General Information
General
-Element number 43
-Name: Technetium (tek-nee-shee-uh m)
-Chemical symbol: Tc
-Element Classification: Transitional Metal
-Standard state: solid
-Group number: 7
-Period number: 5
-Color: Silvery- gray metallic
-Melting point: 2,200 Celsius (4000 Fahrenheit)
-Density: 11.5g/cm cubed
-Atomic mass: 96.91
Quick Facts
-Technetium comes from the Greek word “Technetos” meaning artificial.
-It was the first element artificially made; all the elements below Uranium on the Periodic Table are manmade.
-It’s used for medical purposes as a tracer/generator
-It’s used as fuel in nuclear reactors/weapons
-Not found in living things
-It kills and or damages all living cells and coming into contact with it will result in severe complications
-It is created by bombarding Molybdenum atoms with deuterons/deuterium nuclei or through the beta decay of Uranium
-Large amounts of Technetium (2 lbs) can be made at a time
-It was discovered by Emilio Segre and Carlo Perrier
Physical Properties
-Color: Silvery- gray metallic
-Melting point: 2,200 Celsius (4000 Fahrenheit)
-Density: 11.5g/cm cubed
-It is an excellent superconductor in temperatures below -262 degrees Celsius
-It tarnishes in moist air
Chemical Properties (Isotopes)
-All Technetium’s isotopes are radioactive
-It has isotopes ranging from 90-111
-The most stable isotopes are Tc 97, 98, 99
-Its most stable isotope is Technetium 98 which has a ½ life of 4.2 Million years and decays into Ruthenium 98
-Technetium 99m has a ½ life of 6 hours
-Characteristics are most like Manganese and Rhenium
-Shell pattern: The number of electrons in the energy levels from the first to the fifth= 2-8-18-14-1
-It is not very reactive in combining with other elements
-It reacts with Fluorine gas and Sulfur only at high temperatures
-It only reacts with some acids
-It forms compounds of oxides, sulfides, and technetiates Ex: NH404
In Nature
-It is not essential in human and environmental life
-Found in stars in our universe but can not be found on Earth but scientists believe it may be present in small amounts in the Earth’s crust or with other radioactive elements
-There are theories of the element’s production in stars