Island of Stability - Discovering Superheavy Elements

Island of Stability - Discovering Superheavy Elements The island of stability is that wondrous place where heavy isotopes of elements stick around long enough to be studied and used. The island is located within a sea of radioisotopes that decay into daughter nuclei so quickly its difficult for scientists to prove the element existed, much less use the isotope for a practical application. Key Takeaways: Island of Stability The island of stability refers to a region of the periodic table consisting of super-heavy radioactive elements that have at least one isotope with a relatively long half-life.The nuclear shell model is used to predict the location of the islands, based on maximizing the binding energy between protons and neutrons.Isotopes on the island are believed to have magic numbers of protons and neutrons that allow them to maintain some stability.Element 126, should it ever be produced, is believed to have an isotope with a long enough half-life that it can be studied and potentially used. History of the Island Glenn T. Seaborg coined the phrase island of stability in the late 1960s. Using the nuclear shell model, he proposed filling the energy levels of a given shell with the optimal number of protons and neutrons would maximize binding energy per nucleon, permitting that particular isotope to have a longer half-life than other isotopes, which did not have filled shells. Isotopes that fill nuclear shells possess what are called magic numbers of protons and neutrons. Finding the Island of Stability The location of the island of stability is predicted based on known isotope half-lives and predicted half-lives for elements that have not been observed, based on calculations relying on the elements behaving like those above them on the periodic table (congeners) and obeying equations that account for relativistic effects. The proof that the island of stability concept is sound came when physicists were synthesizing element 117. Although the isotope of 117 decayed very quickly, one of the products of its decay chain was an isotope of lawrencium that had never been observed before. This isotope, lawrencium-266, displayed a half-life of 11 hours, which is extraordinarily long for an atom of such a heavy element. Previously known isotopes of lawrencium had fewer neutrons and were much less stable. Lawrencium-266 has 103 protons and 163 neutrons, hinting at as-yet-undiscovered magic numbers that may be used to form new elements. Which configurations might possess magic numbers? The answer depends who you ask, because its a matter of calculation and theres not standard set of equations. Some scientists suggest there might be an island of stability around 108, 110, or 114 protons and 184 neutrons. Others suggest a spherical nucleus with 184 neutrons, but 114, 120, or 126 protons might work best. Unbihexium-310 (element 126) is doubly magic because its proton number (126) and neutron number (184) are both magic number. However you roll the magic dice, data obtained from the synthesis of elements 116, 117, and 118 point toward increasing half-life as the neutron number approached 184. Some researchers believe the best island of stability might exists at much larger atomic numbers, like around element number 164 (164 protons). Theorists are investigating the region where Z 106 to 108 and N is around 160-164, which appears sufficiently stable with respect to beta decay and fission. Making New Elements from the Island of Stability Although scientists might be able to form new stable isotopes of known elements, we dont have the technology to go much past 120 (work which is currently underway). Its likely a new particle accelerator will need to be constructed that would be capable of focusing onto a target with greater energy. Well also need to learn to make larger amounts of known heavy nuclides to serve as targets for making these new elements. New Atomic Nucleus Shapes The usual atomic nucleus resembles a solid ball of protons and neutrons, but atoms of elements on the island of stability may take new shapes. One possibility would be a bubble-shaped or hollow nucleus, with the protons and neutrons forming a sort of shell. Its hard to even imagine how such a configuration might affect the properties of the isotope. One thing is certain, though... there are new elements yet to be discovered, so the periodic table of the future will look very different from the one we use today.

Understanding Chargebacks

Understanding Chargebacks We are all FFW readers for one reason: to make our writing career profitable. We seek answers to the big picture dilemmas. How much should I charge for my writing services? Where can I get good writing leads? Am I financially ready to scrap my day job? Unfortunately, many small details get lost among the bigger issues. One of those details is chargebacks. Understanding Chargebacks As a serious writer, you can learn about the chargeback process here. A general overview is this: a chargeback is a credit card refund initiated Chargebacks were originally created for consumer protection. For example, if a hacker stole your credit card and bought a million pairs of shoes, you aren’t responsible for the bill. However, this consumer protection has evolved into a form of fraud. Many people want something for free- and they use a chargeback to get it. How Chargebacks Affect Writers As a writer, your business model is different than a traditional merchant. However, if you process credit card payments, you are technically a merchant, and as vulnerable as any other business owner. Nearly all merchant processors, including PayPal, Square and similar companies, assess chargeback fees from $20 to $75 each. So if a client hits you with a chargeback in attempt to get your work for free, youve lost the expected money from the gig, fees were charged, and you sacrificed your writing. Bummer. Tips for Preventing Chargebacks First, try to deter fraudulent transactions from happening. 1) Only work for reputable clients. Do your research before agreeing to the deal. See if anyone has posted a scam report online. Review the clients website. Call the company and do a mini phone interview. Or, if the client has an office, drop 2) Have important conversations via email. To fight a chargeback, you need written documentation. Email is a great way to prove your case. 3) Draft an air-tight contract, sign it and make sure both parties have a copy. Next, provide outstanding customer service to prevent a client from claiming the quality of work wasn’t as expected. 1) Don’t accept more work than you can handle. 2) Promptly acknowledge all emails and phone calls. 3) Adhere to deadlines, or at least keep the client abreast of changes. 4) Provide a detailed invoice with the completed assignment. Fighting Chargebacks Fighting chargebacks to get your money back is quite difficult. That’s why prevention is so important. If you dispute a claim, provide written documentation (like your emails and contract). For example, you can use an email conversation to prove the writing was received on time. Also as a writer, you have one very valuable chargeback tool at your disposal that isn’t available to other business owners. The â€Å"products† you sell have copyright protection. Let’s say you wrote an article for an online magazine. The site owner published it, but never paid you. Technically, you own the copyright for that article until you’re paid. If this happens, you can contact the website’s host company and demand a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown. If the site owner doesn’t pay or remove the violating content, the site can be closed down. Therefore, when you draft your contract, add a line that says copyright transfers to the client upon payment in full. This simple phrase could help prevent the client from filing a chargeback (and will expedite a DMCA takedown, if needed). Implementing chargeback prevention strategies now can prevent you losing a lot of money down the road.