Scientists Achieve Breakthrough in Creating Element 116, Paving Way for Element 120

Berkeley Lab's innovative use of titanium beam marks a crucial step toward synthesizing the heaviest known elements.

Researchers at Berkeley Lab successfully created element 116 using a titanium beam for the first time.
This achievement sets the stage for the potential creation of element 120, a hypothesized superheavy element.
Element 120 is believed to be near the 'island of stability,' where superheavy elements may have longer lifespans.
The new method could provide deeper insights into nuclear physics and the boundaries of atomic nuclei.
The team plans to begin experiments to synthesize element 120 by 2025, using californium-249 as the target.