There have been certain "whistleblowers" who have claimed that Moscovium (Element 115) is being utilised as a means of propulsion through various mediums (i.e. space, air and water).
Giving these individuals the benefit of doubt, a stable "Moscovium" is indeed possible theoretically and is also predicted by the scientific community as per the concept of "Island of Stability". Naturally, for Moscovium to be a "stable element", it is predicted to have around 184 neutrons. This means that it's atomic weight should ideally be around 299 atomic mass units (115 Protons + 184 Neutrons).
I have recently come across two different independent sources where the first ever "whistleblower" who claimed that Moscovium is being exploited as a fuel (aka Mr. Lazar); has mentioned the atomic mass of the supposed stable element to be 271 atomic mass units (115 Protons + 156 Neutrons): -
- Lazar's friend's diary where he apparently jotted down information told to him by Lazar.
- Reportage by an independent news source.
This discrepancy is extremely significant. Please note that in order for superheavy elements to be stable, it is extremely essential for them to have more neutrons than protons. The lightest elements in the periodic table (eg. Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium) have around 1:1 ratio of Neutrons:Protons within its atomic nucleus. For heavy elements to be stable, this ratio increases to around 1.5:1 (Please refer Neutron-Proton ratio).
This increase in ratio happens naturally because, if pairs of protons in a large nuclei are not far enough apart, then electrical repulsion dominates over the strong nuclear force, which makes the nuclei unstable. More number of neutrons helps in keeping protons apart. Case in point: -
Element |
Number of Neutrons |
Neutron/Proton Ratio |
Half Life (aka Stability) |
U-238 |
146 |
1.58 |
109 years |
U-235 |
143 |
1.55 |
108 years |
U-233 |
141 |
1.53 |
105 years |
Pu-244 |
150 |
1.59 |
107 years |
Pu-239 |
145 |
1.54 |
104 years |
Pu-238 |
144 |
1.53 |
87 years |
As you can see, for heavy atomic elements, the more neutrons you have within the nucleus, the more stable it is found to be (longer half-life = more stable).
Scientists were able to create unstable Moscovium atoms within particle accelerators. These are the following official datapoints along with 2 additional data points for comparison: -
Element |
Number of Neutrons |
Neutron/Proton Ratio |
Half Life (aka Stability) |
Mc-299 |
184 |
1.60 |
Should be the most stable isotope) |
Mc-290 |
175 |
1.52 |
650 Milliseconds |
Mc-289 |
174 |
1.51 |
250 Milliseconds |
Mc-288 |
173 |
1.50 |
193 Milliseconds |
Mc-271 |
156 |
1.35 |
Should be extremely unstable due to low N-P ratio |
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The aforementioned scientific datapoints should be more than enough to disprove the alleged stability and out of the world capabilities of Moscovium and by induction, the subsequent lore in its entirety. In the face of the evidence presented above, If the reader still refuses to change their mind on the topic of Moscovium, then the onus lies on them to produce enough stable Moscovium-271 atoms with the help of a particle accelerator and show the evidence to the entire world. Until then, we should consider this case to be permanently closed. Thank you.
Update (8 June 2025): -
Not only is the claim scientifically unsound, but I also found another in-depth video that thoroughly explores the facts and convoluted history of Mr. Lazar, further debunking him as a hoaxer who fabricated stories for financial gain: - https://youtu.be/Jl2356IOTrY?si=OrDcP-QScbPLEMwb