Unbihexium could have a half-life of millions of years?

[swampwiz]

This article seems to say that the range of estimates go this high. This could be something that would actually stay around long enough to be of some use.

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news...e-next-row-of-the-periodic-table/9400.article

 

[mathman]

Seems too early to tell.

 

[Astronuc]

This article seems to say that the range of estimates go this high. This could be something that would actually stay around long enough to be of some use.

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news...e-next-row-of-the-periodic-table/9400.article

Note that the cited article was published in January 2016 (and it reflects state of the art as of 2015), so it's at least 5 years old, and there has been no discoveries.

A more recent article from 2018 gives some overview/insight into the discoveries up through oganesson (Z = 118) and prospects for heavier nuclei.
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/pac-2018-0918/html

 

[mfb]

A long lifetime can't be ruled out but it doesn't look particularly likely.

A few nuclei of oganesson (118) have been produced in weeks of accelerator runs. The cross section for element 120 should be even smaller. What's the possible application for a few long-living nuclei?

 

[Astronuc]

A long lifetime can't be ruled out but it doesn't look particularly likely.

A few nuclei of oganesson (118) have been produced in weeks of accelerator runs. The cross section for element 120 should be even smaller. What's the possible application for a few long-living nuclei?

Indeed. Only a few atoms of oganesson have been produced and at great expense.

https://www.webelements.com/oganesson/history.html

The precursors are quite expensive themselves.

⁴⁸Ca has a limited abundance of 0.187% and must be separated from the natural element, hence the high cost, as well as the high cost of the target, ²⁴⁹Cf.

86Kr has an abundance of 17.28%, and a slight majority of natural Pb is ²⁰⁸Pb.