Element 117 · Halogen
Tennessine
Tennessine is a synthetic superheavy element first observed in 2010 — atom-by-atom only.
Element Facts
SYMBOL
Ts
ATOMIC NO.
117
ATOMIC WEIGHT
294
CATEGORY
Halogen
PERIOD
Period 7
GROUP
Group 17
Discovery & History
Tennessine was first synthesised in 2010 at JINR Dubna in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Tennessee, by bombarding berkelium-249 with calcium-48 ions. The berkelium-249 target itself took over 250 days to produce at ORNL. Named in 2016 after the state of Tennessee, recognising the three key Tennessee institutions in its discovery. Fewer than 60 atoms have been produced in total.
Where It's Used
Tennessine has no practical applications. It is studied to understand the properties of the heaviest halogens (group 17) and to probe the extent of the “island of stability” near element 114. Its chemistry is predicted to differ significantly from lighter halogens due to relativistic effects.
Can You Sell It?
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Tennessine:
Tennessine’s most stable isotope has a half-life of approximately 51 milliseconds. It exists for less than a tenth of a second after creation in a particle accelerator. No commercial application or scrap trade is conceivable.
Price Guide
No commercial market. The berkelium-249 target material alone required over two years of reactor irradiation at ORNL. The total cost of producing one confirmed tennessine atom runs into millions of pounds.