- Moscovium (Mc) is a synthetic, radioactive element with atomic number 115, belonging to Group 15 of the periodic table, directly beneath bismuth. It is part of the transactinide series and classified as a p-block element.
- Its predicted electron configuration is [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰ 7s² 7p³, similar to other Group 15 elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth. Moscovium is expected to display a stable +1 oxidation state due to strong relativistic stabilization of its 7s² electron pair, with +3 and possibly +5 states being less stable. The atom consists of one hundred and fifteen protons, around one hundred and seventy-three to one hundred and seventy-eight neutrons depending on the isotope, and one hundred and fifteen electrons arranged in seven shells.
- The most stable known isotope is moscovium-290 (²⁹⁰Mc), which has a half-life of about 0.65 seconds, though most isotopes decay in less than a second.
- Moscovium was first synthesized on July 2, 2003, at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia, in collaboration with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in the United States. The discovery was achieved by bombarding a target of americium-243 (²⁴³Am) with calcium-48 (⁴⁸Ca) ions, producing a few atoms of moscovium-288 (²⁸⁸Mc) and moscovium-289 (²⁸⁹Mc). Their decay chains, leading to lighter known elements, confirmed the existence of element 115.
- The element was named moscovium after Moscow Oblast, the region of Russia where the JINR laboratory is located. The name honors the contributions of Russian scientists to the field of nuclear research. The symbol Mc and the name were officially approved by IUPAC in 2016.
- Moscovium has no known applications outside of fundamental scientific research. It is produced atom by atom in particle accelerators, and its fleeting existence restricts its study to nuclear physics and the extension of the periodic table. Its creation and study help scientists probe the stability of superheavy nuclei and explore the theoretical “island of stability.”
- Chemically, moscovium is predicted to behave similarly to bismuth but with more metallic properties. The +1 state is expected to dominate, making it resemble thallium more closely in some respects. Moscovium might form compounds such as moscovium(I) chloride (McCl) or moscovium(I) hydroxide (McOH), though experimental chemical studies have not yet been performed. Theoretical calculations also suggest that relativistic effects may give moscovium unexpected chemical behaviors compared to lighter Group 15 elements.
- Biologically, moscovium has no role and would be extremely radiotoxic. However, its very short half-lives mean it poses no practical biological risks.
- Environmentally, moscovium does not occur naturally. It can only be created in laboratories and decays quickly into lighter elements, leaving no environmental trace.
