Einsteinium
⚛️ In Your World
Einsteinium is a synthetic element that is so radioactive and produced in such tiny amounts that it has no uses outside of basic scientific research. It is the heaviest element that has been seen with the naked eye, though only for a brief moment. Its primary value is as a stepping stone, used as a target material to bombard with ions to create even heavier, new elements.
📖 The Discovery Story
Einsteinium has a dramatic origin story. It was discovered in 1952 in the debris of the first successful test of a hydrogen bomb, "Ivy Mike," in the Pacific Ocean. A team of scientists led by Albert Ghiorso at the University of California, Berkeley, found the new element on filter papers that had been flown through the explosion cloud. The discovery was kept secret for several years due to Cold War tensions. It was named "einsteinium" in honor of Albert Einstein, who had died shortly before the element's public announcement.
📊 Properties at a Glance
| Phase at STP | Solid (presumed) |
| Melting Point | 860 °C / 1580 °F |
| Boiling Point | 996 °C / 1825 °F (estimated) |
| Electron Configuration | [Rn] 5f¹¹7s² |
| Abundance in Earth's Crust | Essentially zero |
⚠️ Safety & Handling
Einsteinium is intensely radioactive and extremely hazardous. The radiation it emits is so powerful that it quickly destroys its own crystal lattice and makes the metal glow. It has only ever been produced in microscopic amounts and can only be handled with highly specialized remote equipment in dedicated hot cells.