On 17 November 2006, a ceremony was held in Darmstadt, Germany, to celebrate the naming of the element Roentgenium. 10 facts about it:
Roentgenium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Rg and atomic number 111.
Not much is known about it. It’s a bit difficult to study as the most stable of its isotopes only has a half life of 130 seconds. Only a few atoms of the stuff have ever been made.
However, scientists predict that if ever enough is made to study it properly, it will turn out to be a dense noble metal which will be solid at room temperature, and a pale silvery colour.
Roentgenium has seven isotopes whose half-lives are known. There are more which haven’t been confirmed yet, including one, roentgenium-286, which could have a half life of as much as 10.7 minutes.
Roentgenium was first synthesised by an international team led by Sigurd Hofmann in 1994 at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research near Darmstadt, Germany.
The team that discovered it bombarded atoms of bismuth with ions of nickel in a linear accelerator.
Before it was assigned the name Roentgenium, it was given a temporary name, unununium, with a provisional chemical symbol of Uuu.
It is named after the physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (also spelled Roentgen), who discovered X Rays.
It is 272 times heavier than hydrogen.
Roentgenium does not occur at all in nature and has no uses apart from scientific study.
NEW!!
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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