Animated Solution for Chemistry - Periodicity in Properties: The atomic number of unnilunium is …… .

Have you ever looked at the bottom of the periodic table and wondered about those long, tongue-twisting names? Names like "unnilunium" might sound like a magic spell from a fantasy novel, but they are actually part of a highly logical and systematic naming convention.

When scientists synthesize new superheavy elements, it often takes years to confirm the discovery and agree on a permanent name. To avoid confusion during this period, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) introduced a temporary naming system for elements with an atomic number ($Z$) greater than $100$.

The IUPAC system is brilliantly simple. Instead of memorizing arbitrary names, you just need to know the specific roots assigned to each digit from $0$ to $9$.

For example, the digit $0$ is "nil", $1$ is "un", $2$ is "bi", and so on. To form the name of the element, you simply string together the roots corresponding to the digits of its atomic number, and then add the suffix "ium" at the very end.

Let's apply this logic to the element given in our question: unnilunium.

If we carefully slice this word into its constituent parts, we can identify the individual roots before the final suffix. The breakdown looks like this: un + nil + un + ium

Now, let's translate these roots back into numbers: - The first root is "un", which corresponds to the digit $1$. - The second root is "nil", which corresponds to the digit $0$. - The third root is "un" again, which corresponds to the digit $1$.

By stringing these digits together in the exact order they appear, we get $1$, $0$, and $1$.

Therefore, the atomic number of unnilunium is $101$.

It is a beautifully straightforward system once you know the code. As a quick mental exercise, try to figure out the IUPAC symbol for this element. You just take the first letter of each root, giving us Unu. Next time you see a superheavy element, don't get intimidated—just break it down!