Nobelium is a synthetic chemical element with symbol No and atomic number 102. It is named in honor of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite and benefactor of science. A radioactive metal, it is the tenth transuranic element and is the penultimate member of the actinide series.
Three reasons Nobelium stands out
- 1
Named after one of the most pretigious awards in the world attributed for contribution to humankind.
- 2
Its discovery was disputed between American and Soviet scientists during the Cold War for several years.
- 3
Its radioactivity makes it difficult to study for long.
A discovery dispute behind a famous name
Nobelium’s history involved competing claims from laboratories in Sweden, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Later work resolved which experiments were convincing, while the name honoring Alfred Nobel survived. Its short-lived atoms reveal chemistry mainly through rapid automated separations.