Md
258.000Mendelevium
Mendelevyum
Mendelevium is a synthetic radioactive actinide with atomic number 101. It is known as the first element synthesized atom by atom, for mendelevium-258, trace actinide chemistry and +2/+3 oxidation-state studies.
101
258 g/mol
[Rn] 5f¹³ 7s²
2 | 8 | 18 | 32 | 31 | 8 | 2
1.3
—
826.9 °C
—
Ghiorso, Seaborg, Harvey, Choppin & Thompson
Mendelevium was synthesized in 1955 at Berkeley by Albert Ghiorso, Glenn Seaborg, Bernard Harvey, Gregory Choppin and Stanley Thompson by bombarding einsteinium-253 with alpha particles. The first experiment identified only a tiny number of atoms, making it a milestone in atom-by-atom chemistry.
Mendelevium-256
Half-life: About 77 minutes. Early synthesized mendelevium isotope from the first atom-by-atom discovery work.Mendelevium-258
Half-life: About 51.5 days. Longest-lived mendelevium isotope and the most useful for chemical studies.Mendelevium-260
Half-life: About 28 days. Long-lived isotope used in nuclear data discussions.- Trace actinide chemistry experiments on +2 and +3 oxidation states
- Nuclear structure studies of late actinides
- Production and identification methods for single atoms
- Research on the transition from actinide to transactinide chemistry
Mendelevium has no biological role. It is synthetic, radioactive and produced only in extremely small quantities for nuclear and actinide chemistry research.
- Mendelevium is named after Dmitri Mendeleev, creator of the periodic table.
- Its first synthesis produced only atom-scale quantities, yet the atoms were chemically identified.
- Mendelevium can show a +2 oxidation state, a late-actinide feature related to f-electron stability.
- Mendelevium has atomic number 101 and symbol Md.
- Its electron configuration is [Rn] 5f¹³ 7s².
- Mendelevium is a synthetic actinide with no commercial use.
- Remember Md-258 for the longest-lived mendelevium isotope and atom-by-atom synthesis history.
What is the atomic number of mendelevium?
The atomic number of mendelevium is 101.
What is the electron configuration of mendelevium?
Mendelevium has the electron configuration [Rn] 5f¹³ 7s².
What is mendelevium used for?
Mendelevium is used only in nuclear physics and trace actinide chemistry research.
What is mendelevium-258?
Mendelevium-258 is the longest-lived mendelevium isotope, with a half-life of about 51.5 days.
Who is mendelevium named after?
Mendelevium is named after Dmitri Mendeleev, the scientist associated with the periodic table.