ABSTRACT

In the early nineteenth century chemists knew of the existence of ninety-two chemical elements, from Hydrogen to Uranium. For nearly forty years scientists thought they knew the content of our planet and all of its contents. In the late 1930s the world of chemical science began to discover elements beyond Uranium - the 'transuranics'. These new, super-heavy elements are probably not found in nature at all but can be detected, if only for a few fractions of a second, in precisely designed experiments using powerful nuclear tools. On Beyond Uranium: Journey to the End of the Periodic Table is full of exciting new concepts and tells the story of the author's quest to discover elements never before known to man.

chapter 1|20 pages

The landscape

chapter 2|6 pages

Elements created in stars

chapter 3|10 pages

Synthetic elements

chapter 6|16 pages

Cold fusion and ‘big’ cyclotrons

chapter 7|14 pages

The dream: uranium beams

chapter 8|10 pages

Models, cross-section and fusion

chapter 11|12 pages

The year 1988: a new beginning

chapter 12|12 pages

Three more elements: 110, 111 and 112

chapter 13|8 pages

Names mean more than numbers

chapter 15|2 pages

Epilogue

chapter 1|2 pages

Bibliography