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Re:New form of matter may lie just beyond the periodic table by Sniffnoy on Friday June 15, 2018 @02:02PM (#17322009)
Very interesting. Would it be correct to say that if true this could lead to an earlier end of the periodic table[0] than had been previously predicted?

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_periodic_table#End_of...

Re:New form of matter may lie just beyond the periodic table by time-of-flight on Friday June 15, 2018 @02:36PM (#17322304)
Yes, one could phrase it that way... but keep in mind that all these theoretical models suggesting an "end to the table" make huge assumptions that are not well-grounded in experimental results. We don't even know where the neutron dripline is for light systems (Z=12), much less the high end of the table (Z=100+).

The periodic table is only a useful model (and it is very useful) for nuclear systems acting as a zero-temperature Fermi gas (e.g., nuclei here on Earth). At extremes of temperature and pressure (neutron star merger, say), the idea of a discrete periodic table loses meaning.