Atomic Properties of Tc
- Atomic Number of Tc
- 43
- Atomic Mass of Tc
- 98.0000 u
- Electron Configuration
- [Kr] 4d5 5s2
- Electronegativity
- 1.90
- Block
- d-block
- Group
- 7
- Period
- 5
Technetium (Tc) is element 43 on the periodic table. Atomic mass of Tc: 98.0000 u. Tc is in period 5, group 7. Melting point of Tc: 2430.00 K.Density of Tc: 11.00 g/cm³.
Technetium in medicine and industry
99ᵐTc is used extensively in nuclear medicine. Can image bones, hearts, brains, and tumors. No natural biological role.
Discovered by Carlo Perrier, Émillo Segrè in Italy, 1937
Name origin: Greek: technêtos (artificial).
Radioactive metallic transition element. Can be detected in some stars and the fission products of uranium. First made by Perrier and Segre by bombarding molybdenum with deutrons, giving them Tc-97. Tc-99 is the most stable isotope with a half-life of 2.6*10^6 years. Sixteen isotopes are known. Organic technetium compounds are used in bone imaging. Chemical properties are intermediate between rhenium and manganese.
Technetium has 0 naturally occurring isotopes, plus 4 notable radioactive isotopes.
| Isotope | Atomic Mass (u) | Abundance | Half-Life | Decay Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9743Tc (Tc-97)Technetium-97 isotope | 96.9063667 | 0% | 4.21 million years | EC |
| 9843Tc (Tc-98)Technetium-98 isotope | 97.9072124 | 0% | 4.2 million years | β⁻ |
| 9943Tc (Tc-99)Technetium-99 isotope | 98.9062508 | 0% | 211,100 years | β⁻ |
| 99m43Tc (Tc-99m)Technetium-99m isotope | 98.9062508 | 0% | 6.01 hours | IT, γ |
Data source: NIH PubChem (aggregated from IUPAC, NIST)
Isotopes of Technetium have important real-world applications in science and industry.
99ᵐTc is a metastable isomer of 99Tc with a 6-hour half-life. Used to label compounds for kidney, liver, bone, and heart imaging. 99ᵐTc radiopharmaceuticals target tumors for SPECT/CT imaging. 99ᵐTc-MDP (medronate) detects bone metastases from prostate, lung, and thyroid cancers.
Added to iron in quantities as low as 55 part-per-million transforms the iron into a corrosion-resistant alloy.
Made first by bombarding molybdenum with deuterons (heavy hydrogen) in a cyclotron.
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