Lesson 6

The Atomic Number and the

Synthesis of New Elements
A linear particle
accelerator used to
create new
elements.

How does the

advancement in
chemistry lead to
the synthesis of
new and existing
elements?
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The Arrangement of the Elements

● Johann Dobereiner made use of Triads.

● John Newlands made use of Octaves.

● Dmitri Mendeleev arranged elements by increasing atomic

weights.

● Dmitri is considered as the Father of the Periodic Table.

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The Arrangement of the Elements

Henry Moseley made use of spectroscopic data

that lead him to arrange elements by increasing
atomic number.
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Atomic Number
● The atomic number is also known as the Z number. The Z
came from the German word, “Zahl.” It means number.

● The atomic number corresponds to the number of protons.

● The number of protons gives the identity of the atom.

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Nuclear Transmutation Reactions Was Possible

● Knowledge of the atomic number introduced nuclear
reactions.

● Transformation of one element or isotope into another

element.

● The reaction includes protons and neutrons.

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Ernest Rutherford did the First Nuclear

Transmutation Reaction using an Alpha Particle
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Nuclear Transmutation Reactions

● Alpha particles are positively charged and the nucleus will

repel it.

● Neutrons were then used in lieu of the the alpha particle.

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Particle Accelerators
● To overcome the repulsion between the nucleus and alpha
particles, particle accelerators were used.

● The alpha particles were made to move in a very fast way

which will overcome repulsive forces.

● A cyclotron is a particle accelerator that uses alternating

electric field to accelerate particles that move in a spiral
path in the presence of a magnetic field.
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Particle Accelerators Were Used to Synthesize

Elements

Lawrence synthesized
technetium.

Segre, Mackenzie and

Corson synthesized
astatine.
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Transuranium Elements
● Uranium was the heaviest known element by 1930. Its
atomic number is 92.

● Elements having an atomic number of greater than 92 are

known as transuranium elements.

● Transuranium elements are synthesized using particle

accelerators.
 Key Points

● Atomic number, Z, is the number of protons in an atom.

It is identical to the charge number of the nucleus. It
uniquely identifies a chemical element.

● Henry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley discovered that the

periodic table of elements should be arranged based on
its atomic number.
 Key Points

● A particle accelerator is used to synthesize new

elements.

● A cyclotron is a particle accelerator that uses alternating

electric field to accelerate particles that move in a spiral
path in the presence of a magnetic field.