Dynamite, the Nobel Prize, and... a chemical element. Nobelium is named after Alfred Nobel — the Swedish inventor who bequeathed his fortune to reward the world's greatest scientists. Now his name sits in the periodic table at number 102.
The story of nobelium's discovery reads like a detective novel. Three countries — the US, Sweden, and the USSR — all claimed to have made it first. The dispute dragged on for years. In the end, priority was recognized for the American team at Berkeley (1958). Nobelium exists for only minutes after synthesis before decaying into lighter elements.
Nobelium is one of the shortest-lived actinides. Its most stable isotope, No-259, survives for just 58 minutes. In less than an hour, half the atoms are gone. Yet even within that window, scientists manage to perform chemical experiments on individual atoms. Nobelium is fascinating because its stable oxidation state is +2 rather than +3, as seen in most actinides. This is a consequence of relativistic effects in superheavy atoms.
Nobelium is extremely radioactive. It emits alpha particles and gamma rays. Its longest-lived isotope survives only 58 minutes. Scientists work with individual atoms, so the practical hazard is minimal. But in theory, it would be extremely dangerous if it entered the body. Only a handful of laboratories worldwide can synthesize nobelium.
Alfred Nobel invented dynamite, made millions, and left his fortune to fund prizes for scientists. Now his name also appears among the elements of the periodic table.
Three countries competed for the discovery of nobelium at the same time: Sweden, the US, and the USSR. The scientific 'battle' lasted years before the truth was settled.
The most stable isotope, No-259, survives for only 58 minutes. Scientists have less than an hour for all their experiments. Then the atoms simply vanish.
Nobelium was one of the first elements to have the ionization energy of individual atoms measured — a revolutionary technique in superheavy element chemistry.
| Isotope | Mass (u) | Abundance | Half-life | Decay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
255No☢ | 255.093241 | synthetic | 3.1 minutes | α |
259No☢ | 259.101030 | synthetic | 58 minutes | α |
Cyclotron bombardment of curium