The world of chemistry was rocked on December 30th when the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced that four new elements are being added to the periodic table. The group had reviewed the information regarding elements 113, 115, 117 and 118, and deemed that their claims for discovery had been fulfilled. This announcement marks the completion of the seventh row of the periodic table.

When asked on his opinion on the completion of the seventh row of the periodic table, Bob Jones science teacher Mr. Raper responded, “This is something in science that we have been waiting forever for. We have been waiting to get to this point because we like symmetry; we like things that are complete. The periodic table been incomplete for a long time and now the seventh row is done.”

IUPAC is currently now in the process of devising the names for theses lab-created atoms. The scientists who discovered these new elements are given the privilege of finding permanent names for them, as well as their symbols. The element’s temporary names are just placeholders that derive themselves from their spot on the periodic table, such as ununpentium for element 115. The International guidelines, according to IUPAC, for naming an element say that it, “…can be named after a mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist.”

These super-heavy elements are not found naturally, but rather are created by smashing atoms together at extremely high speeds, forcing them to fuse – and for a brief moment – create a new element. Also, since they decay rather quickly, it is very difficult to recreate them and conclusively identify their existence.

Element 113 was discovered by the RIKEN research institute in Japan and will be the first element to be named by an Asian research team. Elements 115 and 117 were discovered by scientists from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia; and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. Element 118 was discovered by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia; and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California.

The last time the periodic table had been updated was in 2011 with the addition of elements 114 and 116.