Moscovium is a synthetic, highly radioactive superheavy element in group 15. Only minute amounts are produced in particle accelerators; its known isotopes decay within seconds.
Moscovium (Mc) is a superheavy, synthetic p-block element with atomic number 115. It belongs to Group 15 (the pnictogens: N, P, As, Sb, Bi) in period 7. It does not occur naturally and must be made atom-by-atom in particle accelerators.
Mc is created in fusion–evaporation reactions. A widely used route bombards americium with calcium-48; the hot compound nucleus cools by emitting a few neutrons to yield Mc isotopes:
\(^{243}\mathrm{Am}(^{48}\mathrm{Ca},\,3n)\,^{288}\mathrm{Mc}\)
\(^{243}\mathrm{Am}(^{48}\mathrm{Ca},\,4n)\,^{287}\mathrm{Mc}\)
Newly formed atoms recoil into a separator and implant into position-sensitive detectors. Identification relies on time-correlated decay chains—mostly \(\alpha\) decays (and sometimes spontaneous fission)—with characteristic energies and lifetimes:
\(^{A}_{115}\mathrm{Mc} \;\xrightarrow{\alpha}\; ^{A-4}_{113}\mathrm{Nh} \;\xrightarrow{\alpha}\; ^{A-8}_{111}\mathrm{Rg} \;\to\; \cdots\)
Observed isotopes lie near \(A\approx 287\text{–}290\). Half-lives are typically hundreds of milliseconds to a few seconds, long enough to register decay chains but too short for bulk measurements or conventional wet-chemistry experiments.
By Group-15 analogy (and allowing for strong relativistic effects), +1 and +3 are expected to be the most accessible states; +5 is likely less stable than in lighter pnictides. The dominance of +1/+3 is linked to stabilization of the 7s pair and splitting of the 7p subshell.
A commonly cited ground-state configuration is [Rn] 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p3. Strong relativistic stabilization of 7s and spin–orbit splitting of 7p (\(7p_{1/2}\) vs. \(7p_{3/2}\)) help explain the expected preference for the +1 and +3 oxidation states.
Because only a few atoms are produced and they decay quickly, direct aqueous chemistry has not been established. Theory and single-atom gas-phase approaches suggest possible monovalent halides (e.g., McCl) and trivalent species (e.g., McCl3) under highly controlled, chlorinating conditions, but definitive series remain an active research topic.
Experiments yield atom-scale quantities with second-scale lifetimes, preventing preparation of macroscopic samples. Thus, density, melting point, crystal structure, and color are mainly predictions from relativistic quantum calculations and periodic trends.
Yes. Mc is a radiotoxic heavy element. Even though experiments handle only a few atoms at a time, research requires hot-cell or glove-box techniques, high-vacuum separators, shielding, HEPA-filtered ventilation, dosimetry, and compliant radioactive-waste procedures.
Production (stylized fusion–evaporation) and subsequent \(\alpha\) decay:
\(^{243}\mathrm{Am}(^{48}\mathrm{Ca},\,3n)\,^{288}\mathrm{Mc}\;\xrightarrow{\alpha}\; ^{284}\mathrm{Nh} + \alpha\)
Chains typically continue via successive \(\alpha\) emissions and may end in spontaneous fission of a daughter nuclide.