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dubnium

Primary Information
Secondary Information

Definition

Dubnium is a chemical element with the symbol Db and atomic number 105. It is a synthetic element, meaning that it has never been found in nature. Dubnium was first created in 1968 by a team of scientists at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia.

Dubnium is a member of the transactinide elements, which are elements with atomic numbers greater than 92. Transactinide elements are very unstable, and they only exist for a very short time. Dubnium has a half-life of about 28 hours, which means that half of the dubnium atoms in a sample will decay into other elements in 28 hours.

Dubnium is a silvery-white metal, and it is thought to be a very reactive element. It is likely to form compounds with other elements, such as oxygen, hydrogen, and chlorine. Dubnium is not currently used for anything, but it may be used in the future for research purposes.

How can the word be used?

The element symbol for dubnium is Db.

dubnium

Different forms of the word

Noun: dubnium.

Adjective: dubnium.

Verb: to dubnium.

Adverb: dubniumly.

Etymology

The word "dubnium" comes from the Russian city of Dubna, where the element was first synthesized in 1968. The name was officially adopted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in 1976.

Question

What is dubnium?

AQA Science Exam Question and Answer

Question:

Explain the significance of dubnium in the periodic table and its properties as a synthetic element. Describe how dubnium is produced in laboratories and its limited applications due to its high radioactivity. Discuss the role of dubnium in scientific research and its contribution to our understanding of the periodic table and the behaviour of heavy elements.

Answer:

  • Dubnium is a synthetic element with the atomic number 105, denoted by the symbol Db. It holds significance in the periodic table as a transactinide element, belonging to the d-block transition metals. Being a synthetic element, dubnium does not occur naturally and is produced in laboratories through nuclear reactions, typically involving the fusion of heavy nuclei.
  • Due to its high radioactivity and short half-life, dubnium has limited practical applications. However, its synthesis and study contribute to scientific research on heavy elements and the structure of the periodic table. Dubnium's properties and behaviour help scientists gain insights into the stability and behaviour of elements in the heaviest regions of the periodic table. Furthermore, studying dubnium aids in expanding our knowledge of nuclear reactions, element synthesis, and the fundamental properties of matter at extreme conditions.