Mendelewium

Mendelevium, with the chemical symbol Md and atomic number 101, is a fascinating artificially produced chemical element. It was first discovered in 1955 by American scientists Albert Ghiorso, Glenn T. Seaborg, Ralph A. James, and Gregory R. Choppin. The researchers synthesized mendelevium by irradiating a few milligrams of plutonium with alpha particles at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The name "Mendelevium" honors the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, who developed the periodic table of elements. The discovery took place as part of intensive research in the field of transuranic elements, leading to an expansion of the periodic table. Mendelevium is extremely rare on Earth and is primarily produced in nuclear reactors or through the decay of other transuranic elements. Due to its strong radioactivity, mendelevium has limited applications. It is used in research for specialized studies on nuclear structure.

The key mendelevium isotopes are Mendelevium-258, Mendelevium-259, and Mendelevium-260. Mendelevium-258 has a half-life of about 51.5 days, Mendelevium-259 about 1.6 hours, and Mendelevium-260 about 28 days.

Active filters