Nihonium is a chemical element with atomic number 113. It has a symbol Nh. It is a synthetic element (an element that can be created in a laboratory but is not found in nature) and is extremely radioactive; its most stable known isotope, nihonium-286, has a half-life of 20 seconds.
Three reasons Nihonium stands out
- 1
Synthetic element, named after Japan.
- 2
It was the first element to be discovered by an Asian research team, at the RIKEN institute in 2004.
- 3
It took nearly a decade of further research and three confirmed decay chains before its discovery was officially recognised.
Japan’s name on the periodic table
Nihonium was the first element credited to a team in Asia. Researchers at RIKEN painstakingly linked a few atoms through characteristic decay chains before recognition was secured. Nihon is one Japanese name for Japan, so the element’s name records both place and scientific milestone.