Chemistry textbooks outdated as scientists discover four new elements

Four elements are soon to be added to the periodic table, finally completing the seventh row making every science textbook out of date according to education giant Pearson, the CNBC has reported.

A  spokesman for Pearson said, “We regularly review our course materials and textbooks to ensure they are up to date, and any changes that need to be made will be done at the appropriate moment to ensure least disruption to schools and students.”

The International Union of  Pure and Applied Chemistry on December 30, verified the addition of the elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 to the table’s seventh row making it complete.

This marks the first time new atoms have been added to the periodic table since 2011, according to the report.

Professor Jan Reedijk, President of the Inorganic Chemistry Division of IUPAC said the chemistry community is eager to see its most cherished table finally being completed down to the seventh row.

“The chemistry community is eager to see its most cherished table finally being completed down to the seventh row.

“IUPAC has now initiated the process of formalizing names and symbols for these elements temporarily named as ununtrium, (Uut or element 113), ununpentium (Uup, element 115), ununseptium (Uus, element 117), and ununoctium  (Uuo, element 118),” he said in a statement.

The proposed names and symbols will be checked by the Inorganic Chemistry Division of IUPAC for consistency, translatability into other languages, possible prior historic use for other cases, etc.

New elements can be named after a mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist.

After Divisional acceptance, the names and two-letter symbols will be presented for public review for five months, before the highest body of IUPAC, the Council, will make a final decision on the names of these new chemical elements and their two-letter symbols and their introduction into the Periodic Table of the Elements.

The statement released by IUPAC also quoted the President, Dr. Mark C. Cesa, as saying, “As the global organization that provides objective scientific expertise and develops the essential tools for the application and communication of chemical knowledge for the benefit of humankind, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry is pleased and honored to make this announcement concerning elements 113, 115, 117, and 118 and the completion of the seventh row of the periodic table of the elements.

“we are excited about these new elements, and we thank the dedicated scientists who discovered them for their painstaking work, as well the members of the IUPAC/IUPAP Joint Working Party for completing their essential and critically important task,” he added.

Punch