Tennessine

What is Tennessine?

Tennessine is a special element that scientists made in a lab. It has the symbol Ts and the number 117. This makes it one of the heaviest elements ever made. Scientists named it after the U.S. state of Tennessee, where important research took place.

How Was Tennessine Found?

Scientists in Russia and America worked together to make tennessine. They announced their discovery in Dubna in April 2010. After many tests, science groups officially recognized tennessine as a new element in 2016.

Interesting Facts About Tennessine

Tennessine is very unusual. Scientists think it might be part of something called the "island of stability." This means that even though it is very heavy, some of its atoms can last for short periods—tens or hundreds of milliseconds. Tennessine might behave like a metal and is part of the group of elements called halogens, but its properties might be different because of forces inside its atoms. Because tennessine is so heavy, its electrons move very fast, close to the speed of light. This changes how the electrons behave and could make tennessine act differently from other elements.