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106
Room of the Elements · No. 106

Seaborgium (Sg): what kind of element is it?

日本語

In short

Seaborgium is element number 106, with the symbol Sg. Its name comes from Glenn Seaborg.
Atomic number 106(271)
SgSeaborgium (shībōgiumu)
Symbol
Sg
Atomic weight
(271)
Place in the table
Period 7 · Group 6

The number in parentheses is not an atomic weight. It is the mass number of one radioactive isotope of the element.

Atomic weight from the Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”.

The name of a living person

Up to element 101, mendelevium, almost all new elements were found in the United States. Most of them were discovered by the research team led by Seaborg.

In 1994, the United States proposed “seaborgium” for element 106, but it was first turned down because “there was no example of an element named after a living person.” After strong objections from the United States, it became the official name in 1997.

Seaborgium was found in the United States in 1974, made by smashing oxygen (number 8) into californium (number 98).

Where it sits on the table

Seaborgium is in the seventh row of Group 6, at the bottom of the column with chromium, molybdenum and tungsten.

Think about it

There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.

Did you know? — Element 118, oganesson, is also named after a Russian scientist, Oganessian, who was alive when the name was proposed.
Next steps
About this page
Symbol and atomic weight: Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights (2026)” and “Table of Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”. Origin of the name, year of discovery, year of naming and how it was made: Wakabayashi, “Chemistry of Superheavy Elements: The Birth of Nihonium Nh and Its Surroundings,” Kagaku to Kyōiku 65(3), 2017 (Chemical Society of Japan). All sources are in Japanese.
Written by CCN CO., LTD.
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