Element identity / decay
Atomic number and nuclear decay evidence are experimental.
Atom-scale chemistry
Group 5 chemical behavior has experimental atom-scale constraints.
Reference configuration
Electronic configuration is theory/evaluation-led for a superheavy atom.
Bulk phase / density / color / crystal
No macroscopic material properties are presented as measured.
Discovery geography
Dubna/Berkeley history replaces natural-resource geography.
The lens describes evidence status, not confidence theatre. “Unknown” is kept unknown, and teaching schematics are not presented as direct measurements.
Dubnium (Db)
Dubnium is element 105, a synthetic superheavy Group 5 element. Nuclear decay establishes its identity and atom-scale chemistry tests niobium/tantalum-like behavior, while its color, density, melting point and crystal structure remain unmeasured bulk properties.
Dubnium atomic number, mass, electron configuration and key properties
Dubnium: quick answers
How many protons, neutrons and electrons does dubnium have?
Dubnium’s atomic number is 105, so every dubnium atom has 105 protons, and a neutral atom also has 105 electrons. Dubnium has no stable isotopes, so the neutron count depends on the isotope: dubnium-268, featured on this page, has 163 neutrons.
What is the symbol for dubnium?
The chemical symbol for dubnium is Db.
Is dubnium a solid, liquid or gas at room temperature?
Dubnium has only been made a few atoms at a time, so its state at room temperature is unknown.
What family (group) is dubnium in?
Dubnium is a transition metal (predicted), in group 5, period 7 of the periodic table.
What is the electron configuration of dubnium?
The ground-state electron configuration of dubnium is [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d³ 7s². This is a predicted configuration; it has not been measured.
From atomic number to chemistry
Read these as a chain of causes, not as isolated facts. Each step links to the concept hub if you want the underlying idea explained.
105 protons define dubnium.
The reference ground-state configuration frames atomic and chemical behavior.
Periodic position organizes recurring trends without replacing element-specific evidence.
The teaching nucleus is one isotope, not the relative atomic mass.
Phase claims preserve measured/evaluated/predicted/unknown evidence labels.
Dubnium in its period and family
Dubnium is placed below tantalum in Group 5. Relativistic electronic structure complicates extrapolation, so comparisons with vanadium, niobium and tantalum are hypothesis frameworks tested atom-at-a-time.
Dubnium Visual Lab
Explore Db across the teaching nucleus, isolated-atom orbitals, evidence-aware material structure and temperature/evidence views, then connect those models to uses, isotopes and source-backed context.
Every mark points to one exact feature
The numbered markers explain the same information system used throughout Element Lookup. Unknown or predicted fields remain visibly labelled rather than being replaced with guesses.
Dubnium in one minute
Atomic number 105 means 105 protons.
Dubnium is synthetic and every known isotope is radioactive.
Atom-scale experiments probe Group 5-like chemical behavior.
Bulk density, color, melting/boiling points and crystal structure are unknown.
The name dubnium honors Dubna, a major center in the element’s discovery history.
Shell rings organize electron counts. They are not electron trajectories or orbital shapes.
2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 32 · 11 · 2 electrons
Representative 6d and 7s clouds are theoretical isolated-atom teaching forms. They are not measured bulk orbitals or a crystal-density map.
No macroscopic dubnium crystal has been measured. The material viewer remains an evidence panel and does not copy tantalum’s BCC structure.. The viewer is evidence-aware: measured structures are identified as such; unknown bulk structures stay unknown.
Teaching visualization; not a literal finite sample or thermal trajectory.What this model does—and does not—show
Representative 6d and 7s clouds are theoretical isolated-atom teaching forms. They are not measured bulk orbitals or a crystal-density map.
Where do I meet dubnium?
Clickable learning cards connect the element to materials, environment, technology, biology or research - depending on what the evidence actually supports.
Nuclear identity
Dubnium isotopes are identified through production and decay chains in superheavy-element research.
Measured nucleus → atom-scale Group 5 chemistry → unknown bulk
Dubnium shows how a superheavy element can have real chemistry without ever becoming a macroscopic material sample.
Production + decay
Nuclear evidence establishes element 105 isotopes.
Tantalum and dubnium: bulk metal vs single-atom chemistry
Periodic placement guides the experiment, but the evidence type changes at element 105.
| Evidence | bulk measured |
|---|---|
| Key state | +5 |
| Evidence | atom-scale chemistry |
|---|---|
| Bulk | unknown |
Dubnium properties: atomic, physical, thermal and chemical
Categories follow the science of this element rather than a fixed decorative template. Each row carries condition/provenance context and an evidence label; unknown values stay unknown.
| Property | Value | Context / provenance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atomic number | 105 | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| Relative atomic mass | [268] | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| ²⁶⁸Db | Radioactive superheavy isotope | Reference teaching nucleus with 105 protons and 163 neutrons. | Evaluated |
| Other Db isotopes | Radioactive | Multiple synthetic isotopes are known, all short-lived on ordinary material timescales. | Evaluated |
| Dubnium isotope context | No stable isotopes | Every known dubnium isotope is radioactive and synthetic. | Evaluated |
| Property | Value | Context / provenance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground-state electron configuration | [Rn] 5f¹⁴ 6d³ 7s² | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Predicted |
| Group / period / block | Group 5 · Period 7 · d-block | Periodic-table placement | Evaluated |
| Electronegativity | Unknown | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Unknown |
| Common oxidation states | Atom-scale Group 5 chemistry; +5 supported in compound studies | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Predicted |
| Property | Value | Context / provenance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| ²⁶⁸Db | Radioactive superheavy isotope | Reference teaching nucleus with 105 protons and 163 neutrons. | Evaluated |
| Other Db isotopes | Radioactive | Multiple synthetic isotopes are known, all short-lived on ordinary material timescales. | Evaluated |
| Dubnium isotope context | No stable isotopes | Every known dubnium isotope is radioactive and synthetic. | Evaluated |
| Teaching nucleus | ²⁶⁸Db · 105 protons + 163 neutrons | Reference isotope used in the nucleus model | Reviewed |
| Property | Value | Context / provenance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current use | Scientific research only | No commercial bulk use is implied. | Reviewed |
| Geography | Discovery, naming and research context only | No natural-resource map is appropriate. | Reviewed |
| Safety boundary | Non-operational educational context | No synthesis settings or material-access guidance. | Reviewed |
| Property | Value | Context / provenance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | Unknown | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Unknown |
| Material / molecular structure | No measured macroscopic crystal structure | No macroscopic dubnium crystal has been measured. The material viewer remains an evidence panel and does not copy tantalum’s BCC structure. | Predicted |
| Melting / transition reference | Unknown | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Unknown |
| Boiling / gas reference | Unknown | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Unknown |
| Common oxidation states | Atom-scale Group 5 chemistry; +5 supported in compound studies | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Predicted |
| Property | Value | Context / provenance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page evidence note | Nuclear identity/decay are experimental. Atom-scale Group 5 chemistry is experimentally constrained. Macroscopic appearance, density, phase boundaries and crystal structure remain unknown and are not replaced by theoretical guesses. | Evidence summary for this guide | Reviewed |
| Structure evidence | No macroscopic dubnium crystal has been measured. The material viewer remains an evidence panel and does not copy tantalum’s BCC structure. | Measured structure, labelled schematic, prediction or explicit unknown as applicable. | Reviewed |
| Map evidence rule | Real pins are reviewed examples; conceptual layers are used when pins would mislead. | Geography Explorer 2.0 | Reviewed |
| Source set | 2 primary/reference links listed below | Open the Sources section for the actual references. | Reviewed |
Is Dubnium a solid, liquid or gas? State at temperature
No measured macroscopic dubnium phase boundaries exist. The temperature explorer therefore remains explicitly unknown rather than drawing solid/liquid/gas transitions.
Where on Earth is Dubnium found or produced?
Who discovered Dubnium, and when?
Research groups at Dubna and Berkeley reported experiments relevant to element 105.
Discovery priority and naming were part of the wider transfermium naming dispute.
IUPAC adopted the name dubnium (Db).
Atom-scale chemistry has probed Group 5 homolog behavior.
How dubnium knowledge is built: atom-at-a-time evidence
Specialized accelerator experiments can create extremely small numbers of superheavy atoms; operational synthesis parameters are excluded.
Decay chains establish nuclear identity and isotope behavior.
Rapid chemistry can test adsorption or solution behavior before decay.
Theory and periodic comparison interpret sparse evidence while bulk properties remain unknown.
What is dubnium used for?
Fundamental nuclear science
Dubnium extends tests of superheavy nuclear structure and decay.
Atom-scale chemistry
Experiments probe Group 5 chemistry under strong relativistic effects.
Periodic-table research
Db helps test how V/Nb/Ta trends change at very high nuclear charge.
No practical bulk use
Only research-scale atom counts exist.
Dubnium isotopes and natural abundance
²⁶⁸Db
Radioactive superheavy isotopeReference teaching nucleus with 105 protons and 163 neutrons.
Other Db isotopes
RadioactiveMultiple synthetic isotopes are known, all short-lived on ordinary material timescales.
Dubnium isotope context
No stable isotopesEvery known dubnium isotope is radioactive and synthetic.
Five-question Dubnium check
What is dubnium’s atomic number?
What is its measured bulk color?
What is its bulk melting point?
What chemistry is scientifically meaningful?
What should the material viewer show?
Dubnium questions students commonly ask
Each answer starts with the direct fact, then explains the chemistry, evidence or material context so the result is understandable rather than merely memorized.
What is dubnium?
Short answer: Dubnium is synthetic element 105, placed in Group 5.
Atomic number 105 means every dubnium nucleus contains 105 protons. In the periodic table, Dubnium is classified here as a synthetic superheavy group 5 element in Period 7 and Group 5. Dubnium is placed below tantalum in Group 5. Relativistic electronic structure complicates extrapolation, so comparisons with vanadium, niobium and tantalum are hypothesis frameworks tested atom-at-a-time.
Key point: Db is element 105; its periodic position and electron structure explain the rest of the page.
Is dubnium a metal?
Short answer: It is classified as a Group 5 transition element and is expected to show metallic/Group 5 chemistry, but no macroscopic metal sample has been measured.
This guide classifies Dubnium as a synthetic superheavy group 5 element. Its periodic position is Period 7, d-block, Group 5. Dubnium is placed below tantalum in Group 5. Relativistic electronic structure complicates extrapolation, so comparisons with vanadium, niobium and tantalum are hypothesis frameworks tested atom-at-a-time.
Key point: Periodic-table classification describes recurring atomic/chemical behavior; it does not make every element in a column physically identical.
What is dubnium used for?
Short answer: Fundamental nuclear and atom-scale chemical research only.
Fundamental nuclear science: Dubnium extends tests of superheavy nuclear structure and decay. Atom-scale chemistry: Experiments probe Group 5 chemistry under strong relativistic effects. Searches ask “What color is dubnium?” and “What state is dubnium?” The scientifically honest answer is that no macroscopic sample exists to measure an ordinary bulk appearance or phase diagram. A predicted metal-like character is not a photographed chunk of Db.
Key point: Always distinguish the pure element from the compound, alloy, isotope or device material that actually performs the application.
Who discovered dubnium?
Short answer: Discovery history involves competing Dubna and Berkeley experiments; IUPAC later resolved naming and credit issues.
In 1960s–1970s, research groups at Dubna and Berkeley reported experiments relevant to element 105. In 1970s–1990s, discovery priority and naming were part of the wider transfermium naming dispute.
Key point: Discovery credit follows the historical evidence and accepted attribution, not just the earliest claim.
What color is dubnium?
Short answer: No macroscopic appearance has been experimentally measured, so a definite color should not be stated as fact.
The ordinary elemental-material description used here is: Macroscopic bulk state not experimentally established. Searches ask “What color is dubnium?” and “What state is dubnium?” The scientifically honest answer is that no macroscopic sample exists to measure an ordinary bulk appearance or phase diagram. A predicted metal-like character is not a photographed chunk of Db.
Key point: Elemental appearance can differ from the colors of its ions, compounds, oxide films or host materials.
What state of matter is dubnium?
Short answer: Its macroscopic bulk state has not been experimentally established.
No measured macroscopic dubnium phase boundaries exist. The temperature explorer therefore remains explicitly unknown rather than drawing solid/liquid/gas transitions. No macroscopic dubnium crystal has been measured. The material viewer remains an evidence panel and does not copy tantalum’s BCC structure.
Key point: Phase statements need temperature, pressure and evidence context.
Is dubnium radioactive?
Short answer: Yes. All known isotopes are radioactive.
²⁶⁸Db: Radioactive superheavy isotope: Reference teaching nucleus with 105 protons and 163 neutrons. Other Db isotopes: Radioactive: Multiple synthetic isotopes are known, all short-lived on ordinary material timescales.
Key point: Radioactivity is isotope-specific; do not apply one isotope’s nuclear behavior to every atom of the element.
Scientific sources for Dubnium
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