How It's Made
Technetium can be made in one of three ways each only slightly different from the other. The first way, used by the discoverers Emilio Segre and Carlo Perrier, is taking molybdenum 98 and bombarding it with deuterons (consist of one proton and one neutron) which had been accelerated in a cyclotron. The second way, the way technetium is made today, is taking the same molybdenum 98 and bombarding it with only neutrons. This results into molybdenum 99 which decays into Technetium 99. Using this technique 2 pounds of technetium can be made at a time. The third is by a uranium beta decay.
The Cyclotron/ Process of Accelerating Particles
The cyclotron consists of three major parts; two electromagnets with two D shaped cavities that are connected to a radio wave generator. A radioactive source like Molybdenum is placed in between the two D shaped cavities and begins to emit charged particles. Interestingly enough, electromagnets can alter the course of charged particles so they bend. As a result the particles will circle around the D shaped cavity but they aren't yet accelerating.
In order to do this a radio wave generator which is connected to the two D shaped cavities is turned on. This causes the charge of the D rings to change back and forth from a negative charge to a positive charge. This causes a very intriguing movement of the particle. At this point in time the particle is circling around the D rings because of the electromagnet's ability to bend the path of the particle, but now, when the radio wave generator is turned on the positively charged particles will speed towards the D ring with a negative charge. Then suddenly the radio wave generator switches the charge of the D ring the particle is zooming towards to a positive charge like its self and the opposite D ring becomes a negative charge. Since opposites attract the particle will accelerate towards the other D ring. As the charges switch back and forth from each D ring the particle will continue to race from one side of the cyclotron to the other picking up speed. Though the faster this particle begins to race the less force the electromagnets have on the particle so the particle begins to circle farther and farther from the center until it finally the particle dashes out of the cyclotron and collides with the designated atom or ion.
Half Life
Half Life is the amount of time it takes for Beta decay to happen to a given amount of radioactive substance. It describes the time it would take for half a sample of unstable atoms to decay and fom a new element. For example, say Lead 77 had a half life of 2 minutes, this means after 2 minutes half the sample has turned into a new substance, and then, the lead atoms divides iin half and turns into a new substance.
Beta Decay
Beta decay is the process in which an unstable element morphs into a new element. the beta decay of molybdenum is how technetium, was and still is created today. There are two types of beta decay, beta minus, and beta plus. When there are a greater number of neutrons in the nucleus, a neutron will turn into a proton, an antineutrino, and an electron. The antineutrino and electron will fly away from the tom's radius leaving the proton and therefore changing the element all together. Beta plus decay, on the other hand, occurs when there are a greater number of protons in the nucleus. A proton will turn into a neutrino, a neutron, and a positron. Again the positron and neutrino will fly away from the atom's radius leaving a new element.