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    PracticeAQA GCSEAQA GCSE Chemistry Foundation Tier Paper 1Question 09.4
    Easy1 markShort Answer
    Atomic structure and the periodic tableScientific MethodPeer Review

    AQA GCSE · Question 09.4 · Atomic structure and the periodic table

    Tennessine was first identified by a small group of scientists in 2010. Suggest one reason why tennessine was not accepted as a new element by other scientists until 2015.

    How to approach this question

    Think about the scientific process. When a major discovery is announced, what needs to happen before it is officially accepted by the wider scientific community? This ensures that the results are reliable and not just a mistake.

    Full Answer

    The results needed to be verified / checked by other scientists.
    A fundamental principle of the scientific method is that new discoveries must be independently verified and validated by other scientists before they are accepted. This process, known as peer review and replication, ensures that the original results were not due to error, contamination, or misinterpretation. For the discovery of a new element, which is a major claim, other laboratories would need to be able to reproduce the experiment and confirm the findings. This process takes time, which explains the delay between the initial identification in 2010 and official acceptance in 2015.

    Common mistakes

    ✗ Vague answers like "they needed more proof" without specifying what that means (i.e., verification by others).
    Question 09.3All questionsQuestion 09.5

    Practice the full AQA GCSE Chemistry Foundation Tier Paper 1

    58 questions · hints · full answers · grading

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