Benefits of Einsteinium
Einsteinium is an artificial or synthetic element that was discovered after the hydrogen bomb in 1952. Today, the manufacture of einsteinium usually involves a long chain of various nuclear reactions. After the isotopes within the chain have been bombarded with neutrons, the resulting isotope is left to go through beta decay and thus form einsteinium.
1. Aids in research
The major advantage associated with einsteinium is in carrying out standard scientific research. This is because it can first be created in the laboratory and then later used for carrying out experiments. In general, any research done using einsteinium is mainly aimed at the manufacture of transactinides and transuranic elements.
2. Produces ultra heavy elements
Einsteinium is an element that possesses very unique properties. The most notable ones include a large mass and an exceptional half-life of about 270 days. Furthermore, einsteinium-254 is also available in several micrograms. It is used for production of ultra heavy elements, particularly in the attempt to synthesis element 119 in the periodic table. This was done at the linear accelerator found in Berkeley, California.
3. Acts as a calibration marker
The other benefit derived from einsteinium-254 is that it acts like a calibration marker. This was clearly seen in the spectrometer of the lunar probe. This particular isotope has a very large mass that helped to lessen the overall spectral overlap in between the marker signals and the lighter elements being studied on the lunar surface.
Despite all these benefits, einsteinium does not occur naturally on the surface of the earth. Therefore, most of the currently available einsteinium has to be manufactured either in powerful nuclear reactors, scientific laboratories, or in tests for nuclear weapons. Additionally, einsteinium is only present within several years from its synthesis. This particular element is also radioactive and thus causes problems after ingestion.
