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Nihonium
Nh 113

Nihonium

Nihonium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Nh and atomic number 113. It is named after the Japanese name for Japan, Nihon. Nihonium was first discovered in 2004 by a team of Japanese scientists at RIKEN, making it the first element to be discovered in Asia. It is an extremely radioactive element; its most stable known isotope, nihonium-286, has a half-life of about 10 seconds. It has no known practical applications.

Transition Metal
Atomic number 113Z
Atomic mass 286u
Valence e⁻ 3
Electron config. 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d10 4p6 5s2 4d10 5p6 6s2 4f14 5d10 6p6 7s2 5f14 6d10 7p1
Density
16.0g/cm³
Melting point
427°C
Crustal abundance
—
Annual production
—
Recycling rate
0%(Synthetic element (Z=113); no recycling)

Why This Element

Nihonium is the first group 13 element beyond thallium. No stable isotopes. Nh-286 and Nh-287 (seconds-long half-lives) enable limited chemical studies, testing relativistic effects on group 13 properties.

Applications

Research

Applications in DepthElement & compound uses

Main Uses of the Element

Nihonium is the 113th superheavy element, first synthesized in 2004 by the RIKEN team in Japan by bombarding bismuth with zinc ions, and named after Japan (Nihon) — the first element discovered by an Asian country. Its isotopes have extremely short half-lives, it does not occur in nature, and only a few atoms are produced per synthesis. It has no industrial uses and is studied only for superheavy-element and island-of-stability research.

Key Compounds and Their Uses

The chemistry of nihonium is very little studied; single-atom experiments suggest behavior similar to thallium. No weighable nihonium compound has ever been isolated, and no practical applications exist.

Element History

First observed in 2004 at RIKEN Japan by Kosuke Morita's team via bombardment of bismuth-209 with zinc-70 ions — but definitive confirmation required cross-institution verification (GSI, Dubna). Officially named nihonium by IUPAC in 2016.

Related Elements

Sc · Scandium Ti · Titanium V · Vanadium Cr · Chromium Mn · Manganese Fe · Iron Co · Cobalt Ni · Nickel

Frequently Asked QuestionsLong-tail Q&A · data-driven

What is the melting point of Nihonium?
427 °C
What is the boiling point of Nihonium?
1157 °C
What is the density of Nihonium?
16.0 g/cm³
What are the atomic number and category of Nihonium?
113 · Transition Metal
Which ore is Nihonium mainly extracted from?
None (synthetic)
What are the main uses of Nihonium?
Nihonium is the first group 13 element beyond thallium. No stable isotopes. Nh-286 and Nh-287 (seconds-long half-lives) enable limited chemical studies, testing relativistic effects on group 13 properties.
Who discovered Nihonium and when?
RIKEN · 2004