Promethium Element: Facts. Chemically, promethium is obtained by precipitation of hydrogen fluoride from solutions of promethium salts and then the hydrate is subjected to dehydration

Promethium named after the Greek Titan Prometheus, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humanity. Glow-in-the-dark promethium is a highly radioactive, rare earth chemical element.

It is found nowhere on Earth and is found in by-products of uranium fission reactions. Due to its rarity, its main purpose is research; it has capabilities for use in various medical devices, batteries and luminescent paint.

Promethium properties

Atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus): 61
Atomic symbol (on the periodic table of elements): Pm
Atomic weight (average atomic mass): 145
Density: 4.17 oz per cubic inch (7.22 g/cc)
Phase at room temperature: solid
Melting point: 2.088 degrees Fahrenheit (1.142 degrees Celsius)
Boiling Point: 5,972 F (3,300 C)
Number of natural isotopes (atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons): at least 38 radioactive isotopes
Most common isotopes: Pm-145 (minor percentage of natural abundance), Pm-147 (minor percentage of natural abundance)

Electronic configuration and elementary properties of promethium.

Promethium: history of the name

When Dmitri Mendeleev organized the so-called periodic table in the late 1860s, he left gaps for unknown elements based on multiple properties. Boshulaw Brauner in 1902 expanded on Mendeleev's table and created spaces for newly discovered elements that did not fit into the original table and created empty spaces for the unknown, just as Mendeleev did, according to Dutch historian Pieter van der Krogh. One of these spaces was element 61, which lies between neodymium and samarium.

Henry Moseley, a British scientist, confirmed the unknown element in 1914, and made several claims about the physical discovery of promethium:

Luigi Rolla and Lorenzo Fernandez, Italian chemists, published their discovery in 1924 through a sealed envelope sent to the Accademia Royale dei Linci in Rome. Researchers proposed the name florentium (Fr) after its hometown of Florence, Italy.
B. Smith Hopkins, Ian Intema, and a student named Harris, researchers at the University of Illinois, claimed the discovery in 1926 and proposed the name Illinium (Il) after the state of Illinois.
Lawrence L. Kill and his colleagues published their results in 1938, naming cyclonium after the Ohio State cyclotron, which the researchers used to bombard various projectiles in neodymium and samarium, producing several radioactive isotopes.
Chien Shin Wu, Emilio G. Segre and Hans Albrecht Bethe, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, published their discovery of element 61 by bombarding neodymium and praseodymium with neutrons, but had difficulty separating the new rare earth element.

While it is possible that in some of these cases promethium was actually produced, other researchers have been unable to confirm any of them.

The first successful identification and separation of element 61 was in 1945 by Charles D. Coryell, Jacob A. Marinsky, Lawrence E. Glendenin and Harold G. Richter, Manhattan Project researchers in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, while studying to create fuel for the atomic bomb , according to van der Krott. They were able to identify the isotope promethium-147 in the fission byproducts of uranium. Their results were confirmed using a mass spectrometer and published in 1947, delayed by their involvement in World War research. The name Promethium was suggested by Grace Mary Coryell, Coryell's wife, and the name was adopted by the International Union of Chemistry in 1949.

Facts about Promethium

In Greek mythology, Prometheus was the champion of humanity. After he stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals, Zeus punished him by tying him to a stone while an eagle ate his liver every day, it grew back to eat it again.
The element was named after Prometheus for the courage and pain required to synthesize it.

Bohuslav Brauner, a Czech chemist, predicted the existence of promethium in 1902, according to Jefferson Laboratory.
Promethium was the last of the rare earth lanthanide elements.
According to Lenteh, promethium is highly radioactive and emits beta radiation.
Promethium metal is silvery-white, and the salts glow in the dark with a pale blue or green light.
The longest-lived isotope of promethium is promethium-145, with a half-life of 17.7 years, according to Jefferson Laboratory.
Promethium is the only rare earth, radioactive metal on the periodic table.
According to the Los Alamos National Laboratory, there is no promethium in the earth's crust. However, the element was detected in the spectrum of the star HR465 (Andromeda Galaxy), which is located 520 light years from the Andromeda constellation. Margot F. Allaire and Charles R. Cowley, astronomers at the University of Michigan, discovered promethium in the star in 1970.

Research

Mostly, promethium is used for research purposes, and it does not have many other uses due to its high radioactivity and very limited energy. One such commercial use for promethium is as a power supply for medical devices.

A patent filed in 2014 by Peter Cabauy, CEO of City Labs, discussed a new design for a beta-valt energy source, where beta particles come from the decay of promethium-147, tritium or nickel-63. The technology is based on a design from the early 1970s that uses promethium-147 to power a pacemaker that has been successfully implanted in more than one hundred patients.

Some of the advantages described in the patent are that promethium-147 is more accessible and cheaper than other options for short-lived medical implants, and it can be used in metal form. The power supply design is designed for small sized medical devices and can also be used in any applications where a small sized battery is desired.

The history of the discovery of this element clearly demonstrates the extreme difficulties that several generations of researchers had to overcome in the study and discovery of rare earth elements. After the discovery of ytterbium and lutetium in 1907, it seemed that the series of rare earth elements located in Group III of the periodic table was already completely completed and one could hardly count on its replenishment. Meanwhile, some prominent rare earth researchers, in particular Brauner, believed that in the rare earth series there should be another element between neodymium and samarium, since the difference in the atomic weights of these two elements is abnormally high. After Mosely established the serial numbers of the elements, the absence of element 61 in the group of rare earth elements became even more obvious, and in the 20s of our century intensive searches for it began. For a long time they were unsuccessful. The first report of the discovery of element 61 was made by the Americans Harris and Hopkins in 1926. By fractionating concentrated neodymium and samarium earths and x-ray analysis of the isolated fractions, they discovered a new element, which they named Illinium in honor of the University of Illinois, where the supposed discovery was made. The authors noted that element 61 is radioactive and has a short half-life. Their report provoked sharp objections from Prandtl, who was unable to find traces of the new element after checking the data of American authors for a year. The Noddakis, who had 100 kg of rare earths, also did not confirm the American reports. At the end of 1926 another version has appeared. Employees of the University of Florence Rolla and Fernandez announced that back in 1924 they sent a sealed package to the Accademia dei Lincei, which contained a message about their discovery of element 61. They isolated the element by 3000 times crystallization of didymium earth containing 70% neodymium and praseodymium, and was called Florentium. There were other reports of the discovery of element 61, sometimes called Eka-Neodymium, but none of them were confirmed. Further research led to the fact that the elusive element was considered short-lived radioactive, and therefore its occurrence in nature is unlikely. Naturally, after this they began to try to obtain the element artificially. In 1941, at Ohio State University, Lau, Poole, Kurbatov and Quill, bombarding samples of neodymium and samarium with deuterons in a cyclotron, obtained a large number of radioactive isotopes, among which, as they thought, there was an isotope of element 61. Segre and Wu confirmed this assumption, but they also failed to chemically identify the desired isotope. Nevertheless, American researchers from Ohio proposed their own name for the element, Cyclonium, since it was obtained using a cyclotron. The final stage of this long series of works on the artificial production and isolation of element 61 was the study of the products obtained in a nuclear boiler. In 1947, Marinsky, Glendenin and Coryell chromatographically separated the fission products of uranium in an atomic pile and isolated two isotopes of element 61; the mass number of one of them is 147, the half-life is 2.7 years, the second is 149 and 47 hours, respectively. At the suggestion of Coryell's wife, the new element was named Prometheum after the mythical hero Prometheus, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to people. With this name, the authors of the discovery wanted to emphasize not only the method of obtaining the element using nuclear fission energy, but also the threat of punishment for the instigators of the war. As you know, Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock to be torn apart by an eagle. In 1950, the International Atomic Weights Commission gave element 61 the name promethium; all the old names - illinium, florence, cyclonium and prometheus - were rejected.

This element was named promethium, in honor of Prometheus, the legendary titan from the myths of the ancient Greeks. Back in 1902, chemist researchers noticed that the difference in atomic weights between neodymium and its successor, samarium, was too great, indicating the existence of an unknown element between them. And only when, in 1914, scientists began to use X-ray spectra to study and search for new elements, it became possible to test this assumption and find a place for a new element in the periodic table. But they could not isolate a new element and prove its existence for a very long time. Finally, the idea was expressed about the radioactive nature of this element with a very short lifespan, and therefore, located in the earth’s crust from the very beginning of its formation, this element decayed long ago.
Research began on the radioactivity of rare earth elements, which was discovered, among other things, in neodymium and samarium. If neodymium emits beta rays, then according to the law of radioactive transformations, if its atom loses an electron, then the charge of the nucleus of this atom increases by one and, thus, a new element is formed. The fact that it could not be detected is explained by the very short half-life of this element. And then they tried to create a new element artificially. Using large quantities of fission fragments from uranium235, which were the product of processes in a nuclear reactor, scientists found many isotopes of rare earth elements, among which they then discovered the isotope of element number 61, promethium. Bombardment of neodymium with neutrons gave the same results and chemists finally recognized its real existence. And, although the amount of the new element was measured in milligrams, promethium chloride and nitrate were obtained, the last doubts about the existence of the new element were dispelled.
Using the “waste” of nuclear reactors, it is possible to obtain promethium in quantities of up to hundreds of grams. 15 isotopes of promethium have been artificially created and only one of them, with a mass number of 147, is long-lived (half-life is 2.7 years), and it is this that is the most promising radioisotope of the lanthanide group. In nature, promethium was discovered in 1964 in apatite concentrate and, through enrichment, promethium was obtained from it, in very small quantities.
Promethium is a silvery-white metal that oxidizes slowly in air to form the oxide Pm2O3.

RECEIPT.

Chemically, promethium is obtained by precipitation of hydrogen fluoride from solutions of promethium salts and then the hydrate is subjected to dehydration. Promethium metal is obtained by metallothermy from PmF3. When promethium metal is obtained from a mixture of radioactive isotopes formed in a nuclear reactor, it is separated by chromatography.

APPLICATION.

The peculiar properties of promethium - the absence of gamma radiation and the low energy of beta rays - allow it to be used without serious protective equipment.

Self-luminous compositions. The addition of radioactive promethium to phosphorescent materials does not cause a decrease in the quality of crystal phosphorus radiation over time, and provides a long-lasting, bright and safe glow.

Atomic batteries. In an atomic battery made from promethium, the energy from the beta decay of its radioisotope is first converted into light and then into electricity. This battery glows with a finely dispersed mixture of phosphorus and promethium-147 oxide. The energy of the beta particles absorbed by phosphorus is converted into infrared radiation, which is captured by a photocell and produces an electric current. This battery is very small in size, works flawlessly for up to 5 years, and is not afraid of external influences (temperature, pressure). These characteristics significantly expand the scope of application of promethium batteries. Portable radio devices, elements of automation and control of heavy machines and mechanisms, portable hearing aids, and measuring instruments successfully operate on atomic batteries using promethium-147.

Paints. The addition of promethium-147 to paints creates the effect of luminescent light.
Chemical element, Pm

The first letter is "p"
Second letter "r"
Third letter "o"
The last letter of the letter is "th"

Answer for the clue "Chemical element, Pm", 8 letters:
promethium

Alternative crossword questions for the word promethium

This chemical element is named after the god who stole fire

Radioactive element

Lanthanide group metal

Radioactive chemical element produced artificially

chemical element

Rare earth metal

Rare earth metal, radioactive element

Definition of the word promethium in dictionaries

New explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova. The meaning of the word in the dictionary New explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.
m. A radioactive chemical element produced artificially through nuclear reactions.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia The meaning of the word in the dictionary Great Soviet Encyclopedia
(lat. Prometium), Pm, a radioactive chemical element of group III of the periodic system of Mendeleev, atomic number 61, belongs to the lanthanides. There are 16 known isotopes of P. with mass numbers 141≈154 and 2 nuclear isomers. The most sustainable is the inaccessible...

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998 The meaning of the word in the dictionary Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998
PROMETHIUM (lat. Promethium) Pm, a chemical element of group III of Mendeleev’s Periodic Table of Elements, atomic number 61, atomic mass 144.9128, belongs to the lanthanides. Radioactive; the most stable isotope is 145Pm (half-life? 18 years). In nature...

Examples of the use of the word promethium in literature.

It is assumed that natural promethium formed by the capture of neutrons by the 60th element, neodymium, or by the spontaneous fission of uranium-238, as well as the induced fission of uranium-235.

Technetium and promethium, as well as artificial transurans.

Promethium
PROMETHIUM-I; m. Chemical element (Pm), a silvery-white radioactive metal belonging to the lanthanides (obtained artificially; used in combination with other substances in fluorescent lamps, making luminous paints, etc.).
promethium
(lat. Promethium), a chemical element of group III of the periodic table, belongs to the lanthanides. Radioactive; the most stable isotope is 145 Pm (half-life ≈18 years). Not found in nature, it is formed during the fission of the 235 U isotope in nuclear reactors. Named after Prometheus. Metal, density 7.26 g/cm 3 t pl 1170°C. The 147 Pm isotope is used in phosphors (they glow continuously for several years) and in miniature atomic batteries.
PROMETHIUM
PROMETHIUM (lat. Prometium), Pm (read “promethium”), radioactive chemical element, atomic number 61. It has no stable nuclides. Longest-lived radionuclides: promethium-145 (half-life T 1/2 17.7 years), promethium-146 ( T 1/2 5.53 years) and promethium-147 ( T 1/2 2.6234 years); the most accessible 148 Pm. Configuration of the three outer electron layers of the promethium atom 4 s 2 p 6 d 10 f 5 5s 2 p 6 6s 2 . The oxidation state in compounds is +3 (valency III).
Member of the lanthanide family, (cm. LANTANOIDS) occupying one cell in group IIIB, in the 6th period of the periodic table. The radius of the neutral Pm atom is 0.182 nm, the radius of the Pm 3+ ion is 0.111 nm (coordination number 6). The energies of successive ionization of the atom are 5.55, 10.90, 22.3, 41.1 eV. Electronegativity according to Pauling (cm. PAULING Linus) 1,07.
History of discovery
In 1945, American radiochemists D. Marinsky, L. Glendenin and C. Coryell isolated the first five millionths of a gram of element No. 61 from the fission products of uranium and named it in honor of Prometheus (cm. PROMETHEUS (in mythology)), who stole fire from the gods and gave it to people.
It has now been established that this element does not have stable and long-lived radionuclides of promethium that could have been preserved since the formation of the Earth.
Being in nature
In 1968, trace amounts of 147 Pm, formed from the fission of 235 U, were discovered in the earth's crust.
Receipt
Promethium is obtained by precipitation of HF from solutions of Pm(III) salts, followed by dehydration of the resulting hydrate. Metal Pm is obtained by metallothermy from PmF 3 . 147 Pm is isolated from a mixture of radioactive isotopes of various elements formed in nuclear reactors, separated by chromatography (cm. CHROMATOGRAPHY).
Physical and chemical properties
Promethium is a light gray metal.
One modification is known with a hexagonal lattice with A= 0.365 nm and c = 1.165 nm. Melting point 1170°C, boiling point 3000°C, density 7.26 kg/dm3.
In terms of chemical properties, it is a typical rare earth metal. In air it slowly oxidizes, forming the basic oxide Pm 2 O 3. Known are PmF 3 , PmCl 3 , PmBr 3 , promethium salts Pm(NO 3) 3 , Pm 2 (SO 4) 3 and others, and the base Pm(OH) 3 .
Application
Promethium-147 is a component of phosphors, a source of radioactive radiation in miniature atomic batteries.

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Promethium Element: Facts. Chemically, promethium is obtained by precipitation of hydrogen fluoride from solutions of promethium salts and then the hydrate is subjected to dehydration

Promethium properties

Promethium: history of the name

Facts about Promethium

Research

RECEIPT.

APPLICATION.

The peculiar properties of promethium - the absence of gamma radiation and the low energy of beta rays - allow it to be used without serious protective equipment.

Self-luminous compositions. The addition of radioactive promethium to phosphorescent materials does not cause a decrease in the quality of crystal phosphorus radiation over time, and provides a long-lasting, bright and safe glow.

Paints. The addition of promethium-147 to paints creates the effect of luminescent light.

Chemical element, Pm

Alternative crossword questions for the word promethium

Definition of the word promethium in dictionaries

Examples of the use of the word promethium in literature.

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