lawrencium
/lɒˈrɛnsɪəm
/noun [mass noun]
The chemical element of atomic number 103, a radioactive metal of the actinide series. Lawrencium does not occur naturally and was first made by bombarding californium with boron nuclei. (Symbol: Lr) Actinides - the radioactive chemical elements that span from actinium to lawrencium on the periodic table - have generated a great deal of interest in recent years....
- No one could really argue with the choice of lawrencium for element 103, after the man who had invented the machine for element synthesis.
- Due to its short half-life, there's no reason for considering the effects of lawrencium in the environment.
Origin
1960s: modern Latin, named after the American physicist E. O. Lawrence (see Lawrence, Ernest Orlando), who founded the laboratory in which it was produced.