Online chemical adsorption studies of Hg, Tl, and Pb on SiO2 and Au surfaces in preparation for chemical investigations on Cn, Nh, and Fl at TASCA

Online gas-solid adsorption studies with single-atom quantities of Hg, Tl, and Pb, the lighter homologs of the superheavy elements (SHE) copernicium (Cn, Z =112), nihonium (Nh, Z =113), and flerovium (Fl, Z =114), were carried out using short-lived radioisotopes. The interaction with Au and SiO 2 surfaces was studied and the overall chemical yield was determined. Suitable radioisotopes were produced in fusion-evaporation reactions, isolated in the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA, and flushed rapidly to an adjacent setup of two gas chromatography detector arrays covered with SiO 2 (first array) and Au (second array). While Tl and Pb adsorbed on the SiO 2 surface, Hg interacts only weakly and reached the Au-covered array. Our results contribute to elucidating the influence of relativistic effects on chemical properties of the heaviest elements by providing experimental data on these lighter homologs

In situ synthesis of volatile carbonyl complexes with short-lived nuclides

Rapid in situ formation of metal carbonyl complexes with short-lived nuclides has been demonstrated to be feasible with recoiling ions formed in nuclear fusion and fission reactions. These carbonyl complexes are highly volatile and can be transported rapidly in a gas-stream to counting or chemistry devices. This method was already successfully applied in the chemical investigation of the superheavy element seaborgium (Z = 106) and appears promising for various fields of nuclear research. In this article, we give an overview on the current status of metal carbonyl complex studies with short-lived d-element isotopes.status: publishe