What chemical element is named after Niels Bohr?

The chemical element named after Niels Bohr is bohrium. Its chemical symbol is Bh, and it has atomic number 107.

Bohrium is a synthetic, superheavy element that does not occur naturally in meaningful quantities. Researchers create it in particle accelerators, and its known isotopes are highly radioactive and short-lived. Because only tiny numbers of atoms can be produced, scientists know much more about its nuclear behavior than about its everyday physical properties.

The element was first convincingly identified in 1981 by a German team at the GSI research center in Darmstadt. Its name was formally recognized internationally by IUPAC in 1997. An earlier proposal, “nielsbohrium,” was rejected in favor of the shorter surname-based name “bohrium.”

A common mix-up is confusing bohrium with boron. Boron is a much lighter, naturally occurring element with atomic number 5, while bohrium is element 107 and belongs to the transition metals.