UNUNOCTIUM - Discovery, IUPAC Nomenclature, Electronic Configuration, Position in Periodic Table, Properties of Ununoctium, Practice Problems and FAQs

If, I show you a piece of gold or copper or iron or even carbon, you will have a lot to tell me about its symbol, physical and chemical properties and its position in the periodic table, etc. These are some of the elements we normally come across in our daily life. There are 94 such elements available on our earth’s crust either freely or in combination with other elements as compounds. They have studied thoroughly their properties, and applications and arranged them in relation to other elements in the log form of the periodic table.

But the inquisitiveness of humans makes them prepare many more new elements of about twenty-four artificially in laboratories for research and development. Together with these artificially synthesized elements, the total number of elements known so far has become hundred and eighteen.

We shall learn something about the heaviest element with atomic number 118 and named Ununoctium in this write-up.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Discovery
• IUPAC Nomenclature
• Electronic Configuration of Ununoctium
• Ununoctium Position in Periodic Table
• Properties of Ununoctium
• Practice Problems
• FAQs

Discovery

A team of scientists from Russia and the United States collaborated to create a synthetic element with an atomic number 118 for the first time in 2002 at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, a city close to Moscow. The official approval of naming by the IUPAC and IUPAP took place on November 28, 2016. The name honours Yuri Oganessian, a nuclear physicist who played a key role in the identification of the heaviest elements in the periodic table. Oganesson is the name of the synthetic chemical element having atomic number 118 and the letter Og is its symbol.

It is one of the two elements named after the living discoverer.

IUPAC Nomenclature

A general IUPAC nomenclature system was evolved to refer to the new artificially made elements till a universally approved name is assigned to them.

The Naming of Elements for Atomic Number (Z) Greater Than 100

1. Integral numerals are given corresponding name roots. These numerical roots are substituted in order against the numerical atomic number of the element:

• nil (n) for 0
• un for 1
• bi for 2
• tri for 3
• quad for 4
• pent for 5
• hex for 6
• sep for 7
• oct for 8 and
• enn for 9.

2. IUPAC name is generated by combining all these root words in order and ‘ium’ is added as a suffix.
3. If the roots end with ‘i’ as in bi for numeral 2, the suffix will add only ‘um’ instead of ‘ium’.‘
4. The symbol is made of the first letter of the three root words with only the first letter in capital

Let's look for the name of the element having atomic number 118:

The integrals in the atomic number are 1, 1 and 8 in the order. The numerical code for these integral numbers is-

• Un for 1
• Un for 1 and
• Oct for 8.

Hence the name of the element having atomic number 118 is un + un + oct + ium (ending code), = ununoctium and the symbol will be Uuo

The following table shows the IUPAC symbol and name along with the corresponding approved name and symbol for elements above 100 atomic numbers.

IUPAC Nomenclature Of Synthetic Elements

Electronic Configuration of Ununoctium

Ununoctium has 118 electrons.

The electronic configuration of Ununoctium is [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² 7p⁶.

Ununoctium Position in the Periodic Table

Of all the elements in the periodic table, Ununoctium has the highest atomic mass and atomic number. It is a p-block element of group 18 and the final member of the seventh period in the periodic table.

Ununoctium is a transactinide chemical element with the symbol Uuo and atomic number 118. Ununoctium is only a temporary term.

Properties of Ununoctium Element

• Of all known elements today, whether natural or synthetic, Oganesson has the highest atomic mass and atomic number.
• Oganesson has been found to have five to six isotopes.
• Oganesson-294 has been found since 2005 due to the radioactive Oganesson atom's extreme instability.
• Though theoretical calculations have produced a large number of predictions, including some unexpected ones, this has only allowed for a very limited amount of experimental characterisation of its properties and potential compounds.
• Oganesson, is placed in group 18 with the noble gases. Ununoctium hence is expected to be an inert gaseous element. However, relativistic factors indicate that it will actually be solid.
• The atomic mass of Ununoctium is 294g/mol.
• Physical properties like melting point, boiling point, crystal structure, density, and colour are not known.
• Since this is a synthetic element produced in the laboratory and has a very low shelf life, it does not cause health problems

Uses of Ununoctium Element

There are currently no other uses or applications than research. Its biological use of it is yet to be known.

Practice Problems

Q1. What will be the IUPAC name of the element Nelson?

A. Unununium
B. Ununbium
C. Ununtrium
D. Ununquadium

Answer: Option (A)
Solution: Atomic number of Nelson element is 111. In, the IUPAC nomenclature ‘un’ stands for numeral 1. As there are three 1’s in the atomic number, so three-time ‘un’ and then the suffix ‘ium’ has to be added. So the IUPAC name of element Nelson will be Unununium.

Q2. What will be the IUPAC name of an element having atomic number 222?

A. Bibibinium
B. Ununbium
C. Ununtrium
D. Ununquadium

Answer: Option (A)
Solution: Atomic number of the element is 222. In, the IUPAC nomenclature ‘bi’ stands for numeral 2. As there are three 2’s in the atomic number, three-time ‘bi’ and then the suffix ‘nium’ has to be added. So the IUPAC name of element 222 will be Bibibniium.

Q3. In which block does the element having atomic number 118 lie?

A. s
B. p
C. d
D. f

Answer: Option (B)
Solution: In the periodic table, the element having the atomic number 118 is the last element of the 7th period and a p-block element as its outermost electronic configuration is[Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² 7p⁶.

Q4. In which block does the element having atomic number 117 lie?

A. s
B. p
C. d
D. f

Answer: Option (B)
Solution: In the periodic table, the element having the atomic number 117 is the second last element of the 7th period and a p-block element as its outermost electronic configuration is.

FAQs

Q1.How is Ununoctium used in everyday life?
Answer: Presently, there are no uses or applications except that it is used for research. Its biological use of it is yet to be known.

Q2. How many electrons are there in an Ununoctium atom?
Answer: The atomic number of Ununoctium is 118 and the number of electrons in a neutral atom is always equal to its atomic number. So there are 118 electrons in an Ununoctium atom.

Q3. Who discovered the radioactive element Ununoctium?
Answer: Element 118, previously known as Ununoctium, is named Yuri Oganesson (Og) after its discoverer. He is a Russian physicist at the Flerov Laboratory engaged in the discovery of heavy elements.

Q4. What is the IUPAC code for 2 for naming elements having an atomic number greater than 100?
Answer: “Bi” is the IUPAC code for 2 for naming elements having an atomic number greater than 100.

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