Elementymology & Elements Multidict

memory peg	Artificial radioactive element melting point -- °C; -- °F boiling point -- °C; -- °F density -- g/cc; -- pounds/cubic foot
1968 Ã.Í.Ôëåðîâ (G.N. Flerov) and co-workers, Dubna, Russia 1970 Albert Ghiorso and co-workers, Berkeley, Calif., USA
Dubna group named it Nielsbohrium, the Berkeley group Hahnium, in 1997 named Dubnium after Äóáíà (Dubna), town in Moscow region

First preparation by Russian and American teams:

• 1968 by Г.Н. Флеров (Georgy Nikolaevich Flerov), V.A. Druin, A.G. Demin, Ю.В. Лобанов (Yu.V. Lobanov), Nikolai Konstantinovich Skobelev, G.N. Akap'ev, B.V. Fefilov, I.V. Kolesov, K.A. Gavrilov, Ю. П. Харитонов (Yu.P. Kharitonov), and L.P. Chelnokov at the Объединенный Институт Ядерных Исследований (ОИЯИ) - Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) at Дубна (Dubna) by bombardment of Americium with Neon ions and named Nielsbohrium after Niels Bohr (cf. Bohrium).
• 1970 by Albert Ghiorso, M. Nurmia, K. Eskola, J. Harris, and P. Eskola at the Berkeley Laboraty of the University of California by bombardment of Californium with Nitrogen ions and named Hahnium after Otto Hahn (1879-1968) (cf. Hassium).

The systematic IUPAC name was Unnilpentium (Unp). In 1994 IUPAC proposed the name Joliotium (Jl) for element #105 "to recognize the French scientist F. Joliot-Curie who contributed greatly to the development of nuclear physics and chemistry, and who shared the Nobel prize in 1935 with Mme. M. Curie", and for element #104 Dubnium "to recognize the distinguished contributions to chemistry and modern nuclear physics of the international scientific centre at Dubna near Moscow." The American Chemical Society kept the name Hahnium (Ha), as proposed by Ghiorso and co-workers. In 1997, at the final elements christening during the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Council meeting in Geneva, element #104 was named Rutherfordium and element #105 got the name and symbol Dubnium (Db) (see "Naming the transfermium elements" on the Ununoctium page).

The decision to build a proton accelerator for nuclear research was taken by the Soviet government in 1946. An impracticable place where the current town is situated was chosen due to remoteness from Moscow and the presence of the Ivankovo power plant nearby. The scientific leader was Igor Kurchatov. The general supervisor of the project including construction of a settlement, a road and a railway connecting it to Moscow (largely involving penal labour of Gulag inmates) was the NKVD chief Lavrentiy Beria. After three years of intensive work, the accelerator was commissioned on December 13, 1949.

The town of Dubna was officially inaugurated in 1956, together with the Объединенный Институт Ядерных Исследований (ОИЯИ) (Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, JINR), which has developed into a large international research laboratory involved mainly in particle physics, heavy ion physics, synthesis of transuranium elements, and radiobiology. In 1960 a town of Ivankovo situated on the opposite (left) bank of the Volga was merged into Dubna.

Outstanding physicists of the 20th century including Nikolay Bogolyubov, Georgy Flyorov, Vladimir Veksler, Bruno Pontecorvo used to work at the institute. A number of elementary particles and heavy nuclei (including the 118th element) were discovered and investigated there. In recognition of that, in 1997 this chemical element Dubnium was named after the town. In 1964 Dubna hosted the prestigious International Conference on High Energy Physics (note).

• Earl K. Hyde & Glenn T. Seaborg, Transurane : Teil A 1, I: Die Elemente. Gmelins Handbuch der anorganische Chemie, Ergänzungswerk zur 8. Aufl.; Band 7a. Weinheim/Bergstrasse: Chemie, 1973.