Nihonium

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/nihonium

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Nihonium?Awarded to Riken (Japan)
2. What is the atomic number?113
3. What is the element symbol?Nh
4. How was Nihonium discovered?Scientists at Riken in Japan created it in 2004 by smashing atoms together, and other labs around the world confirmed the discovery.
5. Why does Nihonium disappear so fast?It is extremely radioactive and its most stable form lasts only about 10 seconds before it breaks apart.

Superheavy Element: Elements with atomic numbers greater than 103, synthesized artificially.
Nuclear Physics: The branch of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their interactions.
Relativistic Effects: Changes in atomic properties due to electrons moving at speeds close to the speed of light.
Oxidation State: The hypothetical charge an atom would have if all its bonds to other atoms were fully ionic.