Fictional Isotopes of Real Elements
| Name | Isotope of | Source | Uses | Reality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 886Ar | Argon | Judge Dredd | An unstable element that is used to propel rounds fired from a Lawgiver. | The isotope does not exist; the heaviest known isotope is 53Ar. |
| 138Cs | Caesium | Mission: Impossible: "The 'Snowball In Hell' Mission" | In this episode (the 21st in the series) the team has to prevent a sample of this isotope, the key to a low-cost nuclear arsenal, from getting into anti-American hands. Its autoignition temperature is 21°C (70°F) and thus has to be kept refrigerated in the tropical climate where it resides. | The isotope does exist, but it decays with a half-life of 33 minutes, and thus it would be infeasible for a nuclear weapon. |
| 82Cm | Curium | Brødrene Dal og Spektralsteinene | The McGuffin in this TV series, where Professor Slatters claims that with it he can find a cure/vaccine for the common cold. He and the Dal brothers go on an expedition to search for a meteorite with a sufficient amount of it. They do find one, but is there alloyed with umulium (impossibilium), making the 82Cm unobtainable. | Curium has an atomic number of 96, so the existence of this isotope would require a nucleon of negative mass (or 14 massless nucleons), which has not currently been found. |
| Quadium (4H) | Hydrogen | The Mouse that Roared | Hydrogen normally has no neutrons. Deuterium and tritium have one and two neutrons respectively and are used in hydrogen bombs. Quadium has three neutrons, and is in the story capable of blasting an entire continent off the face of the Earth. | This isotope exists but only for a very short time, making any use in a bomb impossible. |
| 80Ir | Iridium | Riptide | According to the book, one second of direct exposure is equivalent to a lethal dose, with a reading of 3217.89 Rads/hr from 15 metres away. The blade of St. Michael's sword was forged from it. | 80Ir does not exist; the lightest known isotope is 164Ir. |
| 186Pu | Plutonium | The Gods Themselves | An isotope of plutonium which is too unstable to exist in our universe but which exists naturally in parallel universes whose strong nuclear forces are more intense. This is utilised as a source of energy where it is turned into 186W, releasing electrons in the process. | The description of this isotope is entirely correct; the lightest known isotope of plutonium is 228Pu. |
| Quantium | any element, but most commonly potassium | Babylon 5 | This rare and expensive substance used in jumpgates is formed when ordinary matter is subjected to the stresses of a supernova, pushing some of its electron pair-bonds into hyperspace. The most commonly found form is derived from 40K, giving quantium-40. The name was coined by David Strauss in response to a request from the show's creator. | 40K is a naturally occurring isotope of potassium which is used to date rocks. However, the method of obtaining quantium as described has not been demonstrated in real life. |
Read more about this topic: Bolonium
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