9^{th European Chemistry Congress}

Biography

Biography: Hiromitsu Haba

Abstract

Since the official approval of four new heavy elements with atomic number Z = 113, 115, 117, and 118 by IUPAC in 2016, the 7th period of the periodic table of the elements has been complete. Element 113 was synthesized in the fusion reaction of ⁷⁰Zn (Z = 30) on ²⁰⁹Bi (Z = 83) using the Gas-filled Recoil Ion Separator (GARIS) at the RIKEN linear accelerator facility. The name “nihonium” and symbol “Nh” were given for the new element, the first discovered in Asian countries. An attempt to create element 119 is under way through the ²⁴⁸Cm (Z = 96) + ⁵¹V (Z = 23) reaction. To study chemical properties of the new elements, we have been developing a novel chemistry setup using GARIS. This system is promising for exploring new frontiers in the superheavy element chemistry. Background radiations from unwanted byproducts are suppressed, high production yields are achieved and new chemical reactions can be investigated. Long-lived isotopes of ²⁶¹Rf (Z = 104), ²⁶²Db (Z = 105), ²⁶⁵Sg (Z = 106), and ²⁶⁶Bh (Z = 107) useful for chemistry studies were produced in the heavy-ion induced reactions on the ²⁴⁸Cm target and their decay properties were investigated in detail. Present status and perspectives of the superheavy element chemistry at RIKEN are also presented.