>
Four new elements have been formally added to the periodic table, completing the seventh row of the table.
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) verified the new additions on December 30, 2015.
The new elements are elements 113, 115, 117 and 118.
They are the first to be included in the table since 2011, when elements 114 and 116 were added.
IUPAC announced that a team of Russian and American researchers had provided sufficient evidence to claim the discovery of elements 115, 117 and 118.
IUPAC awarded credit for the discovery of element 113 to a Japanese team at the Riken Institute.
The teams responsible for the discoveries have been invited to come up with permanent names and chemical symbols for the now-confirmed elements.
“The chemistry community is eager to see its most cherished table finally being completed down to the seventh row. IUPAC has now initiated the process of formalising names and symbols for these elements,” said Prof Jan Reedijk, president of the inorganic chemistry division of IUPAC.
New elements can be named after a mythological concept, a mineral, a place or country, a property or a scientist.
After the responsible IUPAC division accepts the new names and two-letter symbols, they will be presented for public review for five months.
The chemistry organisation’s council will then make a final decision.