News Report : Periodic Table Discovery by Anindya Aurelia Utami Hartanto

STORY OF DISCOVERY

2025-01-07 03:16:07 UTC

As part of the United States Department of Energy effort to clean up nuclear materials in the environment, Shaughnessy studied how plutonium interacts with manganese-bearing minerals. Dawn Shaughnessy’s journey in discovering superheavy elements began when she joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in 2002. Collaborating with Russian scientists at the Flerov Laboratory, her team focused on synthesizing elements 114 to 118 through particle accelerator experiments.

In 2010, they successfully confirmed the existence of element 117, which was later named tennessine. Shaughnessy’s leadership and expertise were pivotal, as she became principal investigator of the heavy element program in 2005. While leading the heavy elements group. Shaughnessy partnered with the Central Institute for Nuclear Research in a team that succeeded in identifying five new superheavy elements. These were confirmed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in January 2016. As they were discovered in Livermore's lab, Shaughnessy named element 116 Livermorium. The discoveries expanded the periodic table and provided insights into nuclear chemistry, culminating in the official recognition of these elements by IUPAC in 2016.

ELEMENTS DISCOVERED

anhartanto — 2025-01-07 03:17:32 UTC

Dawn Shaughnessy’s Contribution

While leading the heavy element group, Shaughnessy and her team managed to identify five new superheavy elements. The elements were confirmed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in January 2016.

What are The Superheavy Elements?

Superheavy elements, also known as superheavies for short, are the chemical elements with atomic number greater than 104. Shaughnessy’s team discovered the elements Nihonium, Flerovium, Moscovium, Livermorium, Tennessine, and Oganesson.

Dawn Shaughnessy’s Contribution to the Periodic Table

anhartanto — 2025-01-07 03:19:29 UTC

BACKGROUND

2025-01-07 03:22:25 UTC

Dawn Shaughnessy is an accomplished chemist renowned for her pioneering contributions to the discovery and study of superheavy elements, which have expanded our understanding of the periodic table and nuclear stability. She holds advanced degrees in chemistry, with a focus on analytical and nuclear chemistry, and developed a passion for science early in her academic journey. As a key scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Shaughnessy has been instrumental in the discovery of several superheavy elements, including Flerovium (element 116), and Oganesson (element 118). Her work often integrates nuclear physics, chemistry, and cutting-edge technologies like particle accelerators and advanced detection systems.

In addition to her scientific achievements, Shaughnessy is a strong advocate for diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. She has actively mentored young scientists and worked to make complex scientific concepts more accessible to the public.