Darmstadtium
Atomic Data
| Atomic Number | 110 |
| Symbol | Ds |
| Atomic Weight | 281 u |
| Density (STP) | N/A |
| Melting Point | N/A °C (None K) |
| Boiling Point | N/A °C (None K) |
| Electronegativity | : |
| Electron Config. | 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 5f14 6s2 6p6 6d8 7s2 |
| Oxidation States | +6 |
| Phase at STP | Solid |
| Category | Transition Metal |
| Period / Group | 7 / 10 |
| CAS Number | 54083-77-1 |
Electron Configuration
[Rn] 5f14 6d8 7s2
| Shell | n | Subshell | Electrons | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | 1 | 1s | 2 | 2 |
| L | 2 | 2s | 2 | 4 |
| L | 2 | 2p | 6 | 10 |
| M | 3 | 3s | 2 | 12 |
| M | 3 | 3p | 6 | 18 |
| M | 3 | 3d | 10 | 28 |
| N | 4 | 4s | 2 | 30 |
| N | 4 | 4p | 6 | 36 |
| N | 4 | 4d | 10 | 46 |
| N | 4 | 4f | 14 | 60 |
| O | 5 | 5s | 2 | 62 |
| O | 5 | 5p | 6 | 68 |
| O | 5 | 5d | 10 | 78 |
| O | 5 | 5f | 14 | 92 |
| P | 6 | 6s | 2 | 94 |
| P | 6 | 6p | 6 | 100 |
| P | 6 | 6d | 8 | 108 |
| Q | 7 | 7s | 2 | 110 |
| Total | 110 | 110 | ||
Isotopes of Darmstadtium
Darmstadtium is monoisotopic: ²⁸¹Ds is its only naturally occurring stable isotope, accounting for 100% of all natural Darmstadtium.
| Isotope | Symbol | Protons | Neutrons | Abundance | Stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darmstadtium-281 | ²⁸¹Ds | 110 | 171 | trace | Stable |
Abundance & Occurrence
Darmstadtium is present in Earth's crust at approximately trace amounts by mass and at approximately trace amounts by mass throughout the universe.
Earth's Crust (ppm by mass)
Universe (ppm by mass)
Discovery & History
Read more about the discovery of the periodic table of elements →
Safety & Handling
- Alpha radiation and very short half-life: Darmstadtium isotopes have half-lives of microseconds to seconds; they decay almost instantaneously after synthesis, leaving no residual material to handle.
- No practical hazard: Darmstadtium has only been produced in atom-counting quantities; there is no bulk radiological, chemical, or toxicological hazard.
- Accelerator facility hazards: The heavy ion accelerator required to synthesise Ds produces significant prompt radiation and activates targets; these facility-level hazards are managed by the radiation protection programme of the host institution.
- Regulatory controls: All transactinide research is conducted under national nuclear regulatory authority licences.
Darmstadtium in the Real World
Real-World Uses
- Superheavy element research: Darmstadtium (Ds-281) is produced at accelerators (GSI, RIKEN) and studied by measuring its alpha-decay chain; relativistic calculations predict significant departures from Group 10 platinum-group metal behaviour, which future gas-phase chemistry experiments aim to test.
- Nuclear shell model benchmarks: Decay energies and half-lives of darmstadtium isotopes provide experimental data points for testing predictions of the deformed nuclear shell closures at N=162 and the spherical shell closure predicted near N=184.
- No commercial applications: Darmstadtium is produced a few atoms at a time; its most stable known isotope (Ds-281) has a half-life of about 12.7 seconds, precluding any practical application.
Downloadable Resources
Free periodic table reference sheets for classrooms, study sessions, and laboratory use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has darmstadtium ever been used for anything?
No. Darmstadtium has no practical applications. Its most stable isotope (Ds-281) has a half-life of about 14 seconds. It is produced only a few atoms at a time at particle accelerators and exists solely as a subject of fundamental nuclear physics research.
How many atoms of darmstadtium have been made?
Darmstadtium has been produced in extremely small quantities: only a few atoms per accelerator experiment. It was first synthesised in 1994 at GSI Darmstadt by bombarding nickel-62 onto lead-208. The total number of darmstadtium atoms ever produced is in the thousands or tens of thousands, all of which have since decayed.
Is darmstadtium radioactive?
Yes, all isotopes of darmstadtium are radioactive. The most stable known, Ds-281, has a half-life of about 14 seconds. It decays by alpha emission or spontaneous fission. All darmstadtium atoms are produced and observed at the single-atom level in particle accelerators.
How did darmstadtium get its name?
Darmstadtium was named after Darmstadt, Germany, the city where GSI (Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung) is located. GSI is the facility where darmstadtium was first synthesised in 1994. The name was approved by IUPAC in 2003. The element was previously referred to by the placeholder name ununnilium (Uun) until the official name was assigned.