Oganesson Facts: Element 118 or Og

Oganesson is element number 118 on the periodic table. It is a radioactive synthetic transactinide element, officially recognized in 2016. Since 2005, only 4 atoms of oganesson have been produced, so there is much to learn about this new element. Predictions based on its electron configuration indicate it may be much more reactive than other elements in the noble gas group. Unlike the other noble gases, element 118 is expected to be electropositive and form compounds with other atoms.

Properties of Oganesson

Element Name: Oganesson [formely ununoctium or eka-radon]

Symbol: Og

Atomic Number: 118

Atomic Weight: [294]

Phase: probably a gas

Element Classification: The phase of element 118 is unknown. While it's possibly a semiconducting noble gas, most scientists predict the element will be a liquid or solid at room temperature. If the element is a gas, it would be the densest gaseous element, even if it is monatomic like the other gases in the group. Oganesson is expected to be more reactive than radon.

Element Group: group 18, p block (only synthetic element in group 18)

Name Origin: The name oganesson honors the nuclear physicist Yuri Oganessian, a key player in the discovery of the heavy new elements of the periodic table. The -on ending of the element name is in keeping with the element's position in the noble gas period.

Discovery: October 9, 2006, researchers at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia, announced they had indirectly detected a ununoctium-294 from collisions of californium-249 atoms and calcium-48 ions. The initial experiments that produced element 118 took place in 2002.

Electron Configuration: [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² 7p⁶ (based on radon)

Density: 4.9–5.1 g/cm³ (predicted as a liquid at its melting point)

Toxicity: Element 118 has no known nor expected biological role in any organism. It's expected to be toxic due to its radioactivity.