Previously known isotopes of lawrencium have fewer neutrons, and are less stable. This novel species, however, has an astonishingly long half-life of 11 hours, making it one of the longest-lived superheavy isotopes known to date.

Why do superheavy elements decay?

Superheavy elements are those elements with a large number of protons in their nucleus. Elements with more than 92 protons are unstable; they decay to lighter nuclei with a characteristic half-life.

What is the most stable superheavy element?

The heaviest naturally stable element is uranium, but over the years physicists have used accelerators to synthesize larger, heavier elements. In 2006, physicists in the United States and Russia created element 118.