# What is the heaviest substance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657 "2003-12-03T05:32:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/1 "2003-12-03T05:32:29Z")
What I wanted to ask more directly, but not enough space… You have one cubic inch (One inch = 2.54 cm) of space, what item/chemical/element could fill this space and have the most weight. (Could get the answer to this in pounds?) ---
**Author:** ![Carcosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@Carcosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carcosa)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/2 "2003-12-03T05:36:58Z")
[http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/osmium](http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/osmium) ---
**Author:** ![Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/3 "2003-12-03T06:02:18Z")
Osmium. Band name? ---
**Author:** ![myles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@myles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myles)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/4 "2003-12-03T06:04:29Z")
A black hole that just finished eating a supernova? The only problem is, how do you weigh it? ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/5 "2003-12-03T06:12:10Z")
Informally, [neutronium](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutronium). ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/6 "2003-12-03T06:13:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by myles \* > \*\*A black hole that just finished eating a supernova? > > The only problem is, how do you weigh it? \*\* Is that even substantial? Does a Black Hole have Mass? ---
**Author:** ![Doc\_Nickel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@Doc\_Nickel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doc_Nickel)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/7 "2003-12-03T06:20:09Z")
A “black hole” _IS_ mass. A BH is not a “hole”- it is a dead star that has collapsed under it’s own weight and gravity. It is theoretically the most dense material- elements that have crushed and heated to the point they are essentially nothing but neutrons- hence the Neutronium linked above. My description is greatly simplified, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/8 "2003-12-03T06:23:33Z")
[Osmium and Iridium](http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Elements/077/index.s7.html) both have a density of about 22.4 g/cm[sup]3[/sup]. On cubic inch is about 16.4 cm[sup]3[/sup], and would weigh about 367 g, or about 0.809 lb, or about 12.95 oz. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/9 "2003-12-03T06:25:44Z")
Either neutronium or quarkium. I leave it as an exercise to the student how to put a cc of it together. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/10 "2003-12-03T12:59:20Z")
- Heaviest Element Discovered - A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. This new element has been tentatively named “Administratium.” Administratium has 1 neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 111 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by a force called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Administratium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected as it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A minute amount of Administratium causes one reaction to take over 4 days to complete when it would normally take less than a second. Administratium has a normal half-life of 3 years; it does not decay but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Administratium’s mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization causes some morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to speculate that Administratium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as “Critical Morass.” You will know it when you see it. [http://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/humor/administratium.htm](http://www.rfcafe.com/miscellany/humor/administratium.htm) Heh…I couldn’t resist… also called governmentium - [http://www.samizdata.net/blog/archives/000953.html](http://www.samizdata.net/blog/archives/000953.html) ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/11 "2003-12-03T13:02:30Z")
According to my ex-wife, me. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/12 "2003-12-03T14:33:00Z")
The Universe…at one point in time…er…well, I suppose just before time. ---
**Author:** ![Inoshiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a9adbd/32.png) [@Inoshiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inoshiro)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/13 "2003-12-03T15:54:04Z")
Well if you could ever collect enough atoms of them together I would bet that the [superheavy](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/06/990608071804.htm) elements would be the densest. Of course it all depends on what lattice structure they would form. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/14 "2003-12-03T16:16:09Z")
High atomic number or atomic weight does not necessarily mean high density. Osmium and Iridium have atomic weights of 190.2 and 192.2 respectively. There are many elements with larger atomic weights (e.g. Uranium is 238) but they aren’t as dense as Osmium. ---
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/15 "2003-12-03T17:20:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fuji Kitakyusho \* > \*\*Osmium. > > Band name? \*\* Nah, I think it was that kid in _The Sixth Sense_. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/16 "2003-12-03T17:23:44Z")
Fruitcake! No wait, that’s the most _dense_… ---
**Author:** ![Nanny\_Ogg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a87d85/32.png) [@Nanny\_Ogg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanny_Ogg)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/17 "2003-12-03T17:29:12Z")
I’m pretty sure it’s my mother’s guilt inducing death stare. …although I like the “Administratium” answer ---
**Author:** ![ForgottenLore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@ForgottenLore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForgottenLore)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/18 "2003-12-03T17:35:57Z")
According to the formula M = C(c^2)/4(3.14159265)G Where M=Mass, C=circumference, c= speed of light, and G= gravitational constant the mass of a black hole with a volume of 1 cubic inch would be 1.0557 X 10^25 kg\*. Roughly 10 septillion. The Earth, by comparison, masses 5.9742 septillion kilograms. Do we have a winner? - That is, assuming I haven’t goofed the odd exponent here and there in my pencil-and-paper calculations. A distinct possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/19 "2003-12-03T17:50:11Z")
> [@](#): > > High atomic number or atomic weight does not necessarily mean high density. Osmium and Iridium have atomic weights of 190.2 and 192.2 respectively. There are many elements with larger atomic weights (e.g. Uranium is 238) but they aren’t as dense as Osmium. There are three factors which determine the density of a normal substance. First, you have the atomic weight, which tells you how much each atom weighs, and is pretty straightforward. Second is the spacing between individual atoms, which can be considered to be an indicator of the size of each atom. This tends to increase as you go down the periodic table, since you have more electrons (electrons take up almost all of the space in an atom), but decreases as you move to the right across the table, since the electrons are held in more tightly. Third, as **Dr. Zoidberg** referred to, you have the lattice structure, which tells you the pattern in which the atoms are arranged. Some lattice structures are more efficient than others at packing atoms together: Osmium has a lattice structure called “Hexagonal Closest Packing”, and irridium has a structure called “Face-Centered Cubic”, and HCP and FCC are tied for the title of most efficient possible lattice structure. So, if there’s a superheavy element which is towards the left side of the periodic table, which happens to have an HCP or FCC lattice structure, and is stable enough to (theoretically) be able to collect that much together at once, then it would probably beat out osmium. But I wouldn’t bet on that. Neutronium has a density of 6.65 × 10[sup]17[/sup] kg / m[sup]3[/sup], so a cubic inch of it would weigh 2.40 × 10[sup]13[/sup] pounds (that’s twelve billion American tons). Quarkium is a tad denser, but I don’t have the figures handy for it. The catch is that neutronium and quarkium can only exist in neutron stars or quark stars, respectively. If you tried to isolate a cubic inch of either of them, it would be… unstable, to understate it. Black holes give us a much better prospect, since a black hole can theoretically exist in any size. A black hole which could fit in a one cubic inch volume would be a sphere with radius 1.576 cm, and would have a mass of 2.122 × 10[sup]25[/sup] kg, or 4.679 × 10[sup]25[/sup] pounds, or 23.4 sextillion American tons. For comparison, this is about four times the mass of the Earth. But black holes also have a scaling problem: The larger a black hole is, the lower its density. In other words, if you take two of your cubic inch black holes and merge them into a single black hole with twice the mass, it won’t have twice the volume of the original. In fact, it’ll have twice the radius of the original, for eight times the volume. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657/20 "2003-12-03T17:55:34Z")
Doh! Not only did **ForgottenLore** beat me to the punch, but he has the right numbers for a black hole. I forgot a factor of two. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-substance/216657.md?page=2)