🔹 Basic Information

• Element Name: Technetium
• Discovered By: Carlo Perrier and Emilio Segrè
• Year of Discovery: 1937
• Category: Transition Metal
• Group: 7 (Group VIIB – Transition Metals)
• State at Room Temperature: Solid (silvery-gray metal) ⚙️

Technetium is a rare, radioactive metal that does not occur naturally on Earth in large amounts — it was the first element to be made artificially!

🔸 Chemical Properties

• Chemical Symbol: Tc
• Atomic Number: 43
• Atomic Mass: ~98 u (varies due to isotopes)
• Valency: Commonly +7, but also +4 and +6
• Electronic Configuration: [Kr] 4d⁵ 5s²

Technetium’s isotopes are radioactive, and it slowly decays over time. It forms many compounds with different oxidation states.

📘 Basic Things to Know

Technetium’s name comes from the Greek word technetos, meaning “artificial,” because it was the first element created in a lab. It’s mostly produced in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators.

🤔 Interesting Facts

• Technetium is the lightest element with no stable isotopes — all of its forms are radioactive! ☢️
• It is used in medical imaging; the isotope technetium-99m helps doctors see inside the body during scans. 🏥🩻
• Because it’s radioactive, technetium is rarely found in nature except tiny amounts from natural uranium decay.
• It has properties similar to manganese and rhenium and behaves like a typical transition metal.
• Technetium’s discovery filled a missing spot in the periodic table where scientists expected an element to exist.

🔧 Common Uses

• Medical Imaging: Used in technetium-99m scans for detecting heart problems, cancers, and bone diseases. 🏥
• Research: Used in scientific studies because of its unique radioactive properties. 🔬
• Industrial Uses: Sometimes used as a corrosion-resistant coating in special applications.

📚 Conclusion

Technetium is a unique and fascinating metal — the first element made by humans and a vital tool in modern medicine. It shows how science can create new materials with powerful uses, even if they don’t naturally exist on Earth! For students, technetium is a perfect example of how chemistry and technology come together. 🔬⚛️