2017/08/14 by Helge Kragh, Kragh, Helge
Chemistry · Environmental Science · #FOS: Physical sciences #History and Philosophy of Physics (physics.hist-ph) #History and advancements in chemistry #Radioactive contamination and transfer #Radioactive element chemistry and processing
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1708.04064
openalex publication_date 2017/08/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The heaviest of the transuranic elements known as superheavy elements (SHE) are produced in nuclear reactions in a few specialized laboratories located in Germany, the U.S., Russia, and Japan. The history of this branch of physical science provides several case studies of interest to the philosophy and sociology of modern science. The story of SHE illuminates the crucial notion of what constitutes a chemical element, what the criteria are for discovering a new element, and how an element is assigned a name. The story also cast light on the sometimes uneasy relationship between physics and chemistry. It is far from obvious that elements with Z > 110 exist in the same sense as oxygen or sodium exists. The answers are not given by nature but by international commissions responsible for the criteria and evaluation of discovery claims. The works of these commissions and of SHE research in general have often been controversial.