🔹 Basic Information

• Element Name: Protactinium
• Discovered By: Kasimir Fajans and Oswald Helmuth Göhring
• Year of Discovery: 1913 (confirmed and isolated in 1917)
• Category: Actinide Series (Radioactive Metal)
• Group: Actinides (no formal group number)
• State at Room Temperature: Solid 🧊

Protactinium is a rare, silvery-gray metal that’s radioactive and found in trace amounts in uranium ores. It’s part of the actinide series on the periodic table.

🔸 Chemical Properties

• Chemical Symbol: Pa
• Atomic Number: 91
• Atomic Mass: ~231.04 u
• Valency: Commonly +5
• Electronic Configuration: [Rn] 5f² 6d¹ 7s²

It behaves chemically like uranium and thorium and is known for forming complex compounds with oxygen and halogens.

📘 Basic Things to Know

The name “Protactinium” means “parent of actinium” because it decays into actinium during its radioactive life cycle. It’s extremely rare and difficult to isolate.

🤔 Interesting Facts

• It’s one of the rarest naturally occurring elements on Earth 🌍
• Protactinium is about 1 million times more rare than gold! 💰
• It was once called “brevium” because of its short-lived isotopes
• Very toxic and highly radioactive ☢️ — requires special handling
• Used mostly in research, but once helped scientists understand nuclear reactions and isotope behavior

🔧 Common Uses

⚠️ Protactinium has no commercial or everyday uses due to its rarity, cost, and radioactivity.

• Scientific Research: Studied in nuclear chemistry and physics labs 🔬
• Geology: Helps scientists understand age and formation of rocks through isotope dating
• Education: Teaches students about radioactive decay and actinides 🧠

📚 Conclusion

Protactinium is a rare, radioactive metal that plays a small but important role in scientific discovery. Though too dangerous and scarce for practical use, it helps researchers learn more about nuclear reactions, the Earth’s history, and the periodic table. 🧪🌍