Ununtrium

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/ununtrium

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 Ununtrium?2003 (first reported), 2012 (confirmed)
2. What is the atomic number?113
3. What is the symbol?Nh
4. What is Ununtrium (Nh)?Ununtrium, now called Nihonium (Nh), is a superheavy synthetic element that exists for only a very short time. It is the 113th element on the periodic table, found below thallium in Group 13.
5. How is Ununtrium made in a laboratory?Scientists create Ununtrium by smashing a beam of calcium‑48 ions into americium‑243 targets inside a powerful particle accelerator. The collision fuses the two nuclei, then the new atom emits a few neutrons to become stable enough to be detected.

Superheavy Element: Elements with atomic numbers greater than 103, characterized by extreme instability and short half-lives.
Alpha Decay: A type of radioactive decay in which an atomic nucleus emits an alpha particle (two protons and two neutrons).
Cross-Section: A measure of the probability of a nuclear reaction occurring, often expressed in units of area (e.g., picobarns).