Ununoctium

Ununoctium is the temporary name of an undiscovered chemical element in the periodic table that has the temporary symbol Uuo and has the atomic number 118.

History In 1999, researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced the discovery of elements 116 and 118, in a paper published in Physical Review Letters. The following year, they published a retraction after other researchers were unable to duplicate the results. In June 2002, the director of the lab announced that the original claim of the discovery of these two elements had been based on data fabricated by principal author Victor Ninov[?].

The name Ununoctium is used as a placeholder, such as in scientific articles about the search for Element 118; it is a Latinate way of saying "one-one-eight-ium" ("ium" being a standard ending for element names). Such transuranic elements are always artificially produced, and usually end up being named for a scientist. See Element naming controversy, systematic element name.

External Link

• WebElements.com - Uuo (http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Uuo/index)