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i'm a student of 11th grade. i studied about working of particle accelerators, cyclotrons in particular in a chapter of electromagnetism. i also read that the whole periodic table after element number 92, uranium, is fraud. because all the elements after 92 are really short lived and also can be created out of elements falling before 92. i am unable to connect the dots.. and relate these two facts. can we really bombard two elements or maybe and element with an alpha particle to create new element? or something like that?

im sorry for any misconception.. arguments and corrections will be appreciated.

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    $\begingroup$ "i also read that the whole periodic table after element number 92, uranium, is fraud." Boy. I'll just have to stop believing in those plutonium bombs. And all those Americium-beryllium source I used. They can't be real either. Or maybe there are a lot of cranks on the internet who will write all kinds of tripe. $\endgroup$
    – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten
    Mar 27 '16 at 20:38
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    $\begingroup$ Oh, and please use capital letters when writing English. This site has an expectation that users show a level of professionalism. $\endgroup$
    – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten
    Mar 27 '16 at 20:39
  • $\begingroup$ @dmckee i'm sorry but i'm new to this website. And new to learning physics as well. Can you please answer my doubt? $\endgroup$
    – Tanvee K.
    Mar 27 '16 at 20:47
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    $\begingroup$ "Fraud" is the wrong (very wrong) word to use to describe the elements past 92. Are you really trying to label them as "unnatural" or something like that? I suppose that could be debatable, but fraud it is not. This wikipedia page is a brief description that may help you a little. $\endgroup$
    – user55515
    Mar 27 '16 at 22:56
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Yes, when you smash nuclei together it is possible to create other nuclei, including some that don't naturally occur because they are very unstable.

Some of these other nuclides are created in particle accelerators while others are produced in reactors, when the fission of some elements can lead to an abundance of high-energy fragments that can combine with other nuclei to create new elements. See for example "breeder reactors" used specifically for this purpose.

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  • $\begingroup$ Minor point: Isn't it more accurate to say that naturally occurring Technetium is present but only in extremely small amounts? $\endgroup$
    – jim
    Mar 27 '16 at 22:38
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    $\begingroup$ And all have undoubtedly been made in supernovas - we just haven't been around to catch any... $\endgroup$
    – Jon Custer
    Mar 27 '16 at 22:48
  • $\begingroup$ @JonCuster supernovas - Nature's particle accelerator. $\endgroup$
    – Floris
    Mar 27 '16 at 22:50
  • $\begingroup$ "Naturally occurring technetium occurs as a spontaneous fission product in uranium ore or by neutron capture in molybdenum ores." As well, where do you think all the other elements originated from? $\endgroup$
    – jim
    Mar 27 '16 at 22:52
  • $\begingroup$ @jim I have removed the Tc sentence since it seems to be a distraction. $\endgroup$
    – Floris
    Mar 27 '16 at 22:56

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