Which element was named after the physicist Niels Bohr?

The element named after physicist Niels Bohr is bohrium. It has the symbol Bh and atomic number 107, placing it among the synthetic transactinide elements in group 7 of the periodic table.

Bohrium does not occur naturally in meaningful quantities. Scientists create it in particle accelerators, and its isotopes are intensely radioactive. The most stable confirmed isotope, bohrium-270, has a half-life of only about 2.4 minutes, so researchers can study only tiny numbers of atoms before they decay.

The name honors Niels Bohr, whose work on atomic structure and quantum theory helped shape modern physics. Bohrium’s chemistry is expected to resemble that of its lighter group-7 neighbors, especially rhenium, although experiments are difficult because the element disappears so quickly.

The naming process was unusually contentious. The discoverers initially proposed “nielsbohrium” to avoid confusion with boron, but IUPAC recommended the shorter “bohrium.” The name was internationally recognized in 1997. Bohrium should not be confused with boron: boron is a naturally occurring element with atomic number 5, while bohrium is a superheavy element with atomic number 107.