Door to superheavy elements - the alpha decaying isotopes of elements 107 to 109

Within the last years the authors succeeded in experiments at the UNILAC, Darmstadt, using the velocity filter SHIP and implantation techniques to establish α-decay branches of 14 isotopes of the elements 103 to 109. The analysis of Q/sub α/-values lead to a systematics of the binding energies and shell correction energies of the heaviest elements. These results together with new calculations of shell corrections allowed to revise their expectations of ground-state stability of SHE. In front of the island of SHE, a second island emerged connecting the main land with the region of SHE. It is shown that the heaviest man-made elements 107 to 109 are the first SHE's made. Extensive studies of the fusion reaction mechanism revealed the formation of elements heavier than 106 to be governed besides the well known fissility by nuclear structure effects in all stages of the amalgamation processes. They had to be exploited favorably in order to produce the new elements. Attempts to produce element 110 failed until now