Technetium. Number 43. Tc. Atomic weight: 98.
Electron Configuration
Melting Point
Boiling Point
Density
Color
Physical State at Room Temperature
Common Ion Charges
Reactions
Common Compounds
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[Kr] 5s2 4d5
2157 °C
4265 °C
11500 kg m^-3
Silver-gray
Solid
Tc7+, Tc4+, Tc5+
Reacts with heated oxygen to form technetium (VII) oxide, does not react with water, reacts with heated fluorine to form technetium hexafluoride, does not dissolve in hydrochloric acid or hydroflouric acid but dissolves in nitric acid and sulfuric acid, does not react with bases
Technetium hexafluoride, Technetium pentafluoride, Technetium tetrachloride, Technetium hexachloride, Technetium tetrabromide, Technetium dioxide, Ditechnetium heptoxide
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Discovery: Technetium was discovered by Carlo Perrier and Emilio Segrè in 1937 in Sicily, Italy. It was predicted by Dmitri Mendeleev when he noticed a gap between manganese and ruthenium. Technetium has not been found naturally on the Earth. Technetium is either found by synthesizing (it was the first synthesized element) in a lab or from red giants. It is the lightest element that has no stable isotopes and is also the lightest radioactive element.
Uses: Technetium-99m is used in the field of medicine, for medical imaging. It is also used as a superconductor. Ammonium pertechnate (NH4TcO4) is used as a corrosion inhibitor for steel, and Technetium-95 is used as a radioactive tracer. Tc-99 has the longest half-life out of all the isotopes and is used for equipment callibration.
Hazards: Technetium has no stable isotopes, thus all of its isotopes are radioactive and therefore harmful.
Uses: Technetium-99m is used in the field of medicine, for medical imaging. It is also used as a superconductor. Ammonium pertechnate (NH4TcO4) is used as a corrosion inhibitor for steel, and Technetium-95 is used as a radioactive tracer. Tc-99 has the longest half-life out of all the isotopes and is used for equipment callibration.
Hazards: Technetium has no stable isotopes, thus all of its isotopes are radioactive and therefore harmful.