108Hs Hassium

Year Discovered

1984

Discovered By

Peter Armbruster and Gottfried Munzenberg of Germany

Biological Rating

Not necessary for life.

Description

Named from the Latin word for the German state, hassium is a highly radioactive metal. It has never been found naturally and only a small number of atoms have been produced in laboratories. Its chemistry and appearance are not known with any certainty, although the chemistry is believed to be similar to osmium. Hassium is too rare to have any commercial or industrial application. The most stable isotope of hassium has a half-life of 0.002 seconds.

Biological Benefits

Hassium has no biological use.

Role in Life Processes

No known benefits for life processes in plants and animals.

Sources

Hassium is obtained by the fusion process of bombarding lead with iron.