Understanding the Artificial Element Seaborgium

The question asks to identify the artificial element that was provisionally named seaborgium by American researchers in honour of Nobel Laureate Glenn T. Seaborg. This refers to a specific synthetic element with a particular atomic number.

Discovery and Naming of Element 106

Seaborgium is a synthetic chemical element with the symbol Sg and atomic number 106. It is an artificial element, meaning it does not occur naturally on Earth and can only be created in a laboratory. It was first synthesized in 1974 by two independent research teams:

• A team led by Albert Ghiorso at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in California, USA.
• A team led by Georgy Flyorov at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Soviet Union.

The American team from Berkeley proposed the name "seaborgium" (Sg) in honour of the American nuclear chemist Glenn T. Seaborg. Seaborg was a key figure in the discovery of many transuranium elements (elements with atomic number greater than 92) and a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.

Why Element 106 is Seaborgium

The element with atomic number 106 was the one named seaborgium. This naming was initially subject to dispute between the American and Soviet teams, as well as within the international scientific community regarding the naming of several newly discovered heavy elements. However, the name seaborgium for element 106 was eventually officially recognized by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in 1997.

Analysing the Options

Let's look at the options provided:

• Element 97: This element is Berkelium (Bk), named after Berkeley, California, where it was discovered.
• Element 106: This element is Seaborgium (Sg), named after Glenn T. Seaborg.
• Element 90: This is Thorium (Th), a naturally occurring radioactive metallic element.
• Element 103: This element is Lawrencium (Lr), named after Ernest O. Lawrence, the inventor of the cyclotron.

Based on the historical discovery and naming conventions, Element 106 is indeed Seaborgium, named after Glenn T. Seaborg by the American researchers at Berkeley.

Conclusion on Seaborgium

Therefore, the artificial element provisionally named seaborgium by American researchers in honour of Nobel Laureate Glenn T Seaborg is Element 106.

Revision Table: Key Facts About Seaborgium

Additional Information: Glenn T. Seaborg and Transuranium Elements

Glenn T. Seaborg was a highly influential American chemist. He was involved in the discovery and isolation of ten transuranium elements:

• Plutonium ($\text{Pu}$, 94)
• Americium ($\text{Am}$, 95)
• Curium ($\text{Cm}$, 96)
• Berkelium ($\text{Bk}$, 97)
• Californium ($\text{Cf}$, 98)
• Einsteinium ($\text{Es}$, 99)
• Fermium ($\text{Fm}$, 100)
• Mendelevium ($\text{Md}$, 101)
• Nobelium ($\text{No}$, 102)
• Seaborgium ($\text{Sg}$, 106)

He also developed the concept of the actinide series, which explained the placement of the heaviest elements in the periodic table. His work significantly expanded our understanding of nuclear chemistry and the properties of heavy elements. Being the only person to have an element named after him during his lifetime, the naming of seaborgium for element 106 was a significant honour.