Darmstadtium was first created November 9, 1994 at the Institute for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany. Researches bombarded a lead (Pb-208) target with nickel (Ni-62) and created a single atom of the isotope darmstatdium-269. Using heavier isotopes of nickel, they created 9 atoms of Ds-271, confirmed by its decay and the daughter elements.
So far, 10 isotopes of darmstadtium have been reported, with Ds-281 being the most stable, with a half-life of about 12.7 seconds. Due to such a short life span, chemical characteristics have not been determined. However, Ds is extremely radioactive. It is named after the city Darmstadt, where it was discovered.
