https://www.ornl.gov/news/tennessine-acknowledges-state-institutions-roles-element-s-discovery

Over a year-long campaign, ORNL produced and then shipped the 22 milligrams of berkeleium-249 to Russia, where the experiment that would yield element 117 was carried out with a heavy-ion cyclotron at Russia's Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna. After six months of relentless bombardment with a calcium-48 beam, researchers had detected six atoms in which the nuclei of the calcium and berkelium had fused to create element 117. Subsequent experiments confirmed the results.

 

That is cool, but another story on the site caught my attention and led me to...
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/slct.201601169/full

Hmmm? Hmm?

 

What's wrong with the usual scientific method?

 

A still on a thumb drive is much more impressive.

Edit: And how did you get that picture?

 

A still on a thumb drive is much more impressive.

Edit: And how did you get that picture?

When I was a kid there were a few people in the Brazos river bottoms that made shine. Gramps would usually buy a few jars for paint thinner.

 

Six months of bombardment to make a few atoms. We must really understand the process. This must be the results of probability.

 

I wonder how they counted the atoms. The new element must only have a life of milliseconds before it decays to lower elements.

 

What's wrong with the usual scientific method?

Aww, the health benefits of lead infused moonshine!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tennessine&printable=yes

 

nihonium, moscovium, and oganesson were also named.

http://phys.org/news/2016-12-periodic-table-elements-japan-moscow.html

 

What's wrong with the usual scientific method?

My brothers!

 

Six months of bombardment to make a few atoms. We must really understand the process. This must be the results of probability.

Of course it is, do you know how hard it is to hit a nucleus square-on at an energy that is not to high (destroys the target nucleus), or too low (bounces off of the electron shell). It is estimated and then Design of Experiment is used to adjust parameters to maximize yield. Perhaps other heavy atom/bombardment ion combinations will eventually yield better results.

I wonder how they counted the atoms. The new element must only have a life of milliseconds before it decays to lower elements.

They use mass spec and single-photon counters to look for the emission spectrum from gamma rays to visible that are unique to the energy transistions of a calcium atom incorporated into a berkelium nucleus.

There may also be instantaneous emission of neutrons of a specific energy with the formation of un-un-septium (now tennessine).