Table of nuclides expanded with discovery of 73 new nuclei

Scientists at Japan’s Riken laboratories – famed for their discovery of nihonium, element 113 – have created 73 previously unknown nuclides of well-known elements like iron (76Fe), silver (132Ag) and iodine (147I).1-4 These exotic nuclei can help researchers to understand how heavy elements formed when the universe was in its infancy.

To date, 3000 nuclides have been filled in on the table of nuclides – the counterpart to the periodic table of the elements – but 4000 more ‘are expected to exist, according to the theoretical estimation’, says Hideto En’yo, director of Riken’s Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science where four research teams discovered the 73 new nuclides over the last year. Read more.