Hassium,whose symbol is Hs, is a chemical element with an atomic number of 108. Hassium is a solid at room temperature and is considered a radioactive man made metal, and a transition metal. Since its atomic number is 108, Hassium has one hundred eight protons in its nucleus and one hundred eight electrons. These electrons are found in seven energy levels. The elements first energy level contains 2 electrons, the second contains 8, the third contains 18, the fourth, 32 the fifth 32, the sixth 14 and the last 2. So, when Hassium is a neutral element, it contains all 108 electrons. In addition to the 108 protons in the nucleus of the element, there are also 157 neutrons. Hassium has an atomic mass of two hundred and sixty five. One atomic mass unit is 1/12 of the weight of a carbon-12 atom, with carbon-12 being the standard used to measure other elements. Other known names for the element Hassium are Unniloctium and Hahnium.
Each Hassium element has a particularly large nucleus which contains the positively charged protons, and the neutrally charged neutrons. Because of the large number of particles in the nucleus of the atom, it is unstable and breaks apart almost immediately after it is created. This is known as spontaneous fission.
The element Hassium was first created in 1984 by nuclear fusion of Lead and Iron. In nuclear fusion, multiple same charge atomic nuclei join together to form a heavier nucleus. This process includes either the absorption or release of energy. In the case of Hassium, energy is released in the form of electromagnetic waves and charged pieces of matter. This type of energy is radiation.
Hassium was synthesized by West German researchers at the Institute for Heavy Ion Research by a research team led by Peter Armbruster. Armbruster’s research team found that Hassium is so unstable that its half-life is only 2 milliseconds. (A half life is the time required for of an element to half of its’ original amount.) Studies done in Dubna Russia
have since found two more isotopes of Hassium, one with a mass of 263, and one with a mass of 264. An isotope is a different type of atom of the same element which has a different atomic mass. To this day, eight total isotopes have been isolated. Their atomic masses range from 263 to 277. Of all the isotopes of Hassium that exist, Hassium-277 which has a half-life of twelve days is the most stable. It is difficult to say if this element has any usefulness in science because as a rule, Hassium is so unstable and only a small amount of the element has ever been produced.
