Nightwing #26: Kanium

Nightwing #26 Some Strings Attached Kyle Higgins, writer Will Conrad, penciler I’m always fascinated when a new drug is mentioned in a comic book, especially when the writer puts some thought into it. Example: Kanium, introduced in Nightwing #26: A decade ago, scientists discovered a new element called Kanium. Drexler Chemicals was the first to develop its medical potential, converting the alkali metal with carbon and oxygen to create Kanium Carbonate. They’ve been touting the compound as a breakthrough anti-psychotic… So how realistic is Kanium? Unlikely, but not entirely impossible. 1. According to Nightwing, Kanium is a new element, and an alkali metal at that — placing it in group 1 of the periodic table. The as-yet-unsynthesized element 119 will be an alkali metal, so that could be what Nightwing is referring to. However, being a transuranic element, it would be extremely unstable and undergo rapid radioactive decay into a more stable element. How rapid? Thousandths of a second — way too fast to make a viable medicine. Plus, like I said, it’s radioactive — also not good for a medication. 2. It’s possible that Nightwing is not referring to an entirely new element, but instead a newly discovered isotope of an existing element. This makes a little more sense, but is still a stretch, since most isotopes of common elements have long ago been discovered — and, again, many are radioactive. 3. With the mention of Kanium Carbonat...
Source: Polite Dissent - Category: Family Physicians Authors: Tags: newtag Source Type: blogs