Lawrencium Meaning: Definition, Examples, and Translations
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lawrencium
[ˈlɔːrənsɪəm ]
Definition
chemical element
Lawrencium is a synthetic element with the symbol Lr and atomic number 103. It is part of the actinide series and was first synthesized in 1961 by a team of American scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Lawrencium is notable for being the last element in the actinide series and possesses a maximum stable oxidation state of +3. Its most stable isotope, lawrencium-262, has a half-life of approximately 3.6 hours. Due to its radioactivity and rarity, it has no significant commercial applications.
Examples of usage
- Lawrencium was discovered in the early 1960s.
- Scientists study lawrencium for its unique properties.
- Lawrencium is highly radioactive and unstable.
Translations
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Interesting Facts
Discovery
- Lawrencium was first synthesized in 1961 by a team of scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.
- It was produced by bombarding californium-252 with boron-10 ions.
Scientific Properties
- Lawrencium is a radioactive element, with isotopes ranging in half-lives that vary significantly, making it rare in nature.
- It is predicted to have properties similar to those of other actinides, behaving more like a transition metal due to its electron configuration.
Applications
- Research on lawrencium mostly contributes to understanding heavy elements and their interactions on an atomic level.
- It does not have practical applications outside of nuclear research due to its high radioactivity and short half-life.
Cultural Impact
- Its discovery sparked interest in the search for heavier elements, influencing modern chemistry and physics.
- Lawrencium's unique properties have made it a point of study for theoretical models in atomic physics.
Origin of 'lawrencium'
Main points about word origin
- The name 'lawrencium' honors American physicist Ernest O. Lawrence, who was instrumental in the development of particle accelerators.
- The element's chemical symbol, 'Lr', was officially adopted in 1959.
Lawrencium was first synthesized in 1961 by a team led by Albert Ghiorso at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. The element was named in honor of Ernest O. Lawrence, who invented the cyclotron, an important type of particle accelerator. The discovery of lawrencium followed the identification of several other transuranium elements and involved bombarding curium with boron ions in a cyclotron. Despite its brief existence owing to its radioactivity, lawrencium has provided scientists with valuable insights into the behavior of heavy elements in the actinide series. It occupies a unique position in the periodic table, being the last actinide and heralding the beginning of the subsequent series of elements.