Advances on Gas-Phase Chemistry of Superheavy Elements

• Published in: Hé huàxué yŭ fàngshè huàxué Vol. 47; no. 4; pp. 349 - 362
• Main Authors: Yun-fei CUI, Yang WANG, Zi-meng JIA, Shi-wei CAO, Xiao-jie YIN, Zhi QIN
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: Editorial Office of Journal of Nuclear and Radiochemistry 01.08.2025
• Subjects: chemical properties; gas chromatography; relativistic effects; superheavy elements
• ISSN: 0253-9950
• DOI: 10.7538/hhx.2025.47.04.0349

Superheavy elements(SHEs), defined as elements with atomic numbers greater than 103, represent a frontier in nuclear and chemical sciences. These elements, which include rutherfordium(Rf) through oganesson(Og), are not exist in nature and currently can only be artificially synthesized using heavy-ion accelerators. The production of SHEs is characterized by extremely low yields, often resulting in only “one-atom-at-a-time” level, and all their isotopes have short half-lives, typically ranging from milliseconds to seconds. These characteristics preclude their detection through conventional chemical analysis techniques, resulting in limited understanding of their chemical properties and behavior. In addition, with the increasing atomic number, relativistic effects become increasingly pronounced, significantly impacting the physical and chemical properties of SHEs. Consequently, the chemical behavior of SHEs deviates markedly from periodicity-based predictions for their lighter homologs. To be precise, the positi