Einsteinium is a radioactive element found at the bottom of the periodic table. It was discovered in 1952 by Albert Ghiorso, who was studying the debris from a nuclear explosion. However, almost seventy years later, we’ve only just learnt some basic information about this rare element.
Einsteinium is quite difficult to get, and even harder to study. It doesn’t form naturally, so scientists have to make it themselves using some complicated nuclear reactions. Once they’ve done this, they need to study it quickly. The most common form of einsteinium has a half-life of only twenty days – this means half of the sample will be useless in less than three weeks.
Despite this, last year some Californian researchers were able to take the first measurements of how einsteinium bonds with other atoms. Their 200 nanogram (0.0000002 gram) sample was made of a type of einsteinium that has a half-life of 276 days. This gave them enough time to x-ray the element and take their world-first measurements.
Lachlan Writes Science 