Recent achievements and future challenges in heaviest element chemistry

Nagame, Yuichiro 

Chemical characterization of the heaviest elements at the farthest reach of the Periodic Table is a challenging and fascinating subject not only in nuclear and radiochemistry but also in general chemistry. One of the most important and interesting aspects is to clarify basic chemical properties of these newly synthesized elements, such as ionic radii, redox potentials, or their ability to form chemical compounds as well as to elucidate the influence of relativistic effects on valence electronic structure of the heaviest elements and the impact on chemical properties of these elements. Here, we report recent highlighted studies of the chemical characterization experiments with the heaviest elements conducted by state-of-the-art rapid chemical separation apparatuses: recent progress in liquid- and gas-phase chemistry, measurement of the first ionization potential using a surface ionization technique coupled to a mass separator, and adsorption studies by a unique method combining vacuum chromatography with surface ionization in a metallic ionizer of the isotope separator on-line. Recent achievements and prospects for future challenges in the heaviest element chemistry will be discussed.