Hassium was the first superheavy element whose chemistry was verified through a classic experiment. Like osmium (its lighter relative), hassium forms a volatile tetroxide — HsO₄. This was confirmed in 2001, working with individual atoms. The element was synthesized in 1984 at the Heavy Ion Research Center in the German state of Hesse — hence the name. Isotope Hs-277 lives a record 11 minutes, opening new possibilities for research.
Hassium is one of the best-studied superheavy elements, despite its extremely short lifetime. In 2001, scientists managed to create gaseous hassium tetroxide HsO4 — and it turned out to be volatile, just like osmium tetroxide OsO4.
This experiment was a landmark: it confirmed that even for element 108, chemical behavior is determined by position in the table. Hassium remains the heaviest element whose chemical properties have been studied in detail.
Hassium is extremely radioactive. It exists seconds to minutes and is synthesized a few atoms at a time. It poses no practical threat — available only in specialized labs.
In 2001, scientists proved hassium forms volatile tetroxide HsO₄ — just like osmium. This was the first time a superheavy element's chemical compound was identified by its volatility.
Isotope Hs-277 lives 11 minutes — a record for hassium. This opened the door to detailed chemical experiments that were previously impossible.
The name comes from Latin 'Hassia' — the name for the German state of Hesse. GSI in Darmstadt, the state capital, discovered six elements in total.
Hassium tetroxide HsO4 is one of the heaviest molecules ever created and identified by chemists. It existed for only seconds, but that was enough for analysis.
Hesse is the German state where Darmstadt and the GSI institute are located. This small region gave the periodic table two elements: hassium (Hs) and darmstadtium (Ds).
| Isotope | Mass (u) | Abundance | Half-life | Decay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
269Hs☢ | 269.134060 | synthetic | 16 seconds | α |
270Hs☢ | 270.134290 | synthetic | 10 seconds | α |
Linear accelerator bombardment of lead