ds – 269.
Pb-208 + Ni-62 🡪 Ds-269 + 10n
In this similar experiment series, a heavier nickel ion Ni – 64 was used, and after two runs, the team was able to identify nine atoms of Ds – 271.
Pb-208 + Ni-64 🡪 Ds-271 + 10n
Isotopes
The atomic number pf darmstadtium is 110, which means it has 110 electrons. The electrons are configured in a particular arrangement on its shells. Here is the electron configuration of darmstadtium in a tabular format-
Darmstadtium Electron Configuration
Till now, you have known some important facts about Ds. So, test your understanding.
Quiz
1. Which One is the Key Isotope of Darmstadtium?
Ds – 270
Ds – 277
Ds – 280
Ds – 281
2. What is the Longest Half-life of Ds Isotopes?
12.7 seconds
12.5 seconds
13.2 seconds
11.1 seconds
3. Which Darmstadtium Was First Discovered?
Ds – 269
Ds – 268
Ds – 270
Ds – 271
4. Where Was Directed the Inventory Research Program of Darmstadtium?
Sigurd Hofmann
Gottfried Münzenberg
Peter Armbruster
Albert Einstein
5. Which Year Was Ds Metal Discovered?
1995
1994
1993
1992
6. How Many Predicted Oxidation States Does Darmstadtium Have?
3
4
5
6
7. What Was the Inspiration of Darmstadtium Name?
A German town
A God from Greek mythology
One German scientist
A place in Switzerland
8. How Many Protons Does Ds Have?
110
267
171
281
9. Which One from the Following Options is the Darmstadtium Chemical Symbol?
Da
D
Dm
Ds
10. Which Group Does Ds Belong to in the Periodic Table?
Alkali earth metal group
Transuranic element series
Actinide series
Halogen
11. Which of the Below-listed Options Does Suggest Darmstadtium?
Semi-metal
Nonmetal
Ceramic
Metal
12. How Many Neutrons Does Ds Have?
279
281
171
110
13. What is the Period-block of Darmstadtium?
7 – d
7 – f
6 – d
6 – f
14. Which Ds Isotope has the Shortest Half-life?
Ds – 267
Ds – 269
Ds – 270
Ds – 273
15. What is the Shortest Half-life of Darmstadtium Isotopes?
10 microseconds
20 microseconds
50 microseconds
100 microseconds
Answer
d. Ds – 281 is the key Ds isotope.
a. 12.7 seconds is the longest half-life that Darmstadtium isotopes have.
a. Ds – 269 isotope was first discovered.
a. Under the direction of Sigurd Hofmann, Ds invention program was held.
b. In the year of 1994 darmstadtium was found out.
c. It is estimated that Ds has 5 oxidation states.
a. A German town named Darmstadt was the inspiration of naming this metal Darmstadtium. This is because the invention occurred near that town.
a. Ds has 110 numbers of protons.
d. Darmstadtium chemical symbol is Ds.
b. Ds belong to the transuranic element group.
d. Darmstadtium is a metal – transition metal as per the present estimation.
c. It has 171 numbers of neutrons.
a. 7 – d is the period - block of Ds.
b. Ds – 269 has the shortest half-life among all its isotopes.
a. 10 microseconds span is the shortest half-life that darmstadtium isotopes have.
Darmstadtium Applications
As you have learnt that Ds element is highly unstable. It is a synthetic radioactive metal which means it is not available in nature. Because of its instability, it is difficult to accumulate information about this metal. However, scientists are performing several types of research in various places over the world regading darmstadtium uses.
Presently, darmstadtium is only utilised for scientific research purposes. Also, its biological applications and role are unknown. As it cannot last more than a few seconds, the toxicity level is also yet to be studied.
Effect to the Environment
Similar to the previous point, it transfers to another element within a few seconds as it has a short life span. Thus, it cannot cause any harm to the environment.
Facts about Darmstadtium
Darmstadtium is a synthetic or human-made element. Till date, only a few numbers of Ds atoms have been generated. The reaction of lead and nickel was conducted in a heavy-ion accelerator to produce it.
Ds is a transactinide d-block element and belongs to the 7th period in group 10 of the periodic table.
This metal does not have any stable isotopes. The Ds isotope that has the longest stability of 12.7 seconds is Ds – 281. Hence, its characteristics and properties have been mainly estimated.
It is also predicted that Ds holds equal characteristics and properties to its homologues – nickel, platinum, and palladium.
This element is also estimated to be solid at a standard temperature of 20oC that is acknowledged as room temperature. Moreover, Ds is expected to be a heavy metal as its predicted density is 34.8 gram per cm3.
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FAQs on Darmstadtium: Properties, Isotopes, and Applications
1. What are the fundamental properties of the element Darmstadtium (Ds)?
Darmstadtium (Ds) is a synthetic chemical element with atomic number 110. Its key predicted properties are:
- Atomic Number: 110
- Atomic Weight: [281] for the longest-lived isotope
- Group in Periodic Table: 10
- Period in Periodic Table: 7
- Physical State: Expected to be a solid at room temperature.
- Classification: A very heavy transition metal, likely noble in character.
2. How is a superheavy element like Darmstadtium synthesised?
Darmstadtium is not found in nature and is created in a laboratory through a process called nuclear fusion. This involves bombarding a target element with ions of another element in a particle accelerator. Specifically, it was first synthesised by firing accelerated nickel-62 ions at a lead-208 target. This fusion creates a new, heavier nucleus, which is an isotope of Darmstadtium. Only a few atoms can be created at a time through this method.
3. What is the significance of Darmstadtium's electron configuration?
The predicted electron configuration of Darmstadtium is [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d⁹ 7s¹. This configuration is significant because it places Darmstadtium in Group 10 of the periodic table, alongside nickel, palladium, and platinum. Its properties are therefore expected to resemble those of the noble metals. However, due to relativistic effects, which are pronounced in very heavy atoms, its actual chemical behaviour may show unique deviations from its lighter counterparts.
4. Why are all known isotopes of Darmstadtium radioactive?
All isotopes of Darmstadtium are radioactive because of the extreme imbalance between the number of protons and neutrons in their large nuclei. For superheavy elements with high atomic numbers like 110, the immense electrostatic repulsive force between the protons is difficult to contain. The strong nuclear force, which holds the nucleus together, cannot permanently overcome this repulsion, leading to a highly unstable nucleus that undergoes radioactive decay to reach a more stable state.
5. What is the most stable known isotope of Darmstadtium and what is its half-life?
The most stable known isotope of Darmstadtium is Darmstadtium-281 (²⁸¹Ds). However, 'stable' is a relative term for superheavy elements, as this isotope is still extremely radioactive. It has a half-life of approximately 12.7 seconds. This means that half of any given sample of ²⁸¹Ds will decay into other elements in just under 13 seconds, highlighting its extreme instability.
6. Why is Darmstadtium not used in everyday applications?
Darmstadtium has no practical or commercial applications for two main reasons:
- Extreme Instability: Its most stable isotope has a half-life of only a few seconds, so it vanishes almost immediately after being created.
- Scarcity and Cost: It can only be produced a few atoms at a time in highly specialised and expensive particle accelerator experiments. This makes it useful only for scientific research into the fundamental properties of matter.
7. How do the chemical properties of Darmstadtium compare to other Group 10 elements like Platinum?
Darmstadtium is predicted to share key characteristics with other Group 10 elements, particularly platinum (Pt). It is expected to be a very dense, noble metal that is highly resistant to corrosion and oxidation. Theoretical studies suggest it could form compounds in various oxidation states, similar to platinum. However, due to its rapid decay, these chemical properties have not yet been experimentally confirmed with bulk samples.
8. Who discovered Darmstadtium and how did it get its name?
Darmstadtium was first officially synthesised on November 9, 1994, by an international team led by Professor Sigurd Hofmann at the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) in Darmstadt, Germany. As per scientific tradition, the element was named after the city where it was discovered. Before its official discovery and naming, it was referred to by its temporary systematic name, Ununnilium (Uun).
