IUPAC has officially approved the names “flerovium” (Fl) for the element with atomic number 114 and “livermorium” (Lv), for the one with atomic number 116. The names were proposed by the collaboration from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, led by JINR’s Yuri Oganessian. Scientists from the two laboratories share the priority for the discovery of these new elements at the facilities in Dubna.
The name flerovium is in honour of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, where these superheavy elements were synthesized. Georgy Flerov (1913–1990) was a pioneer in heavy-ion physics and founder of the JINR Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions in 1957, which has borne his name since 1991. Flerov is also known for his fundamental work in fields of physics that resulted in the discovery of new phenomena in properties and interactions of atomic nuclei.
The name livermorium honours the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. A group of researchers from Livermore took part in the work carried out in Dubna on the synthesis of superheavy elements, including element 116. Over the years, researchers at the laboratory have been involved in many areas of nuclear science and investigation of chemical properties of the heaviest elements.
The discoverers of flerovium and livermorium have submitted their claims for the discovery of further heavy elements, with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118 to the Joint Working Party of independent experts drawn from the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.
Further reading
The recommendations are published in the July issue of the IUPAC journal Pure and Applied Chemistry, which is available online: 2012 Pure Appl. Chem. no. 7 84 (doi: 10.1351/PAC-REC-11-12-03).
