Mendelevium is a man-made element that was first discovered by a Berkeley Lab team in 1955.Since then,
Marilyn Sargent / Berkeley Lab
According to researcher Jennifer Pore, it wasIt is difficult to discover a new Mendelevium isotope, because all neighboring isotopes have very similar decay properties. Each isotope is a unique combination of protons and neutrons. When a new isotope is discovered, this particular combination of protons (positively charged particles) and neutrons is not observed, she notes. Research into these combinations is critical to our understanding of all nuclear matter.
For their study, the team measured a total of 10 mendelevium-244 atoms. Researchers have found evidence that mendelevium-244 hasTwo separate decay chains, each resulting in a half-life: 0.4 seconds and 6 seconds.Half-life is the time it takes for the number of atoms of a radioactive element to halve as their nuclei decay into other, lighter nuclei.
The central place in the discovery of the isotope was occupied by the device on the 88-inch cyclotron called Fiona. The mass number of the new isotope is 244.
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