Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Periodic Classification of the Elements

Periodic Classification of the Elements

The periodic table arranges atoms based on increasing atomic number so that elements with the same chemical properties recur periodically. When their electron configurations are added to the table, a periodic recurrence of similar electron configurations in the outer shells of these elements is observed. Because they are in the outer shells of an atom, valence electrons play the most important role in chemical reactions. The outer electrons have the highest energy of the electrons in an atom...

Elements: Chemical Symbols and Isotopes

Elements: Chemical Symbols and Isotopes

A chemical symbol is an abbreviation used to indicate an element or an atom of an element. For example, the symbol for mercury is Hg. The same symbol is used to indicate one atom of mercury (microscopic domain) or to label a container of many atoms of the element mercury (macroscopic domain).
Some symbols are derived from the common English name of the element; others are abbreviations of the name in another language — Latin, Greek or German. For example, the symbol for aluminum (common name)...

The Periodic Table

The Periodic Table

As early chemists discovered more elements, they realized that various elements could be grouped by their similar chemical behaviors. One such grouping includes lithium (Li), sodium (Na), and potassium (K). All of these elements are shiny, conduct heat and electricity well, and have similar chemical properties. A second grouping includes calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), and barium (Ba), which also are shiny, good conductors of heat and electricity, and have chemical properties in common. However,...

Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one nuclide into another. It can occur by the radioactive decay of a nucleus, or the reaction of a nucleus with another particle. The first manmade nucleus was produced in Ernest Rutherford’s laboratory in 1919 by a transmutation reaction, the bombardment of one type of nuclei with other nuclei or with neutrons. Rutherford bombarded nitrogen-14 atoms with high-speed α particles from a natural radioactive isotope of radium and observed protons being...

The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements

The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements

Elements are the smallest units of matter that cannot be broken down further by chemical processes. There are 118 known elements, but not all of these are naturally-occurring, and fewer still are essential for life. Living matter is composed primarily of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, with smaller amounts of other elements like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur. Other elements are also necessary for life but only in trace amounts.The Periodic Table Provides Information about...

The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements

The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements

Elements are the smallest units of matter that cannot be broken down further by chemical processes. There are 118 known elements, but not all of these are naturally occurring, and only a few of them are essential for life. Living matter is composed primarily of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, with smaller amounts of other elements like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur. Other elements are also necessary for life but only in trace amounts.
Periodic Table Provides Information...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Evidence for widespread hydrated minerals on asteroid (101955) Bennu.

Nature astronomy·2019

Same author

Shape of (101955) Bennu indicative of a rubble pile with internal stiffness.

Nature geoscience·2019

Same author

The unexpected surface of asteroid (101955) Bennu.

Nature·2019

Same author

Moonshine: Diurnally varying hydration through natural distillation on the Moon, detected by the Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (LEND).

Icarus·2017

Same author

Response to comment on "Hydrogen mapping of the lunar South Pole using the LRO neutron detector experiment LEND".

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2011

Same author

Hydrogen mapping of the lunar south pole using the LRO neutron detector experiment LEND.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2010

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions

Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions

Published on: June 13, 2015

Superheavy elements: an early solar system upper limit for elements 107 to 110.

S Nozette, W V Boynton

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|October 16, 1981

Summary

The Santa Clara iron meteorite contains samarium-152, suggesting superheavy elements existed in the early solar system. This limits their abundance relative to uranium-238.

Area of Science:

Cosmochemistry
Nuclear Astrophysics
Planetary Science

Background:

The early solar system's nucleosynthetic processes are not fully understood.
Superheavy elements (SHEs) are hypothesized to form via rapid neutron capture (r-process) or other exotic pathways.
Meteorites provide crucial samples for studying early solar system conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the origin of samarium-152 (¹⁵²Sm) in the Santa Clara iron meteorite.
To constrain the abundance of hypothetical superheavy elements in the early solar system.

Main Methods:

Quantitative analysis of samarium-152 abundance in the Santa Clara iron meteorite.
Modeling the contribution of superheavy element fission to ¹⁵²Sm production.
Calculating upper limits for superheavy element abundances based on observed ¹⁵²Sm levels.

More Related Videos

Combining Solid-state and Solution-based Techniques: Synthesis and Reactivity of Chalcogenidoplumbates(II or IV)

Combining Solid-state and Solution-based Techniques: Synthesis and Reactivity of Chalcogenidoplumbates(II or IV)

Published on: December 29, 2016

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Published on: November 15, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions

Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions

Published on: June 13, 2015

Combining Solid-state and Solution-based Techniques: Synthesis and Reactivity of Chalcogenidoplumbates(II or IV)

Combining Solid-state and Solution-based Techniques: Synthesis and Reactivity of Chalcogenidoplumbates(II or IV)

Published on: December 29, 2016

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Published on: November 15, 2013

Main Results:

The abundance of samarium-152 was determined to be 108 x 10⁷ atoms per gram.
If attributed to the fission of superheavy elements (atomic numbers 107-109), their abundance is limited to 1.7 x 10⁻⁵ relative to uranium-238.
For element 110, the abundance limit is 3.4 x 10⁻⁵ relative to uranium-238.

Conclusions:

The presence of ¹⁵²Sm in the Santa Clara meteorite places significant constraints on the abundance of superheavy elements in the early solar system.
These findings suggest that superheavy elements, if they existed, were not produced in quantities sufficient to be a major source of certain isotopes.