A ‘nuclear scalpel’ may emerge from discovery of four new elements
Scientists from Japan, Russia and the U.S. have discovered four new chemical elements that, taken together, complete the seventh period of the periodic table of elements. And the first area of human endeavor to find a practical use for the expanded knowledge may be nuclear medicine.
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced that it had verified the discovery Dec. 30.
The news has drawn broad coverage since then, and one of the most intriguing wrinkles to emerge so far was nicely elucidated by Douglas Wells, PhD, professor and dean of graduate education at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.
He told the Rapid City Journal that the newly discovered radioactive element Ununoctium (Uuo) has 118 protons, more than any element discovered thus far.
If a way can be found to place Uuo inside diseased cells in a nuke med procedure, it could become a natural at tearing apart cancerous cells from the inside while leaving surrounding healthy cells untouched, according to Wells.
“If an atom is in there, and it emits an alpha particle, it won’t even exit the cell, so its short range makes it very attractive,” he told the newspaper. “It’s like a nuclear scalpel.”
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Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.