The Bulgarian Stoycho Iliev was part of the international team of scientists that discovered chemical element 118, which extends the chart into a region long-predicted to contain extra-stable nuclei.

Stoycho Iliev was responsible for electronics and hypersensitive detectors in the team led by Dr. Yuri Oganessian, Bulgarian 24 hours daily reported.

The synthesis was made in 2005 at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia but the results were officially announced on Tuesday.

Element 118 was discovered at the 88-Inch Cyclotron by bombarding targets of lead with an intense beam of high-energy krypton ions.

The superheavy element has a 10-year history of scandal. It had been "discovered" several times before in the USA, Germany, Japan but the experiments all turned unsuccessful.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!