Fermium (Fm) is a chemical element of the periodic table, located in the period 7, and has the atomic number 100. It is the twelfth element in the actinide series. It is a silvery-white metal which is named after the Italian-born nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi. It is the eighth transuranium element and is counted as one of the radioactive elements.
Fermium on periodic table
| group | ⇨ | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| period | ⇩ | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 H  Hydrogen |
2 He  Helium |
|||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 3 Li  Lithium |
4 Be  Beryllium |
5 B  Boron |
6 C  Carbon |
7 N  Nitrogen |
8 O  Oxygen |
9 F  Fluorine |
10 Ne  Neon |
|||||||||||
| 3 | 11 Na  Sodium |
12 Mg  Magnesium |
13 Al  Aluminium |
14 Si  Silicon |
15 P  Phosphorus |
16 S  Sulfur |
17 Cl  Chlorine |
18 Ar  Argon |
|||||||||||
| 4 | 19 K  Potassium |
20 Ca  Calcium |
21 Sc  Scandium |
22 Ti  Titanium |
23 V  Vanadium |
24 Cr  Chromium |
25 Mn  Manganese |
26 Fe  Iron |
27 Co  Cobalt |
28 Ni  Nickel |
29 Cu  Copper |
30 Zn  Zinc |
31 Ga  Gallium |
32 Ge  Germanium |
33 As  Arsenic |
34 Se  Selenium |
35 Br  Bromine |
36 Kr  Krypton |
|
| 5 | 37 Rb  Rubidium |
38 Sr  Strontium |
39 Y  Yttrium |
40 Zr  Zirconium |
41 Nb  Niobium |
42 Mo  Molybdenum |
43 Tc  Technetium |
44 Ru  Ruthenium |
45 Rh  Rhodium |
46 Pd  Palladium |
47 Ag  Silver |
48 Cd  Cadmium |
49 In  Indium |
50 Sn  Tin |
51 Sb  Antimony |
52 Te  Tellurium |
53 I  Iodine |
54 Xe  Xenon |
|
| 6 | 55 Cs  Caesium |
56 Ba  Barium |
72 Hf  Hafnium |
73 Ta  Tantalum |
74 W  Tungsten |
75 Re  Rhenium |
76 Os  Osmium |
77 Ir  Iridium |
78 Pt  Platinum |
79 Au  Gold |
80 Hg  Mercury |
81 Tl  Thallium |
82 Pb  Lead |
83 Bi  Bismuth |
84 Po  Polonium |
85 At  Astatine |
86 Rn  Radon |
||
| 7 | 87 Fr  Francium |
88 Ra  Radium |
104 Rf  Rutherfordium |
105 Db  Dubnium |
106 Sg  Seaborgium |
107 Bh  Bohrium |
108 Hs  Hassium |
109 Mt  Meitnerium |
110 Ds  Darmstadtium |
111 Rg  Roentgenium |
112 Cn  Copernicium |
113 Nh  Nihonium |
114 Fl  Flerovium |
115 Mc  Moscovium |
116 Lv  Livermorium |
117 Ts  Tennessine |
118 Og  Oganesson |
||
| 57 La  Lanthanum |
58 Ce  Cerium |
59 Pr  Praseodymium |
60 Nd  Neodymium |
61 Pm  Promethium |
62 Sm  Samarium |
63 Eu  Europium |
64 Gd  Gadolinium |
65 Tb  Terbium |
66 Dy  Dysprosium |
67 Ho  Holmium |
68 Er  Erbium |
69 Tm  Thulium |
70 Yb  Ytterbium |
71 Lu  Lutetium |
|||||
| 89 Ac  Actinium |
90 Th  Thorium |
91 Pa  Protactinium |
92 U  Uranium |
93 Np  Neptunium |
94 Pu  Plutonium |
95 Am  Americium |
96 Cm  Curium |
97 Bk  Berkelium |
98 Cf  Californium |
99 Es  Einsteinium |
100 Fm Fermium |
101 Md  Mendelevium |
102 No  Nobelium |
103 Lr  Lawrencium |
|||||
| – f block |
Fermium is found in the actinide series, a group of elements located at the bottom of the periodic table. Specifically, in period 7, between einsteinium (Es) and mendelevium (Md).
Fermium element information
 |
|
| Origin of name | named after Italian-born nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi |
| Symbol | Fm |
| Atomic number (Z) | 100 |
| Atomic mass | (257) |
| Block | f-block |
| Period | 7 |
| Classification | Actinide |
| Melting point | 1527 ℃, 2781 ℉, 1800 K (predicted) |
| Electron configuration | [Rn] 5f12 7s2 |
| Electrons per shell | 2, 8, 18, 32, 30, 8, 2 |
| Crystal structure | Face-centered cubic (fcc) (predicted) |
| Phase at r.t | Solid (predicted) |
| Density near r.t | 9.71 g/cm3 (predicted) |
| Natural occurrence | Synthetic |
| Oxidation state | +3 |
| Electronegativity (Pauling scale) | 1.3 |
| Protons Neutrons Electrons |
100 157 100 |
| CAS number | 7440-72-4 |
| Discovered at | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 1952 |
History of fermium
The discovery of fermium was a result of the research conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, USA. In 1952, Albert Ghiorso and his team of scientists bombarded a target of plutonium-239 with helium ions. The resulting product was identified as fermium-255, with a half-life of around 20 hours. The element was named after Enrico Fermi, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who is considered one of the fathers of the nuclear reactor.
After the discovery of fermium, more isotopes of the element were produced, including fermium-257, which has a half-life of about 100 days. The research on fermium was conducted during the Cold War era, and it was part of the efforts to develop new nuclear technologies for both civilian and military applications.
Due to the short half-life of most fermium isotopes, it is difficult to conduct detailed studies of their properties. However, the discovery of fermium contributed to our understanding of the nature of nuclear reactions and the behavior of heavy elements. It also served as a stepping stone for the discovery of other synthetic elements with higher atomic numbers.
Occurrence and production
Fermium is a man-made element and not found naturally on Earth. Its isotopes can be created by bombarding lighter elements with high-energy particles in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators. The most common isotope of fermium, fermium-257, has a half-life of just over 100 days, making it difficult to study and work with.
Fermium can be produced by bombarding lighter elements with neutrons in a nuclear reactor or with high-energy particles in a particle accelerator. The first fermium isotopes were produced in 1952 at the University of California, Berkeley, by bombarding uranium-238 with neutrons. The team, led by Albert Ghiorso, discovered fermium in debris from the explosion of the first hydrogen bomb in 1952. The element was named after Enrico Fermi, the physicist who created the first nuclear reactor. Since then, various isotopes of fermium have been produced in small quantities, and the production process remains complex and expensive due to the short half-life of fermium isotopes.
Properties of fermium
Physical properties
Fermium is a radioactive metal that is silver in color and has a melting point of around 1527 ℃. It has a density of approximately 9.71 grams per cubic centimeter.
Chemical properties
Fermium is a highly reactive element that readily forms compounds with oxygen, halogens, and other elements. It has a valence of +3 and can form various oxidation states.
Electronic properties
Fermium is a member of the actinide series, and as such, it has a complex electronic structure. It has 100 electrons arranged in the following electron configuration: [Rn] 5f12 7s2.
Isotopes
Fermium has no stable isotopes, but 20 radioactive isotopes have been characterized. The most stable isotope is Fermium-257, which has a half-life of around 100 days.
Magnetic properties
Fermium is known to exhibit magnetic properties, although these have not been studied in detail due to its radioactive nature.
Optical properties
There is very little information available on the optical properties of fermium due to its rarity and radioactive nature.
Uses of fermium
Fermium does not have many practical uses due to its rarity and high radioactivity. However, it is still an important element for scientific research in nuclear physics and chemistry. Here are some of the applications of fermium:
Study of nuclear reactions
Fermium is used in the study of nuclear reactions, particularly in the field of nuclear transmutation, where it is used to produce heavier elements.
Neutron research
Fermium-257, one of the isotopes of fermium, is used as a target for producing neutrons in research facilities. It is also used in neutron radiography, a non-destructive testing technique used to detect internal flaws in materials.
Fundamental research
Fermium is used in fundamental research to study the properties of atomic nuclei and the behavior of heavy elements under extreme conditions. This research is important for advancing our understanding of the universe.
Medical research
Although fermium is not used directly in medicine, it is used in research to develop new cancer treatments and imaging techniques.
Interesting facts about fermium
Fermium is named after Enrico Fermi, the Italian physicist who led the team that created the first controlled nuclear chain reaction.
Fermium has only been produced in minute quantities in the laboratory, and all isotopes have very short half-lives.
Fermium-257 is the longest-lived isotope, with a half-life of just over 100 days.
Fermium has no biological role and is highly toxic due to its radioactivity.
Fermium has no known commercial or industrial applications, and its main use is in scientific research, particularly in nuclear physics and chemistry.
