Four new elements make their mark on the Periodic Table

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), an organisation recognised as the world authority in chemical sciences, has confirmed that scientists have discovered elements 113, 115, 117, and 118. While the existence of the four new elements has long been theorised, they say there's now enough evidence to fill in their blank spaces in the Periodic Table of Elements.

The new seventh row elements, currently known as Ununtium (Uut 113), Ununpentium (Uup 115), Ununseptium (Uus 117), and Ununoctium (Uuo 118), are all sythentic elements manufactured in a lab. In addition to not being found in nature, the elements are also highly unstable and decay into radioactive isotopes in a matter of seconds, vexing attempts by scientists over the years to recreate their production. But now that the elements' existence have been proven, they'll need new names as well.
 
"The chemistry community is eager to see its most cherished table finally being completed down to the seventh row",  said Professor Jan Reedijk, President of the Inorganic Chemistry Division of IUPAC. The names and symbols proposed by the scientist group responsible for the discovery of each element 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 being cleared, the names and two-letter symbols will be presented for public review for five months, before the IUPAC Council, which will make a final decision on the names and their introduction into the Periodic Table of the Elements.

For information, check out the IUPAC announcements here.