Lab's 'Science on Saturday' lecture: It's elemental

WHO: Lab scientist Ken Moody and teacher Dean Reese will present "Superheavy Elements: Search for the End of the Periodic Table."

WHAT: The periodic table provides a way of presenting chemical information that makes it the fundamental tool of the chemist. Consequently, it is displayed on the walls in most science classrooms. Recent discoveries of new elements have extended the periodic table beyond what was thought possible in the recent past, and demonstrate the existence of a collection of superheavy elements with unusual nuclear properties at the limits of stability.

The presenters will discuss the relationship between atoms and elements, and between nuclei and isotopes. They will talk about radioactive decay and how it provides both the means of detecting single atoms of new elements, and hinders the ability to study chemical properties. They also will discuss how new elements are produced and identified, and how this leads to experiments that explain the extreme limits of chemical behavior, the possible breakdown of periodicity and the ultimate end of the periodic table.

WHEN: Saturday, March 5, 2011

Session I :  9:30 a.m.

Session II: 11:15 a.m.

WHERE: Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St., Livermore.

NOTE: Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis; there is no pre-registration. Directions, maps and a complete list of lectures are available on the Science on Saturday Website. Science on Saturday is presented by LLNL's Science Education Program.