fermium
Sign in to saveFermium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Fm and atomic number 100. It is an actinide and the heaviest element that can be formed by neutron bombardment of lighter elements, and hence the last element that can be prepared in macroscopic quantities, although pure fermium metal has not been prepared yet. A total of 20 isotopes are known, with 257Fm being the longest-lived with a half-life of 100.5 days.
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Fermium is a human-made chemical element (symbol Fm, atomic number 100) that is the heaviest element scientists can create by bombarding lighter elements with neutrons, making it the last element that can be produced in meaningful quantities. Although 20 different forms of fermium exist, none are stable for very long—the longest-lasting version lasts only about 100 days before breaking down—and scientists have not yet managed to create pure fermium metal.
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Article
13 sectionsContents
- Discovery
- Isotopes
- Occurrence
- Production
- Synthesis in nuclear explosions
- Natural occurrence
- Chemistry
- Toxicity
- Notes and references
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Fermium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Fm and atomic number 100. It is an actinide and the heaviest element that can be formed by neutron bombardment of lighter elements, and hence the last element that can be prepared in macroscopic quantities, although pure fermium metal has not been prepared yet. A total of 20 isotopes are known, with 257Fm being the longest-lived with a half-life of 100.5 days.
Fermium was discovered in the debris of the first hydrogen bomb explosion in 1952, and named after Enrico Fermi, one of the pioneers of nuclear physics. Its chemistry is typical for the late actinides, with a preponderance of the +3 oxidation state but also an accessible +2 oxidation state. Owing to the small amounts of produced fermium and all of its isotopes having relatively short half-lives, there are currently no uses for it outside basic scientific research.