Livermorium (Lv)
Element 116 · Post-transition metal · atomic mass [293] u · group 16, period 7
Electron shells: 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 6
Livermorium sits below polonium and lasts only milliseconds. It was made by bombarding curium with calcium-48 ions.
Almost every superheavy element discovery of the 2000s relied on the same rare projectile: calcium-48.
- Atomic number
- 116
- Atomic mass
- [293] u
- Electron configuration
- [Rn] 7s² 7p⁴ 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰
- Group · period · block
- 16 · 7 · p
- Oxidation states
- −2, +2, +4
- Electronegativity
- Not measured
- Melting point
- —
- Boiling point
- —
- Density
- Not measured
- State at 20 °C
- Unknown
- Appearance
- Unknown; presumed metallic
- Discovered
- Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and Lawrence Livermore, 2000
116 protons, and 116 electrons when neutral
Mass number of the longest-lived isotope — no standard atomic weight exists
Predicted, not measured
Chalcogens
What Livermorium is used for
- Scientific research only
Atomic structure of Livermorium
A neutral livermorium atom has 116 protons and 116 electrons. Its most common isotope carries about 177 neutrons, which is where the mass number 293 comes from. Change the neutron count and you have a different isotope of livermorium; change the proton count and you have a different element entirely.
Those electrons fill shells from the inside out: 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 6. In orbital notation that is [Rn] 7s² 7p⁴ 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰, leaving 6 valence electrons in the outer shell — the ones that do the chemistry.
3D electron orbitals
See where Livermorium's electrons actually are — a cloud of 26,000 points sampled from the probability density |ψ|², not a cartoon of a lobe.
Where Livermorium sits in the periodic table
Metals to the right of the d-block. Softer, lower-melting and more brittle than the transition metals, with more covalent character in their bonding.
- Directly above: Polonium — same group, so similar chemistry with a smaller atom.
- One proton lighter: Moscovium.
- One proton heavier: Tennessine.
Discovery and naming
Livermorium was discovered by Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and Lawrence Livermore in 2000. Its name comes from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which is also why its symbol (Lv) does not match its English name.
Every isotope of livermorium is radioactive, so it has no standard atomic weight. Periodic tables show the mass number of its longest-lived isotope in square brackets instead.
Keep exploring
Atomic weight from IUPAC/CIAAW; physical properties from PubChem (US National Library of Medicine). Values that have never been measured are shown as “not measured” rather than estimated.
Related Calculators
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the atomic mass of Livermorium?
Livermorium has no stable isotope, so it has no standard atomic weight. Periodic tables instead show 293 in square brackets — the mass number of its longest-lived isotope.
How many protons, neutrons and electrons does Livermorium have?
Livermorium has 116 protons, because the atomic number is the proton count and that is what makes an atom Livermorium at all. A neutral Livermorium atom has the same number of electrons, 116. The neutron count varies by isotope; the most common one has about 177, since 293 − 116 = 177.
What is the electron configuration of Livermorium?
The electron configuration of Livermorium is [Rn] 7s² 7p⁴ 5f¹⁴ 6d¹⁰, though for an element this heavy the configuration is predicted from theory rather than measured. Its electrons are arranged 2, 8, 18, 32, 32, 18, 6 across 7 shells.
Is Livermorium a metal?
Yes. Livermorium is classified as a post-transition metal, on the metallic side of the table.
What group and period is Livermorium in?
Livermorium is in group 16 (the chalcogens), period 7, in the p-block. The group is its column and the period is its row.
What is Livermorium used for?
Scientific research only. Livermorium sits below polonium and lasts only milliseconds.
Who discovered Livermorium, and where does its name come from?
Livermorium (Lv) was discovered by Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and Lawrence Livermore in 2000. The name comes from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Is Livermorium radioactive?
Yes. Every isotope of Livermorium is radioactive — it has no stable form at all, which is why the periodic table shows its mass in square brackets rather than as a standard atomic weight.