Oganesson is IUPAC's name for the transactinide element with the atomic number 118 and element symbol Og. It is also known as eka-radon or element 118, and on the periodic table of the elements it is a p-block element and the last one of the 7th period. Oganesson is currently the only synthetic member of group 18.
Three reasons Oganesson stands out
- 1
Named after Armenian-Russian nuclear physicist who led the discovery of many elements.
- 2
It is the heaviest element on the entire periodic table and the last element in period 7.
- 3
Despite being classified as a noble gas, it is predicted to be a solid at room temperature and potentially highly reactive.
The table’s heaviest confirmed endpoint
Oganesson completes period seven and honors nuclear physicist Yuri Oganessian. Although placed with the noble gases, theory predicts a highly polarizable element that may be a solid and considerably more reactive than neon or argon. For now, those ideas await experiments on longer-lived isotopes.