Picture shows Prof Poliakoff (left) with Prof Hofmann in front of the particle accelerator at GSI. Image courtesy of GSI.
PA 20/10
It was the perfect setting for a meeting between two superstars of the Periodic Table. The GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research GmbH in Darmstadt, Germany, is the home of the heaviest elements on the planet — atoms so dense and unstable they only exist for a few seconds before decaying. And it was here that Professor Martyn Poliakoff, one of the faces of the award-winning Periodic Table of Videos project, met Professor Sigurd Hofmann, head of the research team responsible for synthesising these atomic heavyweights.
The team at GSI had invited Professor Poliakoff and video journalist Brady Haran to visit the centre after discovering the Periodic Table of Videos, a website dedicated to explaining and exploring the mysteries of the Periodic Table through short films. He took a tour of the GSI particle accelerator where ions are smashed together at incredibly high speeds, forming new elements through the process of nuclear fusion. Since 1981, GSI accelerator experiments have yielded the discovery of the six heaviest chemical elements, which carry the atomic numbers 107 to 112 — Meitnerium (synthesised in 1982), Hassium (1984), Darmstadtium (1994), Roentgenium (1994), Bohrium (1996) and Copernicium (provisional name, 1996). Professor Hofmann was the ideal guide, as he has been involved in the synthesis of all these elements over the past 30 years.
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“I was really excited to see where these superheavy elements were made and to meet the scientists who had made them,” said Professor Poliakoff. “I was overwhelmed by the size of the accelerator but most surprised how small the actual equipment was for synthesizing the elements and it was fun to sit in the coffee room where they argued over the naming of the elements.
“It was very wintry, lots of snow which gave us the chance to use snowballs to explain how the elements are made!”
The particle accelerator had been switched off for maintenance, which meant Professor Poliakoff could have a good look at the equipment which creates the heaviest elements. This is a rare opportunity — getting too close while the accelerator is running is deadly, due to the amount of radiation produced.
“I think Professor Poliakoff was like a child in chocolate factory being shown around by Willy Wonka himself,” said Brady Haran. “For the last 18 months or so we have immersed ourselves in the periodic table and its wonderful array of elements... And here was an opportunity to see the inner workings of a real-life element factory.
“Professor Hofmann and his colleagues have left a huge legacy on the periodic table and it was an honour to have them feature in our videos.”
“We are very proud of the discovery of our six new elements — and we were very happy about Professor Poliakoff’s visit,” said Professor Hofmann. “We are looking forward with great excitement to the release of the new videos made at GSI.”
To watch Professor Hoffman reveal the secrets of the GSI to Professor Poliakoff visit