Some of the high number elements only last for seconds or less, why do they get a spot on the table if they would never be found naturally?
In: Chemistry
An element is simply something made of only one kind of atom. All atoms in the element have the same number of protons. That’s what an element is.
This definition doesn’t say anything about “natural” origins. It holds for oxygen as it does for Dubnium or whatever.
Also, the lines between nature and lab in this case can be blurry.
Synthetic elements are typically produced by fusion or particle accelerators. However, nuclear fusion and other similar processes also occur naturally in the Universe. Also, the Universe is incredibly old, so it’s possible that the elements we call “synthetic” are actually things we could find in the Universe if we went back in time.
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