Diburnium

Diburnium
Terran symbol:	Db
Atomic number:	122
Atomic weight:	(319)* *most stable form

Diburnium (symbol Db) is a chemical element, atomic number 122 on the periodic table.

Characteristics and history

Diburnium, in its most stable form, has an atomic mass of 319, and was discovered by Humans and the Federation through contact with the Vulcan civilization. This metal is part of the trans-uranic series of heavy elements. (ST reference: Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual)

Diburnium was of note to Federation science because of qualities exhibited when part of alloys used in construction of starships and space stations. (TOS episodes: "That Which Survives", "By Any Other Name")

Diburnium was sometimes used on Rigel VIII for manufacturing furniture, such as barstools. (TOS novel: Prime Directive)

See also

• triburnium
• tetraburnium

Appendices

Background

In real-life science, element 122 has yet to be discovered. A placeholder name based on its number, "unbibium", has been suggested to document the possible existence of this substance. Some models of theoretical science have stated that heavy elements on this scale may be impossible to synthesize or reproduce, and cannot exist in nature. Subspace quantities mentioned in Star Trek may account for the contradiction of this being a usable resource on other worlds. When the Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual assigned this substance the abbreviation symbol "Db", they unintentionally duplicated the symbol for dubnium, which would not be named until some years after that publication.

References

• TOS episodes: "That Which Survives", "By Any Other Name"
• ST references: Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual, Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise
• TOS novel: Prime Directive
• ST - A Time to... novel: A Time to Harvest
• TTN novel: Over a Torrent Sea

External links

• Diburnium article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
• Unbibium article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.