“The electrons behave very differently in elements where you have these large relativistic effects, and the effect is expected to be even stronger in the superheavy elements,” Pore said. “This is why they might potentially not be in the right place on the periodic table.”
There are also practical applications, particularly in improving radioactive isotopes used in medical treatment. One of great interest is an isotope of actinium (actinium-225), which has shown promising results in treating certain metastatic cancers. However, the isotope is difficult to make and only available in small quantities every year, limiting access for clinical trials and treatment. Scientists are just beginning to understand its chemistry.
“People have been forced to skip the fundamental chemistry step to figure out how to get it into patients,” said Pore. “But if we could understand the chemistry of these radioactive elements better, we might have an easier time producing the specific molecules needed for cancer treatment.”
This work included collaboration between Berkeley Lab’s Nuclear Science Division and Chemical Sciences Division, and was funded in part by DOE’s Nuclear Physics, Basic Energy Sciences, and Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) programs.
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