2012 Quicken Loans 400

The 2012 Quicken Loans 400 was the 15th stock car race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was held on June 17, 2012, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, before a crowd of 82,000 people. The track is a superspeedway that holds NASCAR races. Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 200-lap race starting from 17th place. Tony Stewart of the Stewart-Haas Racing team finished in second, and Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth was third.

Marcos Ambrose won his first career pole position by posting a new track record speed in qualifying. He led the first five laps until Greg Biffle passed him on the sixth lap. He led the next twenty laps before Ambrose retook it for another five laps afterward. Biffle retook the lead on lap 54, holding it until Ambrose re-passed him to return to the front of the field fifteen laps later. Earnhardt took the lead for the first time on the 70th lap, and he kept the position for a total of 95 laps, more than any other driver. At the race's final restart on 141, Earnhardt led through the final round of green flag pit stops to win the race. There were a total of eight cautions and 23 lead changes among 14 drivers during the event.

The victory was Earnhardt's first in 143 races, his second at Michigan International Speedway, and the 19th of his career. The result moved him to within four points of Drivers' Championship leader Kenseth. Biffle maintained third place, and Jimmie Johnson moved past Denny Hamlin in fourth place. Chevrolet maintained its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship with 105 points, 18 points ahead of Toyota, 28 points in front of Ford, and 44 points ahead of Dodge with 21 races left in the season. The race attracted 5,284,000 television viewers.

## Background

The 2012 Quicken Loans 400 was the 15th of 36 scheduled stock car races of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It ran for 200 laps over a distance of 400 mi (640 km), and was held on June 17, 2012, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a superspeedway that holds NASCAR races. The standard track at Michigan International Speedway is a four-turn 2 mi (3.2 km) superspeedway. The track's turns are banked at eighteen degrees, while the front stretch (the location of the finish line) is banked at twelve degrees. The back stretch, has a five degree banking.

In preparation for the race, NASCAR held two test sessions on June 12, 2012 for teams to test the newer pavement at Michigan, the first since 1995. During the first test session (which was held in the morning and lasted for four hours) Mark Martin was quickest ahead of Kevin Harvick with a speed of 201.089 miles per hour (323.621 km/h) and a time of 35.805 seconds, while Tony Stewart was fastest in the second and final test session with a time of 35.662 seconds and recorded a speed of 201.896 miles per hour (324.920 km/h). Top speeds approached 218 miles per hour (351 km/h) during the day; NASCAR determined that the installation of restrictor plates would not be required, and NASCAR vice-president of competition Robin Pemberton spoke of his expectation that speeds would reduce as the surface rubbered in and track temperatures increased.

Before the race, Matt Kenseth led the Drivers' Championship with 523 points, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. stood in second with 513 points. Greg Biffle was in third place on 507 points, three points ahead of Denny Hamlin in fourth and fourteen points in front of Jimmie Johnson in fifth. Harvick, with 470 points, was five points in front of Martin Truex Jr., as Stewart with 448 points, was five points in front of Clint Bowyer in ninth and eight points in front of the tenth-placed Brad Keselowski. Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch rounded out the top twelve drivers. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 96 points, thirteen points ahead of Toyota in the second position. Ford, with 71 points, was also thirteen points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third place. Hamlin was the race's defending champion.

There were two driver changes heading into the race. After he was suspended from the preceding Pocono 400 for verbally abusing Sporting News reporter Bob Pockrass at the Nationwide Series round at Dover International Speedway, Kurt Busch was reinstated to the No. 51 Phoenix Racing car after David Reutimann drove in his place. Team owner James Finch spoke to Busch during the week, and confirmed that the driver would remain with the team until the end of the year. Tommy Baldwin Racing announced that driver Tony Raines would compete in its No. 10 car in place of Reutimann as part of the team's plan for the upcoming races.

## Practice and qualifying

Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race. The first and second sessions that took place on Friday ran for 80 minutes, and the third additional practice session held on Saturday lasted 75 minutes. In the first practice session, Martin was fastest with a lap of 35.754 seconds, almost six hundredths of a second faster than Earnhardt in second. Trevor Bayne, Stewart, Kenseth, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard, and Truex followed in positions three to ten. Biffle paced the second practice session with a 35.172 seconds lap. He was six hundredths of a second faster than Marcos Ambrose in the second position. Harvick, Edwards, Menard, Bayne, Johnson, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, and Kenseth completed the top ten ahead of the qualifying session. The only incident in the Friday practice sessions was Jamie McMurray scraping the right-hand quarter of his vehicle when he made contact with the outside barrier.

Early average practice speeds approached 200 mph (320 km/h), breaking the official qualifying stock car speed record of 194.232 mph (312.586 km/h). Blisters appeared on several front-side tires used by an estimated one-quarter of teams during the session, and that caused drivers to raise concerns about the speed they were driving at on the warm track surface and the hot weather temperatures that were experienced in the opening two practice sessions. Harvick suggested that all the drivers slow to manage the wear of their tires when the track surface rubbered in, while Edwards and Hamlin reported no issues with their tires; the former said he would discuss the situation with his crew chief Bob Osborne. NASCAR's control tire supplier Goodyear advised all teams to scuff their tires, and run them through a heat cycle. The tires run in practice were later utilized in the Saturday morning qualifying session.

Forty-five drivers were entered in the qualifier on Saturday afternoon, according to NASCAR's qualifying procedure, 43 were allowed to race. Each driver was limited to two timed laps, with the starting order determined by the competitor's fastest times. Recording a track speed record of 203.241 mph (327.085 km/h) that broke's Ryan Newman's achievement in June 2005, Ambrose clinched the first pole position of his career with a time of 35.426 seconds. He was the fourth driver to complete a qualifying lap that was faster than 200 mph (320 km/h), and it was the fastest speed set in any qualifier since Bill Elliott's 1987 Talladega Superspeedway lap. He was joined on the grid's front row by Harvick who was 0.211 seconds slower, and held the pole until Ambrose's lap. Biffle qualified third, Kahne took fourth, and Newman started fifth. Kenseth, Bayne, Stewart, Logano, and Johnson rounded out the top ten qualifiers. Edwards' engine developed a possible fuel related issue on his warm-up lap, and he did not set a timed effort. The two drivers who failed to qualify were David Stremme and Stacy Compton. After qualifying, Ambrose said, "It is a good bragging right, I’ll give it that, I'm just really excited to get the speed, and to claim to be the fastest guy out there is just awesome. We’ve missed some poles — this is my first pole in Sprint Cup. We’ve missed some by thousandths of a second and conditions changing, so it's good that we actually got one to stick, and one that's got so many records attached to it."

After qualifying, Goodyear changed the left-hand side tire combination to a more durable and harder compound after consulting teams and analysing data, but retained the original right-hand side compound. They transported 1,200 tires from a warehouse in North Carolina to ensure each team met NASCAR's requirement of using 10 sets of tires for the event, and they arrived in Michigan on Saturday afternoon. An extra 75 minute practice session was scheduled following the track's Nationwide Series race. Biffle was quickest with a lap of 36.801 seconds, followed by Johnson, Edwards, Kahne, McMurray, Kurt Busch, A. J. Allmendinger, Truex, Martin, and Harvick. Top speeds approached no higher than 195.647 mph (314.863 km/h), but the new left-hand side tires received a mixed reception from drivers. Newman felt that NASCAR made the correct decision, and Edwards predicted that the while the cars were looser, it would improve the quality of racing. Earnhardt, however, commented that he could not complete extra laps due to a handling difficulty, and Ambrose noted a lower amount of grip and increased vehicular imbalance provided by the tires.

### Qualifying results

## Race

Live television coverage of the race began at 12:01 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−05:00) in the United States on TNT. Commentary was provided by Adam Alexander, Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Kyle Petty. Around the start of the race, weather conditions were partly cloudy with the air temperature at 68 °F (20 °C); the air temperature was expected to reach a high of 83 °F (28 °C), and scattered showers were forecast to fall on the track. The start was delayed at 1:18 local time because jet driers were instructed to remove standing water. It began to drizzle 73 minutes later, and jet driers again circulated the track. Doug Bradshaw, pastor of Williamston Free Methodist Church, began pre-race ceremonies with an invocation. Members of the United States Army Band performed the national anthem, and Detroit Red Wings ice hockey starting goaltender Jimmy Howard and his son James commanded the drivers to start their engines. During the pace laps, Johnson and Newman moved to the rear of the field because they had changed their engines.

The race commenced at 3:05 p.m. local time. Ambrose broke free from the pack to lead on the approach to the first turn. The first caution came on the following lap when Kurt Busch spun on the backstretch. Ambrose maintained the lead at the lap five restart and held off a challenge from Biffle. On lap six, Biffle tried again, and was successful next time round, getting ahead of Ambrose to take over the lead. Josh Wise's engine failed on lap ten, necessitating the second caution as oil was laid on the track. During the caution, Earnhardt and Biffle made pit stops. The race restarted six laps later, with Biffle keeping his lead over Ambrose. After starting ninth, Logano had moved into the third position by the 21st lap. On the next lap, Kenseth passed Logano to move into third place. A competition caution was waved on lap 26 to mandate that teams made pit stops because of the new left-hand side tires, and the track's newer pavement. Ambrose led the field at the restart on the 31st lap. Kenseth overtook Ambrose to claim the lead on the next lap.

After starting 34th, Kyle Busch was running in seventh by lap 34. As Kenseth increased his lead over Ambrose, Martin overtook Logano for third place on the 39th lap. Four laps later, Logano lost the fourth position to Biffle. That same lap, Keselowski got ahead of Almirola for tenth. Upfront, Ambrose closed the gap to Kenseth, and he overtook him for the lead on lap 49 despite the presence of Ken Schrader's slower car. A second competition caution for drivers to make mandatory pit stops came out on lap 51. The caution was withdrawn five laps later, and Biffle led the field at the restart, followed by Ambrose and Martin. On lap 60, Ambrose attempted to challenge Biffle for the first position but he could not pass him. Keselowski moved into fifth four laps later. On the 69th lap, Ambrose passed Biffle for the lead, and Earnhardt got ahead of Biffle soon after. On the next lap, Earnhardt overtook Ambrose to become the new leader. While Earnhardt increased his advantage at the front of the pack, Martin got by Biffle to advance into third by the 79th lap.

In the meantime, drivers elected to make green flag pit stops between the 78th to 81st laps. On lap 82, the fifth caution was prompted when foam from a SAFER barrier beside the circuit had to be cleared by series officials. Drivers continued to make pit stops under caution conditions. At the lap 87 restart, Earnhardt was passed by Stewart on the entry to the first turn for the first position. Newman and Logano got ahead of Ambrose to move into sixth and seventh places on lap 90. Ambrose lost a further four positions to Martin, Keselowski, Menard, and Montoya during lap 91. By the following lap, Gordon was in fourth place. Later, Stewart increased his lead over Earnhardt to seven-tenths of a second by lap 97. However, eight laps later, Earnhardt closed the gap to Stewart and passed him to get back the lead. Green flag pit stops were made from laps 115 and 120, before a sixth caution came out for Kurt Busch who spun for a second time in the second turn on the 121st lap. Gordon led at the lap 126 restart, but his teammate Earnhardt passed him around the outside in turn two soon after.

On the lap, a seventh caution was prompted for a three-car accident, that began when Logano attempted to avoid hitting Gilliland (who made contact with the barrier), and lost control of his car. Logano turned back into the wall, collecting Gilliland and Kahne. Logano was transported out of the track via an ambulance as a precaution. The race restarted on the 133rd lap, with Earnhardt holding the lead over Gordon and Montoya through the first and second turns. Soon after, the eighth caution was waved; Hamlin and Newman made contact, sending Hamlin spinning on the exit to turn four, and into the grass. As Hamlin went down pit road with oil trailing from his car, its right-hand side caught fire, and he stopped in his pit box. Hamlin received assistance to exit his car by Newman's and Kyle Busch's pit crews, as safety officials extinguished the fire. Hamlin was unhurt. Earnhardt continued to maintain the lead through turn one at the lap 141 restart. Behind Earnhardt, Stewart kept second place from Gordon. Five laps later, Biffle passed Bowyer for fourth, and Ambrose was overtaken by Martin for tenth.

Johnson got past Montoya on the 147th lap. Twelve laps later, Bowyer was passed by Kenseth. Biffle overtook Gordon to move into third on lap 160. The final round of green flag pit stops began on lap 163, as Earnhardt made his stop. Biffle, Bowyer, McMurray, and Keselowski each led the pack over the next seven laps, until Earnhardt regained the lead after all pit stops had been completed. On lap 186, Biffle lost third place to Johnson. Six laps later, Johnson lost third to Kenseth, and fell to fifth as Biffle got ahead of him. In the meantime, Earnhardt opened his lead at the front of the field to more than five seconds, and he held it for the remainder of the race to win. It was his first victory in 143 races, his second at Michigan International Speedway, and the 19th of his career. Stewart finished second, Kenseth was third, Biffle took fourth, and Johnson fifth. Gordon, Bowyer, Montoya, Ambrose, and Harvick rounded out the top ten finishers. There were 23 lead changes among 14 different drivers during the race. Earnhardt's 95 laps led was the most of any competitor.

### Post-race

Earnhardt appeared in Victory Lane to celebrate his first win since the 2008 LifeLock 400 in front of the crowd of 82,000 people; the win earned him \$168,775. He dedicated the victory to his fanbase and thanked his team and pit crew for supporting him, "I was so nervous in the last few laps of that race four years ago. Today, this is the worst feeling, riding around there with 15 laps to go wondering what's going to happen or how you were going to lose. I was just thinking, man, those laps could not go by fast enough. It feels good to win, But in a day or two, I'll be thirsty for the next one." Stewart conceded that Earnhardt had a faster car than his but insisted that the latter's victory was not designated as "a national holiday" due to its popularity, "This morning they were celebrating his fourth anniversary of his last win, so I guess we're all in a state of mourning now, because he's broke that string now, so I don't know what we're all supposed to think." Third-placed Kenseth said of his race, "It was kind of a long day. We were pretty good in the beginning of the race and got shuffled back and it was tough to work traffic today. They got the setup good on the last two runs and had good pit stops and we were able to stand on the gas and work our way up there to third."

Earnhardt received congratulations via text messages from various people and celebrities through Twitter, including former driver Mario Andretti, multi-instrumentalist Charlie Daniels and country music singer Brad Paisley. He also received a phone call from South Carolina Gamecocks football coach Steve Spurrier. Steve Letarte, Earnhardt's crew chief, commented his belief that the driver and team's focus helped him to win, "I can't say enough about the group of guys we have here. They are a tremendous group. They deserve a tremendous amount of the credit. Dale deserves a tremendous amount of credit as well. He's not only a great driver, but he's a leader in the team. He does it in his own style and we love the style he brings. It was a fun day to finally get him to Victory Lane." Tori Petry of sports radio station WGGG opined the victory helped NASCAR receive better exposure, and Los Angeles Times writer Jim Peltz wrote he believed it would provide the series with an attendance and television ratings increase. Jeff Hammond of Speed said the victory was the result of Earnhardt's team having improved momentum and better focus. He wrote of his expectation for Earnhardt to perform well for the remainder of the season.

Hamlin's car bay fire on lap 133 was the first of his career. He said it was an experience that he hoped to avoid in the future but praised the modern safety standards of racing vehicles, "Thankfully, we've got everything that we have safety-wise. One good thing at least is that Ryan's guys came and got me out – and a couple of the 18 (Busch's) guys. NASCAR is a family, and any time anyone is in trouble, everyone is going to try to help. It's good that those guys were around and willing to take a chance." Logano commented that he believed he could have corrected his car in his three-car crash with Gilliland and Kahne, "It's a little frustrating, but we had a top-10 car today, I think we had a top 10 coming to us here – maybe a top five." Ambrose, who led early in the event and then lost positions, said he would accept a top ten finish and was proud of his team, "We led some laps and looked good up there. It was a strong day for us. Not quite what we wanted, but we will take it and move along to Sonoma."

The result kept Kenseth in the lead of the Drivers' Championship with 523 points, ahead of Earnhardt who lowered his advantage from ten to four points. Biffle maintained third place with 548 points. With 532 points, Johnson moved ahead of Hamlin (514 points) to assume the fourth position. Harvick, Truex, Stewart, Bowyer, Keselowski, Edwards and Kyle Busch rounded out the top twelve. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet maintained the lead with 105 points. Toyota remained in second place with 87 points, ten points ahead of Ford, who in turn, were sixteen points in front of Dodge in fourth. The race had a television audience of 5,284,000 million viewers and a 3.2 US rating, a 10 percent ratings increase and 8 percent more viewership than the 2011 race; it took two hours, 52 minutes, and 29 seconds to complete, and the margin of victory was 5.393 seconds.

### Race results

## Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings

Manufacturers' Championship standings

- Note: Only the top twelve positions are included for the driver standings.

15th race of 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup series

June 2012 sports events in the United States

NASCAR races at Michigan International Speedway


Prince George of Denmark

Prince George of Denmark and Norway (Danish: Jørgen; 2 April 1653 – 28 October 1708) was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708.

The marriage of George and Anne was arranged in the early 1680s with a view to developing an Anglo-Danish alliance to contain Dutch maritime power. As a result, George was disliked by his Dutch brother-in-law, William III, Prince of Orange, who was married to Anne's elder sister, Mary. Anne and Mary's father, the British ruler James II and VII, was deposed in the Glorious Revolution in 1688, and William and Mary succeeded him as joint monarchs with Anne as heir presumptive. The new monarchs granted George the title of Duke of Cumberland.

William excluded George from active military service, and neither George nor Anne wielded any great influence until after the deaths of Mary and then William, at which point Anne became queen. During his wife's reign, George occasionally used his influence in support of his wife, even when privately disagreeing with her views. He had an easy-going manner and little interest in politics; his appointment as Lord High Admiral of England in 1702 was largely honorary.

Anne's seventeen pregnancies by George resulted in twelve miscarriages or stillbirths, four infant deaths, and a chronically ill son, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, who died at the age of eleven. Despite the deaths of their children, George and Anne's marriage was a strong one. George died aged 55 from a recurring and chronic lung disease, much to the devastation of his wife, and he was buried in Westminster Abbey.

## Early life

George was born in Copenhagen Castle, and was the younger son of Frederick III, King of Denmark and of Norway, and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg. His mother was the sister of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, later Elector of Hanover. From 1661, his governor was Otto Grote, later Hanoverian minister to Denmark. Grote was "more courtier and statesman than educator" and when he left for the Hanoverian court in 1665, he was replaced by the more effective Christen Lodberg. George received military training, and undertook a Grand Tour of Europe, spending eight months in 1668–69 in France and mid-1669 in England. His father died in 1670, while George was in Italy, and George's elder brother, Christian V, inherited the Danish throne. George returned home through Germany. He travelled through Germany again in 1672–73, to visit two of his sisters, Anna Sophia and Wilhelmine Ernestine, who were married to the electoral princes of Saxony and the Palatinate.

In 1674, George was a candidate for the Polish elective throne, for which he was backed by King Louis XIV of France. George's staunch Lutheranism was a barrier to election in Roman Catholic Poland, and John Sobieski was chosen instead. In 1677, George served with distinction with his elder brother Christian in the Scanian War against Sweden.

As a Protestant, George was considered a suitable partner for the niece of King Charles II of England, Lady Anne. They were distantly related (second cousins once removed; they were both descended from King Frederick II of Denmark), and had never met. George was hosted by Charles II in London in 1669, but Anne had been in France at the time of George's visit. Both Denmark and Britain were Protestant, and Louis XIV was keen on an Anglo-Danish alliance to contain the power of the Dutch Republic. Anne's uncle Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, and the English Secretary of State for the Northern Department, Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland, negotiated a marriage treaty with the Danes in secret, to prevent the plans leaking to the Dutch. Anne's father, James, Duke of York, welcomed the marriage because it diminished the influence of his other son-in-law, Dutch Stadtholder William III of Orange, who was naturally unhappy with the match.

## Marriage

George and Anne were married on 28 July 1683 in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace, London, by Henry Compton, Bishop of London. The guests included King Charles II, Queen Catherine, and the Duke and Duchess of York. Anne was voted a parliamentary allowance of £20,000 a year, while George received £10,000 a year from his Danish estates, although payments from Denmark were often late or incomplete. King Charles gave them a set of buildings in the Palace of Whitehall known as the Cockpit (near the site of what is now Downing Street in Westminster) as their London residence.

George was not ambitious, and hoped to live a quiet life of domesticity with his wife. He wrote to a friend:

> We talk here of going to tea, of going to Winchester, and everything else except sitting still all summer, which was the height of my ambition. God send me a quiet life somewhere, for I shall not be long able to bear this perpetual motion.

Within months of the marriage, Anne was pregnant but the baby, a girl, was stillborn in May. Anne recovered at the spa town of Tunbridge Wells, and over the next two years, she gave birth to two daughters in quick succession, Mary and Anne Sophia. In early 1687, within a matter of days, George and his two young daughters caught smallpox, and Anne suffered another miscarriage. George recovered, but both his daughters died. Lady Rachel Russell wrote that George and Anne had "taken [the deaths] very heavily. The first relief of that sorrow proceeded from the threatening of a greater, the Prince being so ill of a fever. I never heard any relation more moving than that of seeing them together. Sometimes they wept, sometimes they mourned in words; then sat silent, hand in hand; he sick in bed, and she the carefullest nurse to him that can be imagined." He returned to Denmark for a two-month visit in mid-1687, while Anne remained in England. Later that year, after his return, Anne gave birth to another dead child, this time a son.

In February 1685, King Charles II died without legitimate issue, and George's father-in-law, the Roman Catholic Duke of York, became king as James II in England and Ireland and James VII in Scotland. George was appointed to the Privy Council and invited to attend Cabinet meetings, although he had no power to alter or affect decisions. William of Orange refused to attend James's coronation largely because George would take precedence over him. Although they were both sons-in-law of King James, George was also the son and brother of a king and so outranked William, who was an elected stadtholder of a republic.

Anne's older sister Mary had moved to the Netherlands after her marriage to William of Orange. Protestant opposition to James was therefore increasingly focused around Anne and George instead of Mary, who was heir presumptive. The social and political grouping centred on George and Anne was known as the "Cockpit Circle" after their London residence. On 5 November 1688, William invaded England in an action, known as the "Glorious Revolution", which ultimately deposed King James. George was forewarned by the Danish envoy in London, Frederick Gersdorff, that William was assembling an invasion fleet. George informed Gersdorff that James's army was disaffected, and as a result he would refuse any command under James, but only serve as an uncommissioned volunteer. Gersdorff's alternative plan to evacuate George and Anne to Denmark was rejected by George. George accompanied the King's troops to Salisbury in mid-November, but other nobles and their soldiers soon deserted James for William. At each defection, George apparently exclaimed, "Est-il possible?" (Is it possible?). He abandoned James on 24 November, and sided with William. "So 'Est-il possible' is gone too", James supposedly remarked. In his memoirs, James dismissed George's defection as trivial, saying the loss of one good trooper was of more consequence, but Gersdorff claimed the defection greatly perturbed the King. The defection of George and other nobles was instrumental in whittling away the King's support. In December, James fled to France, and early the following year William and Mary were declared joint monarchs, with Anne as heir presumptive.

## Duke of Cumberland

In early April 1689, William assented to a bill naturalizing George as an English subject, and George was created Duke of Cumberland, Earl of Kendal and Baron of Okingham (Wokingham) by the new monarchs. He took his seat in the House of Lords on 20 April 1689, being introduced by the Dukes of Somerset and Ormonde.

The mistrust between George and William was set aside during the revolution of 1688–89 but dogged relations during the latter's reign. George held mortgages on Femern, Tremsbüttel and Steinhorst, Schleswig-Holstein, which he surrendered to the Duke of Holstein as part of the peace of Altona of 1689 negotiated by William between Denmark and Sweden. William agreed to pay George interest and the capital in compensation, but George remained unpaid. During the military campaign against James's supporters in Ireland, George accompanied the Williamite troops at his own expense, but was excluded from command, and was even refused permission to travel in his brother-in-law's coach. Snubbed from the army by William, George sought to join the navy, without rank, but was again thwarted by his brother-in-law. When William's Dutch guards failed to salute George, Anne assumed they were acting under orders. George and Anne retired from court. Some degree of reconciliation was achieved following Queen Mary's sudden and unexpected death from smallpox in 1694, which made Anne heiress apparent. In November 1699, William finally recommended that Parliament pay the mortgage debt to George and, in early 1700, the debt was honoured.

By 1700, Anne had been pregnant at least seventeen times; twelve times, she miscarried or gave birth to stillborn children, and two of their five children born alive died within a day. The only one of the couple's children to survive infancy—Prince William, Duke of Gloucester—died in July 1700 at the age of 11. With Gloucester's death, Anne was the only person in the line of succession to the throne, as established by the "Glorious Revolution". To extend the line and secure the Protestant succession, Parliament passed the Act of Settlement 1701, which designated William and Anne's nearest Protestant cousins, the House of Hanover, as the next in line after Anne.

George did not play a senior role in government until his wife Anne succeeded as queen on William's death in 1702. George was the chief mourner at William's funeral. Anne appointed him generalissimo of all English military forces on 17 April, and Lord High Admiral, the official but nominal head of the Royal Navy, on 20 May. Actual power at the Admiralty was held by George Churchill, whose elder brother was John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, a great friend of Anne's and the captain-general of English land forces. Prince George had known the Churchills for years: another brother Charles Churchill, had been one of his gentlemen of the bedchamber in Denmark, and Marlborough had accompanied George on his journey from Denmark to England for his marriage to Anne in 1683. George's secretary in the 1680s was Colonel Edward Griffith, brother-in-law of the Duchess of Marlborough, who was Anne's close confidante and friend. George followed William III as Captain-General of the Honourable Artillery Company, and was made Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Anne failed, however, in her attempts to persuade the States General of the Netherlands to elect her husband captain-general of all Dutch forces, to maintain the unified command of the Maritime Powers that William had held.

Anne obtained a parliamentary allowance of £100,000 a year for George in the event of her death. The bill sped through the House of Commons easily but it was only narrowly passed by the House of Lords. Marlborough supported the bill, but one of the lords against was Marlborough's son-in-law, Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland. Marlborough dissuaded her from asking Parliament to make "her dearly loved husband King Consort".

Generally, during her reign, Anne and her husband spent the winter at Kensington and St James's Palaces, and the summer at Windsor Castle or Hampton Court Palace, where the air was fresher. George had recurrent asthma, and the cleaner air in the country was better for his breathing. They visited the spa town of Bath, Somerset, in mid-1702, on the advice of George's doctors, and again in mid-1703. They occasionally visited Newmarket, Suffolk, to view the horse racing. On one visit, Anne bought George a horse, Leeds, for the vast sum of a thousand guineas.

At the end of 1702, the Occasional Conformity Bill was introduced to Parliament. The bill aimed to disqualify Protestant Dissenters from public office by closing a loophole in the Test Acts, legislation that restricted public office to Anglican conformists. The existing law permitted nonconformists to take office if they took Anglican communion once a year. Anne was in favour of the measure, and forced George to vote for the bill in the House of Lords, even though, being a practising Lutheran, he was an occasional conformist himself. As he cast his vote, he reportedly told an opponent of the bill, "My heart is vid you"  [sic]. The bill did not gather sufficient parliamentary support and was eventually dropped. The following year, the bill was revived, but Anne withheld support, fearing its reintroduction was a deliberate pretence to cause a quarrel between the two main political groups: the Tories (who supported the bill) and the Whigs (who opposed it). Once again it failed. George never became a member of the Church of England, which was headed by his wife throughout her reign. He remained Lutheran even after her accession, and had his own personal chapel.

In the first years of Anne's reign, the Whigs gained more power and influence at the expense of the Tories. In his capacity as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, George held influence in parliamentary boroughs on the south coast of England, which he used to support Whig candidates in the general election of 1705. In that year's election for Speaker of the House of Commons, George and Anne supported a Whig candidate, John Smith. George instructed his secretary, George Clarke, who was a Member of Parliament, to vote for Smith, but Clarke refused, instead supporting the Tory candidate William Bromley. Clarke was sacked, and Smith was elected.

## Illness and death

In March and April 1706, George was seriously ill. There was blood in his sputum, but he seemed to recover, although he was too ill to attend a thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral in June for a British victory in the Battle of Ramillies. He missed another thanksgiving service in May 1707, to celebrate the union of England and Scotland, as he was recuperating at Hampton Court.

The Scilly naval disaster of 1707, in which a fleet commanded by Sir Cloudesley Shovell foundered, highlighted mismanagement at the Admiralty, for which George was nominally responsible. Pressure grew to replace Admiral Churchill with someone more dynamic. By October 1708, five powerful politicians, known as the Whig Junto—Lords Somers, Halifax, Orford, Wharton and Sunderland—were clamouring for the removal of both Prince George and Churchill. Marlborough wrote to his brother telling him to resign, but Churchill refused, protected by Prince George.

Amid the political pressure, George was on his deathbed, suffering from severe asthma and dropsy. He died at 1:30 p.m. on 28 October 1708 at Kensington Palace. The Queen was devastated. James Brydges wrote to General Cadogan,

> His death has flung the Queen into an unspeakable grief. She never left him till he was dead, but continued kissing him the very moment his breath went out of his body, and 'twas with a great deal of difficulty my Lady Marlborough prevailed upon her to leave him.

Anne wrote to her nephew, Frederick IV of Denmark, "the loss of such a husband, who loved me so dearly and so devotedly, is too crushing for me to be able to bear it as I ought." Anne was desperate to stay at Kensington with the body of her husband, but under pressure from the Duchess of Marlborough, she reluctantly left Kensington for St James's Palace. Anne resented the Duchess's intrusive actions, which included removing a portrait of George from the Queen's bedchamber and then refusing to return it, in the belief that it was natural "to avoid seeing of papers or anything that belonged to one that one loved when they were just dead". Anne and the Duchess had been very close, but their friendship had become strained over political differences. The immediate aftermath of George's death damaged their relationship further. He was buried privately at midnight on 13 November in Westminster Abbey.

## Legacy

Anne refused initially to appoint a new Lord High Admiral, and insisted on carrying out the duties of the office herself, without appointing a member of the government to take George's place. She burst into tears on the first occasion she was brought papers to sign in George's stead. Undeterred, the Junto demanded the appointment of Lord Orford, a member of the Junto and one of Prince George's leading critics, as First Lord of the Admiralty. Admiral Churchill retired, and Anne appointed the moderate Tory Lord Pembroke to lead the Admiralty, instead of a Whig. The Junto Whigs Somers and Wharton, however, were appointed to the Cabinet in Pembroke's vacated posts of Lord President of the Council and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The Whigs were still dissatisfied, and continued to pressure Pembroke and the Queen. Pembroke resigned after less than a year in office. Another month of arguments followed before the Queen finally consented to put Orford in control of the Admiralty as First Lord in November 1709.

### Personal traits and portrayal

Charles II, Anne's uncle, famously said of Prince George, "I have tried him drunk, and I have tried him sober and there is nothing in him". He was quiet and self-effacing. John Macky thought him "of a familiar, easy disposition with a good sound understanding but modest in showing it ... very fat, loves news, his bottle & the Queen." In making fun of George's asthma, Lord Mulgrave said the Prince was forced to breathe hard in case people mistook him for dead and buried him. By the time of Queen Victoria, George had a reputation as a dullard, and was the target of disdain. Victoria hoped her own husband, Prince Albert, would never fill the "subordinate part played by the very stupid and insignificant husband of Queen Anne". In the 1930s, Winston Churchill said he "mattered very little", except to Anne.

He had little impact on the running of the navy, but he was interested enough in navigation and welfare at sea to sponsor the publication of John Flamsteed's Observations in 1704. He was not one of the most colourful political characters of his day—he was content to spend his time building model ships—but he was a loyal and supportive husband to Queen Anne. Their marriage was a devoted, loving and faithful one, though beset by personal tragedy.

The previous husband of a British queen regnant, William of Orange, had become king, refusing to take a subordinate rank to Mary. William and Mary had exemplified the traditional gender roles of seventeenth-century Europe: Mary was the dutiful wife and William held the power. George and Anne, however, reversed the roles: George was the dutiful husband and it was Anne who exercised the royal prerogatives. William had assumed incorrectly that George would use his marriage to Anne as a means of building a separate power base in Britain, but George never challenged his wife's authority and never strove to accrue influence. Anne occasionally used the image of wifely virtue to escape unpalatable situations by claiming, as a woman, she knew "nothing except what the prince tells me", but it was an artifice. Husbands had a legal right to their wife's property, and it was argued that it was unnatural and against the church's teachings for a man to be subject to his wife. George made no such claim or demand; he was content to remain a prince and duke. "I am her Majesty's subject", he said, "I shall do naught but what she commands me." In the words of historian Anne Somerset, "the fact that Prince George was widely regarded as a nonentity helped reconcile people to his anomalous status, and so, almost by accident, George achieved a major advance for feminism." Winston Churchill wrote that he

> was a fine-looking man, tall, blond, and good-natured ... He was neither clever nor learned—a simple, normal man without envy or ambition, and disposed by remarkable appetite and thirst for all the pleasures of the table. Charles's well-known verdict ... does not do justice to the homely virtues and unfailing good-humour of his staid and trustworthy character.

The Prince of Denmark's March by Jeremiah Clarke was written in his honour, and Prince George's County, Maryland, was named after him in 1696. Portraits by Sir Godfrey Kneller are at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfriesshire, and (in a double portrait with George Clarke) All Souls College, Oxford. Portraits in Denmark include one by Willem Wissing in the Reedtz-Thott collection and one by Karel van Mander in the national collection at Frederiksborg Palace.

Prince George was a character in the 2015 play Queen Anne by Helen Edmundson. Despite being alive and married to Queen Anne for the majority of the timeframe depicted in 2018 period comedy film The Favourite, he was not depicted at all.

## Titles, styles, honours and arms

### Titles

- 2 April 1653 – 10 April 1689: His Royal Highness Prince George of Denmark and Norway
- 10 April 1689 – 28 October 1708: His Royal Highness Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland

### Honours

- R af E: Knight of the Elephant, from birth
- KG: Knight of the Garter, 1 January 1684

Honorary military appointments

- 1689–1708: Colonel-in-Chief of the 3rd (Prince George of Denmark's) Regiment of Foot

### Arms

The royal coat of arms of Denmark with a label of three points Argent, each with three Ermine points. The whole surmounted by a crown of a prince of Denmark. His crest was "out of a coronet Or, a demi-lion rampant guardant Azure, crowned of the first".

## Issue

## Ancestry

Consort of Queen Anne from 1702 to 1708

Candidates for the Polish elective throne

Lord High Admirals of the United Kingdom


Unbinilium

Unbinilium, also known as eka-radium or element 120, is the hypothetical chemical element in the periodic table with symbol Ubn and atomic number 120. Unbinilium and Ubn are the temporary systematic IUPAC name and symbol, which are used until the element is discovered, confirmed, and a permanent name is decided upon. In the periodic table of the elements, it is expected to be an s-block element, an alkaline earth metal, and the second element in the eighth period. It has attracted attention because of some predictions that it may be in the island of stability.

Unbinilium has not yet been synthesized, despite multiple attempts from German and Russian teams. Another attempt by the Russian team is planned to begin in 2025. Experimental evidence from these attempts shows that the period 8 elements would likely be far more difficult to synthesise than the previous known elements.

Unbinilium's position as the seventh alkaline earth metal suggests that it would have similar properties to its lighter congeners; however, relativistic effects may cause some of its properties to differ from those expected from a straight application of periodic trends. For example, unbinilium is expected to be less reactive than barium and radium and be closer in behavior to strontium, and while it should show the characteristic +2 oxidation state of the alkaline earth metals, it is also predicted to show the +4 and +6 oxidation states, which are unknown in any other alkaline earth metal.

## Introduction

## History

Elements 114 to 118 (flerovium through oganesson) were discovered in "hot fusion" reactions bombarding the actinides plutonium through californium with calcium-48, a quasi-stable neutron-rich isotope which could be used as a projectile to produce more neutron-rich isotopes of superheavy elements. This cannot easily be continued to elements 119 and 120, because it would require a target of the next actinides einsteinium and fermium. Tens of milligrams of these would be needed to create such targets, but only micrograms of einsteinium and picograms of fermium have so far been produced. More practical production of further superheavy elements would require projectiles heavier than 48Ca, but this is expected to be more difficult. Attempts to synthesize elements 119 and 120 push the limits of current technology, due to the decreasing cross sections of the production reactions and their probably short half-lives, expected to be on the order of microseconds.

### Synthesis attempts

#### Past

Following their success in obtaining oganesson by the reaction between 249Cf and 48Ca in 2006, the team at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna started experiments in March–April 2007 to attempt to create unbinilium with a 58Fe beam and a 244Pu target. The attempt was unsuccessful, and the Russian team planned to upgrade their facilities before attempting the reaction again.

244
94Pu
 + 58
26Fe
→ 302
120Ubn
\* → no atoms

In April 2007, the team at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany attempted to create unbinilium using a 238U target and a 64Ni beam:

238
92U
 + 64
28Ni
→ 302
120Ubn
\* → no atoms

No atoms were detected. The GSI repeated the experiment with higher sensitivity in three separate runs in April–May 2007, January–March 2008, and September–October 2008, all with negative results, reaching a cross section limit of 90 fb.

In 2011, after upgrading their equipment to allow the use of more radioactive targets, scientists at the GSI attempted the rather asymmetrical fusion reaction:

248
96Cm
 + 54
24Cr
→ 302
120Ubn
\* → no atoms

It was expected that the change in reaction would quintuple the probability of synthesizing unbinilium, as the yield of such reactions is strongly dependent on their asymmetry. Although this reaction is less asymmetric than the 249Cf+50Ti reaction, it also creates more neutron-rich unbinilium isotopes that should receive increased stability from their proximity to the shell closure at N = 184. Three signals were observed in May 2011; a possible assignment to 299Ubn and its daughters was considered, but could not be confirmed, and a different analysis suggested that what was observed was simply a random sequence of events.

In August–October 2011, a different team at the GSI using the TASCA facility tried a new, even more asymmetrical reaction:

249
98Cf
 + 50
22Ti
→ 299
120Ubn
\* → no atoms

Because of its asymmetry, the reaction between 249Cf and 50Ti was predicted to be the most favorable practical reaction for synthesizing unbinilium, though it produces a less neutron-rich isotope of unbinilium than any other reaction studied. No unbinilium atoms were identified.

This reaction was investigated again in April to September 2012 at the GSI. This experiment used a 249Bk target and a 50Ti beam to produce element 119, but since 249Bk decays to 249Cf with a half-life of about 327 days, both elements 119 and 120 could be searched for simultaneously:

249
97Bk
 + 50
22Ti
→ 299
119Uue
\* → no atoms

249
98Cf
 + 50
22Ti
→ 299
120Ubn
\* → no atoms

Neither element 119 nor element 120 was observed.

#### Planned

In May 2021, the JINR announced plans to investigate the 249Cf+50Ti reaction in their new facility. The 249Cf target would be produced by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States; the 50Ti beam would be produced by the Hubert Curien Pluridisciplinary Institute in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. If diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States make this impossible, then the 248Cm+54Cr reaction may be investigated instead, with a Russian-produced 248Cm target and a French-produced 54Cr beam, though the cross section would likely be three to ten times lower.

In March 2022, Yuri Oganessian gave a seminar at the JINR considering how one could synthesise element 120 in the 248Cm+54Cr reaction.

In 2023, the director of the JINR, Grigory Trubnikov, stated that he hoped that the experiments to synthesise element 120 will begin in 2025.

### Naming

Mendeleev's nomenclature for unnamed and undiscovered elements would call unbinilium eka-radium. The 1979 IUPAC recommendations temporarily call it unbinilium (symbol Ubn) until it is discovered, the discovery is confirmed and a permanent name chosen. Although the IUPAC systematic names are widely used in the chemical community on all levels, from chemistry classrooms to advanced textbooks, scientists who work theoretically or experimentally on superheavy elements typically call it "element 120", with the symbol E120, (120) or 120.

## Predicted properties

### Nuclear stability and isotopes

The stability of nuclei decreases greatly with the increase in atomic number after curium, element 96, whose half-life is four orders of magnitude longer than that of any currently known higher-numbered element. All isotopes with an atomic number above 101 undergo radioactive decay with half-lives of less than 30 hours. No elements with atomic numbers above 82 (after lead) have stable isotopes. Nevertheless, because of reasons not yet well understood, there is a slight increase of nuclear stability around atomic numbers 110–114, which leads to the appearance of what is known in nuclear physics as the "island of stability". This concept, proposed by University of California professor Glenn Seaborg, explains why superheavy elements last longer than predicted.

Isotopes of unbinilium are predicted to have alpha decay half-lives of the order of microseconds. In a quantum tunneling model with mass estimates from a macroscopic-microscopic model, the alpha-decay half-lives of several unbinilium isotopes (292–304Ubn) have been predicted to be around 1–20 microseconds. Some heavier isotopes may be more stable; Fricke and Waber predicted 320Ubn to be the most stable unbinilium isotope in 1971. Since unbinilium is expected to decay via a cascade of alpha decays leading to spontaneous fission around copernicium, the total half-lives of unbinilium isotopes are also predicted to be measured in microseconds. This has consequences for the synthesis of unbinilium, as isotopes with half-lives below one microsecond would decay before reaching the detector. Nevertheless, new theoretical models show that the expected gap in energy between the proton orbitals 2f7/2 (filled at element 114) and 2f5/2 (filled at element 120) is smaller than expected, so that element 114 no longer appears to be a stable spherical closed nuclear shell, and this energy gap may increase the stability of elements 119 and 120. The next doubly magic nucleus is now expected to be around the spherical 306Ubb (element 122), but the expected low half-life and low production cross section of this nuclide makes its synthesis challenging.

Given that element 120 fills the 2f5/2 proton orbital, much attention has been given to the compound nucleus 302Ubn\* and its properties. Several experiments have been performed between 2000 and 2008 at the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions in Dubna studying the fission characteristics of the compound nucleus 302Ubn\*. Two nuclear reactions have been used, namely 244Pu+58Fe and 238U+64Ni. The results have revealed how nuclei such as this fission predominantly by expelling closed shell nuclei such as 132Sn (Z = 50, N = 82). It was also found that the yield for the fusion-fission pathway was similar between 48Ca and 58Fe projectiles, suggesting a possible future use of 58Fe projectiles in superheavy element formation.

In 2008, the team at GANIL, France, described the results from a new technique which attempts to measure the fission half-life of a compound nucleus at high excitation energy, since the yields are significantly higher than from neutron evaporation channels. It is also a useful method for probing the effects of shell closures on the survivability of compound nuclei in the super-heavy region, which can indicate the exact position of the next proton shell (Z = 114, 120, 124, or 126). The team studied the nuclear fusion reaction between uranium ions and a target of natural nickel:

238
92U
 + nat
28Ni
→ 296,298,299,300,302
120Ubn
\* → fission

The results indicated that nuclei of unbinilium were produced at high (\~70 MeV) excitation energy which underwent fission with measurable half-lives just over 10−18 s. Although very short (indeed insufficient for the element to be considered by IUPAC to exist, because a compound nucleus has no internal structure and its nucleons have not been arranged into shells until it has survived for 10−14 s, when it forms an electronic cloud), the ability to measure such a process indicates a strong shell effect at Z = 120. At lower excitation energy (see neutron evaporation), the effect of the shell will be enhanced and ground-state nuclei can be expected to have relatively long half-lives. This result could partially explain the relatively long half-life of 294Og measured in experiments at Dubna. Similar experiments have indicated a similar phenomenon at element 124 but not for flerovium, suggesting that the next proton shell does in fact lie beyond element 120. In September 2007, the team at RIKEN began a program utilizing 248Cm targets and have indicated future experiments to probe the possibility of 120 being the next proton magic number (and 184 being the next neutron magic number) using the aforementioned nuclear reactions to form 302Ubn\*, as well as 248Cm+54Cr. They also planned to further chart the region by investigating the nearby compound nuclei 296Og\*, 298Og\*, 306Ubb\*, and 308Ubb\*.

### Atomic and physical

Being the second period 8 element, unbinilium is predicted to be an alkaline earth metal, below beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium. Each of these elements has two valence electrons in the outermost s-orbital (valence electron configuration ns2), which is easily lost in chemical reactions to form the +2 oxidation state: thus the alkaline earth metals are rather reactive elements, with the exception of beryllium due to its small size. Unbinilium is predicted to continue the trend and have a valence electron configuration of 8s2. It is therefore expected to behave much like its lighter congeners; however, it is also predicted to differ from the lighter alkaline earth metals in some properties.

The main reason for the predicted differences between unbinilium and the other alkaline earth metals is the spin–orbit (SO) interaction—the mutual interaction between the electrons' motion and spin. The SO interaction is especially strong for the superheavy elements because their electrons move faster—at velocities comparable to the speed of light—than those in lighter atoms. In unbinilium atoms, it lowers the 7p and 8s electron energy levels, stabilizing the corresponding electrons, but two of the 7p electron energy levels are more stabilized than the other four. The effect is called subshell splitting, as it splits the 7p subshell into more-stabilized and the less-stabilized parts. Computational chemists understand the split as a change of the second (azimuthal) quantum number l from 1 to 1/2 and 3/2 for the more-stabilized and less-stabilized parts of the 7p subshell, respectively. Thus, the outer 8s electrons of unbinilium are stabilized and become harder to remove than expected, while the 7p3/2 electrons are correspondingly destabilized, perhaps allowing them to participate in chemical reactions. This stabilization of the outermost s-orbital (already significant in radium) is the key factor affecting unbinilium's chemistry, and causes all the trends for atomic and molecular properties of alkaline earth metals to reverse direction after barium.

Due to the stabilization of its outer 8s electrons, unbinilium's first ionization energy—the energy required to remove an electron from a neutral atom—is predicted to be 6.0 eV, comparable to that of calcium. The electron of the hydrogen-like unbinilium atom—oxidized so it has only one electron, Ubn119+—is predicted to move so quickly that its mass is 2.05 times that of a non-moving electron, a feature coming from the relativistic effects. For comparison, the figure for hydrogen-like radium is 1.30 and the figure for hydrogen-like barium is 1.095. According to simple extrapolations of relativity laws, that indirectly indicates the contraction of the atomic radius to around 200 pm, very close to that of strontium (215 pm); the ionic radius of the Ubn2+ ion is also correspondingly lowered to 160 pm. The trend in electron affinity is also expected to reverse direction similarly at radium and unbinilium.

Unbinilium should be a solid at room temperature, with melting point 680 °C: this continues the downward trend down the group, being lower than the value 700 °C for radium. The boiling point of unbinilium is expected to be around 1700 °C, which is lower than that of all the previous elements in the group (in particular, radium boils at 1737 °C), following the downward periodic trend. The density of unbinilium has been predicted to be 7 g/cm3, continuing the trend of increasing density down the group: the value for radium is 5.5 g/cm3.

### Chemical

The chemistry of unbinilium is predicted to be similar to that of the alkaline earth metals, but it would probably behave more like calcium or strontium than barium or radium. Like strontium, unbinilium should react vigorously with air to form an oxide (UbnO) and with water to form the hydroxide (Ubn(OH)2), which would be a strong base, and releasing hydrogen gas. It should also react with the halogens to form salts such as UbnCl2. While these reactions would be expected from periodic trends, their lowered intensity is somewhat unusual, as ignoring relativistic effects, periodic trends would predict unbinilium to be even more reactive than barium or radium. This lowered reactivity is due to the relativistic stabilization of unbinilium's valence electron, increasing unbinilium's first ionization energy and decreasing the metallic and ionic radii; this effect is already seen for radium. the chemistry of unbinilium in the +2 oxidation state should be more similar to the chemistry of strontium than to that of radium. On the other hand, the ionic radius of the Ubn2+ ion is predicted to be larger than that of Sr2+, because the 7p orbitals are destabilized and are thus larger than the p-orbitals of the lower shells.

Unbinilium may also show the +4 oxidation state, which is not seen in any other alkaline earth metal, in addition to the +2 oxidation state that is characteristic of the other alkaline earth metals and is also the main oxidation state of all the known alkaline earth metals: this is because of the destabilization and expansion of the 7p3/2 spinor, causing its outermost electrons to have a lower ionization energy than what would otherwise be expected. The +6 state involving all the 7p3/2 electrons has been suggested in a hexafluoride, UbnF6. The +1 state may also be isolable. Many unbinilium compounds are expected to have a large covalent character, due to the involvement of the 7p3/2 electrons in the bonding: this effect is also seen to a lesser extent in radium, which shows some 6s and 6p3/2 contribution to the bonding in radium fluoride (RaF2) and astatide (RaAt2), resulting in these compounds having more covalent character. The standard reduction potential of the Ubn2+/Ubn couple is predicted to be −2.9 V, which is almost exactly the same as that for the Sr2+/Sr couple of strontium (−2.899 V).

In the gas phase, the alkaline earth metals do not usually form covalently bonded diatomic molecules like the alkali metals do, since such molecules would have the same number of electrons in the bonding and antibonding orbitals and would have very low dissociation energies. Thus, the M–M bonding in these molecules is predominantly through van der Waals forces. The metal–metal bond lengths in these M2 molecules increase down the group from Ca2 to Ubn2. On the other hand, their metal–metal bond-dissociation energies generally increase from Ca2 to Ba2 and then drop to Ubn2, which should be the most weakly bound of all the group 2 homodiatomic molecules. The cause of this trend is the increasing participation of the p3/2 and d electrons as well as the relativistically contracted s orbital. From these M2 dissociation energies, the enthalpy of sublimation (ΔHsub) of unbinilium is predicted to be 150 kJ/mol.

The Ubn–Au bond should be the weakest of all bonds between gold and an alkaline earth metal, but should still be stable. This gives extrapolated medium-sized adsorption enthalpies (−ΔHads) of 172 kJ/mol on gold (the radium value should be 237 kJ/mol) and 50 kJ/mol on silver, the smallest of all the alkaline earth metals, that demonstrate that it would be feasible to study the chromatographic adsorption of unbinilium onto surfaces made of noble metals. The ΔHsub and −ΔHads values are correlated for the alkaline earth metals.

## See also

- Island of stability: flerovium–unbinilium–unbihexium

Hypothetical chemical element, symbol Ubn and atomic number 120


2022 Serbian local elections

Local elections in Serbia were held on 3 April 2022 in the municipalities of Aranđelovac, Bajina Bašta, Belgrade, Bor, Doljevac, Kladovo, Knjaževac, Kula, Lučani, Majdanpek, Medveđa, Sečanj, Sevojno, and Smederevska Palanka. Alongside the local elections, national-level general elections were held simultaneously on the same day.

Seven ballot lists appeared in the election in Aranđelovac, while nine ballot lists appeared in Bajina Bašta. In Belgrade, there were twelve ballot lists in total; the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) nominated Aleksandar Šapić as their mayoral candidate, while the major opposition United for the Victory of Serbia (UZPS) coalition nominated Vladeta Janković. In Bor, eleven ballot lists were present in total while parties inside the UZPS coalition ran on two separate ballot lists. Four ballot lists were present in the election in Doljevac, with no opposition parties taking part in the local election. In Kladovo, five lists appeared on the ballot, while in Knjaževac there were eight lists in total. The UZPS coalition also ran on two separate lists in Kula, where the leader of a civic group claimed that bribery occurred during the collection of signatures. Five ballot lists appeared in the election in Lučani and seven in Majdanpek, where electoral irregularities were reported at voting stations. Seven ballot lists appeared in the election in Medveđa, while in Sečanj there were four lists on the ballot. In Sevojno, six lists appeared on the ballot, while in Smederevska Palanka there were seven lists in total, with the UZPS coalition again running on two separate lists.

SNS won the most votes in all local elections. In Belgrade, the election was repeated at five voting stations on 16 April and again on 21 April due to the UZPS coalition and Social Democratic Party (SDS) objecting the results at those polling stations. SDS did not manage to cross the threshold after the repeat elections, and in June, Šapić was elected mayor of Belgrade.

## Background

Previous local elections in Serbia were held in March and October 2021, in which the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won a majority of seats in most of the municipalities. Electoral irregularities had occurred at voting stations, and there had also been physical attacks on opposition activists. Dialogues between the opposition and ruling parties regarding electoral conditions were held from May to October 2021. The two groups signed a document on 29 October, which included changes to the required minimum of collected signatures for minority ballots and changes to the composition of the Regulatory Body of Electronic Media (REM) and Republic Electoral Commission (RIK). The environmental protests, which began in September 2021, grew in size due to the adoption of modifications to the law on referendum and people's initiative and the expropriation law in November 2021. The modifications to the law on referendums and people's initiatives abolished the 50% threshold that was needed for referendums to pass into law. The protests lasted until February 2022. In Belgrade, the protests helped the We Must coalition to gain more support in opinion polls. A constitutional referendum regarding the judiciary also took place in January 2022, in which the "yes" option, which was supported by the government, prevailed over the "no" option, although the turnout was reported to be at 30 per cent.

## Electoral system

Local elections in Serbia are held under a proportional representation system. Eligible voters vote for electoral lists, on which the registered candidates are present. An electoral list could be submitted by a registered political party, a coalition of political parties, or a citizens' group. The number of valid signatures needed to be collected to take part in the election varies by the number of eligible voters in that municipality. At least 40 percent of candidates on electoral lists must be female. The electoral list is submitted by its chosen ballot representative, who does not have to be present on its electoral list. An electoral list could be declined, after which those who had submitted can fix the deficiencies in a span of 48 hours, or rejected, if the person is not authorised to nominate candidates. The name and date of the election, the names of the electoral lists and its ballot representatives, and information on how to vote are only present on the voting ballot.

Local electoral commissions and polling boards oversee the election. Seats are allocated with an electoral threshold of 3 percent of all votes cast, however if no electoral list wins 3 percent of all votes cast, then all electoral lists that received votes can participate in the distribution of seats. The seats are distributed by electoral lists in proportion to the number of votes received, while the number of seats belonging to electoral lists is determined by applying the highest quotient system. The seats are distributed by dividing the total number of votes received by the electoral list participating in the distribution of seats by each number from one to the number of councilors the local assembly has. The obtained quotients are classified by size so that the electoral list has as many mandates as it has its quotients among the highest quotients of all the electoral lists participating in the distribution. If two or more electoral lists receive the same quotients on the basis of which the seat is distributed, the electoral list that received the greater number of votes has priority. The seats in the local assemblies are awarded to the candidates to their order on the electoral list, starting with the first candidate from an electoral list. When the councilors of a local assembly are sworn in, they in turn elect the mayor.

An electoral list could be declared the status of an ethnic minority electoral list by the local electoral commission. An ethnic minority electoral list could be only submitted by a registered political party or a coalition of political parties of an ethnic minority. If the percentage of the members of that ethnic minority is less than 50% in that municipality, an electoral list could be then granted the status of an ethnic minority electoral list. If the electoral list receives less than the 3 percent electoral threshold of all votes cast, it would still take part in the distribution of seats. When the distribution of seats takes place, the quotients of ethnic minority electoral lists that won less than 3 percent of the votes are increased by 35 percent.

Any local election, whether it is a municipal or a local assembly election, is called by the president of the National Assembly, who also has to announce its date. To vote, a person has to be a citizen and resident of Serbia and at least 18 years old. A voter could only vote in the municipality of their residence. An election silence begins two days before the scheduled election, meaning that no opinion polls, presentation of candidates and their programmes, or invitation to vote in the election could take place.

## Results and campaign

Ivica Dačić, the president of the National Assembly, called the local elections on 15 February, and shortly afterwards Aleksandar Vučić, the president of Serbia, dissolved the National Assembly, after which the official electoral campaign began. Dačić announced that local elections would be held in the municipalities of Aranđelovac, Bajina Bašta, Belgrade, Bor, Doljevac, Kladovo, Knjaževac, Kula, Lučani, Majdanpek, Medveđa, Sečanj, Sevojno, and Smederevska Palanka. The 2022 general election occurred simultaneously on 3 April.

### Aranđelovac

On 16 February, SNS submitted their ballot list for the election, and a day later, the Serbian Party Oathkeepers (SSZ) submitted their ballot list. The Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)–United Serbia (JS) coalition submitted their ballot on 18 February. POKS submitted its list on 21 February, while the Dveri–Healthy Serbia (ZS) coalition submitted its ballot later that day. The United for the Victory of Serbia (UZPS) coalition list and Enough is Enough (DJB) list were later confirmed by the City Election Commission. During the campaign period, SNS youth representatives launched an initiative to landscape the area near a local railway station. SPS representatives signed an agreement with the Greens of Serbia on 25 February, which formalised their coalition in Aranđelovac.

In the municipality of Aranđelovac, there were 36,847 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. The local City Election Commission reported that the turnout was 63%. The Serbian Progressive Party won 19 seats, while the SPS–JS coalition won seven. The Serbian Party Oathkeepers won 5 seats, while the United for the Victory of Serbia coalition won four, and the Dveri–ZS coalition won three seats. Two seats were won by POKS, while the Enough is Enough party won one.

### Bajina Bašta

The SNS-led coalition submitted their ballot list on 17 February, while the SPS–JS coalition submitted its ballot on 23 February. The Social Democratic Party (SDS) submitted its ballot list on 8 March, and on the same day, the People's Party (NS) and Democratic Party (DS) had also submitted their list under the "United for Victory" banner. ZS had also submitted their list on 12 March, and a day later, the National Democratic Alternative (NADA) list was confirmed. The civic group "Loud and Clear", which was led by Vladislav Biljić, submitted their ballot on 13 March. A day later, the City Election Commission confirmed the Alliance 90/Greens of Serbia list.

In the municipality of Bajina Bašta, there were 21,733 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. The local City Election Commission reported that the turnout was 68%. The coalition led by the Serbian Progressive Party won 24 seats, while the United for the Victory of Serbia coalition won 9 seats. The SPS–JS coalition won six seats, and it is followed by the Healthy Serbia which won three seats, the Social Democratic Party which won two seats, and Dveri, which won one seat. NS had claimed that they allegedly stopped electoral fraud from taking place at voting stations.

### Belgrade

The City of Belgrade announced that the SNS–led coalition, SPS–led coalition, Serbian Radical Party (SRS), SSZ, UZPS, NADA, We Must (Moramo), SDS–led coalition, Love, Faith, Hope (LJVN), Sovereignists, Dveri, and the Russian Minority Alliance would take part in the local election. SNS nominated Aleksandar Šapić as their mayoral candidate, while UZPS nominated Vladeta Janković.

In Belgrade, preliminary results were published a day after the elections, although due to objections that were made by UZPS and SDS the election was repeated at five voting stations on 16 April and again on 21 April. Final results were published on 9 May. Opposition parties had managed to win more votes than the governing parties, although SDS remained below the threshold. Opposition parties suggested that the next election might be called earlier. Šapić was shortly after elected as mayor of Belgrade.

### Bor

The Bor City Election Commission (GIK) proclaimed the ballot list led by SNS on 16 February. A day later, the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP) held a conference during which the party presented a coalition with the Movement of Free Citizens (PSG), Vlach Party, and Regional Development Initiative of East Serbia, and the coalition appointed Ljubiša Stamenković, an independent politician, as their ballot representative. The SPS–JS coalition presented its ballot on 18 February, while the Vlach Party "Bridge" announced that they will contest the local election by themselves. GIK proclaimed the Dveri–POKS ballot list on 19 February, and the coalition led by the NS on 20 February. The Sovereignists coalition, which was led by the Enough is Enough party, submitted its ballot on 25 February. In Bor, JS decided to not participate in a coalition with SPS and its ballot was submitted on 4 March. Two civic groups, the "Loud for the Youth" and "Fighters for Bor", submitted their ballots on 7 March. The Serbian Radical Party (SRS) and Russian Party (RS) had also announced their participation in the election; SRS managed to submit its list before the deadline.

During the campaign, the NS–led coalition stated its support for building new hospitals and its opposition to exploitation of natural resources. The Vlach Party "Bridge" representatives proposed that salaries at the Serbia Zijin Bor Copper, a copper mining complex, should be increased instead, while SRS stated its support for exploitation. A poll was conducted in early February, in which the majority of respondents stated that the local government in Bor should change. SNS received its support from the Social Democratic Party of Serbia (SDPS) and the Movement of Vlachs of Serbia (PVS). The "Loud for Youth" civic group campaigned mainly on youth politics.

In the municipality of Bor, there were 40,661 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. The local City Election Commission stated that the turnout was 61.2%. The Serbian Progressive Party won 15 seats, while the coalition led by the People's Party won 6 seats. The Socialist Party of Serbia and Vlach Party "Bridge" both won four seats, while the coalition led by the Party of Freedom and Justice won three seats. The Dveri–POKS coalition, Fighters for Bor, and Loud for the Youth each won one seat.

### Doljevac

The City Election Commission in Doljevac had confirmed four ballot lists in total, which were SNS, SPS, JS, and SRS. It was noted that opposition parties would not take part in the local election in Doljevac. In the municipality of Doljevac, there were 13,940 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. The local City Election Commission reported that the turnout is reported to be at 78%. The Serbian Progressive Party won a supermajority of 30 seats, while the Socialist Party of Serbia and United Serbia have each won three seats, while the Serbian Radical Party only won one seat.

### Kladovo

The SNS list was confirmed by the City Election Commission on 16 February, while the SPS list was confirmed two days later. On 4 March, the Vlach National Party ballot list was confirmed. A civic group named "Movement for Kladovo – dr Borislav Petrović" also announced its participation in the election, and its list was confirmed by the City Election Commission on 11 March. A ballot list led by SRS was confirmed before the deadline.

In the municipality of Kladovo, there were 21,668 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. The local City Election Commission stated that the turnout was 52%. The Serbian Progressive Party won 14 seats and followed by them, the Movement for Kladovo won 9 seats, and the Socialist Party of Serbia won 5 seats.

### Knjaževac

In Knjaževac, the local City Election Commission confirmed the SNS ballot list on 16 February, while the SPS list was confirmed on 19 February. The NADA ballot list was confirmed on 1 March, while the UZPS coalition and SRS ballot lists were confirmed a day later. The Dveri–POKS coalition submitted its ballot on 3 March, and it was confirmed by the City Election Commission on the same day. The City Election Commission also confirmed ballot lists that were submitted by the Serbian People's Party (SNP) and JS.

In the municipality of Knjaževac, there were 23,638 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. The local City Election Commission reported that the turnout was 63%. The Serbian Progressive Party won 27 seats and followed by them, the Socialist Party of Serbia won 6 seats, the United for the Victory of Serbia coalition won 4 seats, the Dveri–POKS coalition won two seats, and the National Democratic Alternative won one seat.

### Kula

SNS submitted its list on 16 February. SPS and "List of the Serb Community" submitted their list shortly after. A coalition list made up of DJB, NS, and RS was formed, and its ballot list was confirmed by 14 March, including SRS and a civic group named "Citizens of Kula and Our City". Zlatko Ostojić, the leader of the civic group "Citizens of Kula and Our City", had claimed that two ballot lists were submitted in an illegal way, and that bribery took place during the collection of signatures.

In the municipality of Kula, there were 34,198 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. The local City Election Commission reported that the turnout was 65%. The Serbian Progressive Party won 21 seats and followed by them, the Critical Mass – for the Victory and Citizens of Kula and Our City each won five seats, List of the Serb Community and Socialist Party of Serbia have each won three seats, and the coalition led by the People's Party won two seats.

### Lučani

Milivoje Dolović was chosen as the ballot representative of the SNS-led list which was proclaimed on 17 February. The SPS–JS coalition's list was confirmed on 21 February. In early March, the City Election Commission confirmed the ballot list led by POKS. A civic group named "One Team" also announced its participation in the election, and its ballot list was confirmed by 14 March, including SRS. In the previous local election, Lučani was noted as a municipality with a high amount of blackmail and pressure towards the voters, although local citizens noted that this did not occur during the electoral campaign period in March 2022.

In the municipality of Lučani, there were 15,414 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. The local City Election Commission stated that the turnout was 72%. The Serbian Progressive Party won 20 seats and followed by them, One Team won 9 seats, the SPS–JS coalition won four seats, and POKS won two seats.

### Majdanpek

The local City Election Commission confirmed the SNS ballot list on 16 February, while the SPS list was confirmed on 22 February. The civic group "It can be different" ballot list was confirmed on 25 February. On 12 March, the ballot list led by Dveri was confirmed by the City Election Commission, and two days later, ballot lists led by SRS, NADA, and a civic group "I don't give up!" were confirmed. Besides them, the Vlach Party and Vlach Party "Bridge" had also announced their participation in the election, although their ballot lists were not confirmed by the City Election Commission.

In the municipality of Majdanpek, there were 16,251 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. Electoral irregularities were reported to have occurred at voting stations. The local City Election Commission reported that the turnout was 59%. The Serbian Progressive Party won 19 seats and followed by them, the SPS–JS coalition won 5 seats, "I don't give up" won three seats, "It can be different" won two seats, and Dveri and NADA won one seat respectively.

### Medveđa

The SNS ballot list was confirmed by GIK on 16 February, being the first one to submit a ballot in Medveđa. In early March, it held a campaign rally in the town. Six more ballot lists were confirmed by 14 March, after an announcement from the City Election Commission in Medveđa.

In the municipality of Medveđa, there were 6,175 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. The local City Election Commission stated that the turnout was 64%. The Serbian Progressive Party won 13 seats and followed by them, "Medveđa has better" won 5 seats, the Socialist Party of Serbia won three seats, the Democratic Party "For Medveđa" won two seats, the Party for Democratic Action and For the Development of Medveđa each won one seat.

### Sečanj

SNS submitted its list on 17 February, while the SPS ballot list was confirmed on 19 February. An opposition civic group named "For the better Municipality of Sečanj", which was led by Vukašin Baćina, announced its participation in the election on 21 February, and its ballot list was confirmed on 28 February. SRS also announced its participation in the election, and its ballot list was confirmed in early March. Baćina was arrested on 1 March, with the police claiming that his arrest occurred because of alleged bribery that took place in February 2022.

In the municipality of Sečanj, there were 10,481 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. The local City Election Commission stated that the turnout was 67%. According to the results, the Serbian Progressive Party won 15 seats and followed by them, the SPS–JS coalition won 6 seats, and the For the better Municipality of Sečanj won two seats.

### Sevojno

The SNS-led coalition in Sevojno formed a coalition with SPS, and their ballot was confirmed by GIK on 18 February. Healthy Serbia (ZS) submitted its ballot on 20 February. In early March, the SRS ballot list was proclaimed. The UZPS coalition had also announced its participation in the local election, and its ballot list was confirmed on 8 March. The SSZ ballot list was confirmed on the same day. By 15 March, the JS ballot list was also confirmed by the City Election Commission. During the electoral campaign, SNS announced that the reconstruction of the ambulance building would begin in April. Avram Ilić, a Healthy Serbia representative, stated that "further decentralization would be necessary for a better life of the citizens in Sevojno".

In the municipality of Sevojno, there were 5,681 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. The local City Election Commission reported that the turnout was 70%. The Serbian Progressive Party won 10 seats and followed by them, the Healthy Serbia won 4 seats, while the United for the Victory of Serbia coalition won 2 seats and other parties managed to cross the threshold.

### Smederevska Palanka

In Smederevska Palanka, GIK confirmed the SNS ballot list on 16 February. It confirmed the SPS–JS list on 18 February, and on the same day, it also proclaimed the list led by NS. On 5 March, the SRS ballot list was confirmed, and a day later the NS ballot list was proclaimed by the City Election Commission. On 11 March, the People's Front and ZS ballot lists were confirmed. SSP stated in early March that their ballot list was declined by the City Election Commission, with the president of the City Election Commission stating that the commission does not have a quorum. Its ballot list was confirmed later on 6 March.

In the municipality of Smederevska Palanka, there were 39,932 eligible citizens that were able to vote in the local election. The local City Election Commission reported that the turnout was 58%. According to the results, the Serbian Progressive Party won 34 seats and followed by them, the coalition around the Party of Freedom and Justice, SPS–JS coalition, and the People's Party have won 4 seats, the Healthy Serbia won two seats, and the People's Front won one seat.

## Aftermath

In Sečanj, Vukašin Baćina and his citizens group declined to join the local government led by Serbian Progressive Party. Vesna Đurić, who previously served as the president of the municipality of Bajina Bašta, was sworn in on 12 May; all 24 members of the Serbian Progressive Party city assembly group voted in favour. On the same day, Damjan Miljanić was chosen as the president of the municipality of Kula. A day later, Serbian Progressive Party formed a local government in Lučani together with the Socialist Party of Serbia.