Meitnerium Facts: Learn About This Radioactive Synthetic Element

A synthetic element does not occur naturally on Earth and is one of the 24 known chemical elements.

Although, five of these elements, artificially made by man, were not synthetic as traces of these elements were discovered later. There is nothing to worry about when it comes to the health effects of manufactured elements, as they can never be present freely in the Earth's crust.

In the periodic table, the synthetic elements are those with atomic numbers ranging from 95-118. The atomic mass of meitnerium is 268 amu, while the atomic number of meitnerium is 109. Read on to find out fascinating facts about meitnerium!

Discovery Of Meitnerium

Meitnerium was discovered by German researchers, Gottfried Munzenberg and Peter Armbuster in 1982, in their research laboratory in Germany.

It was named meitnerium in honor of the Austrian physicist Lise Meitner. However, it is commonly referred to as 'element 109'. The first atom of the chemical element was synthesized by bombarding isotopes of bismuth and iron, which produced a single atom of Mt-266.

Uses Of Meitnerium

Meitnerium is a man-made element that is not found in nature. Since only small amounts of the element have been made artificially, it has no use in everyday life.

Currently, it is used only for conducting research in science. Meitnerium can be toxic due to its radioactivity, so the element has no biological role. It may be used for harvesting energy and could serve other technological purposes in the future.

Importance Of Meitnerium

West German physicists synthesized an isotope of meitnerium in 1982 at the Research Institute for Heavy Ion in Germany. The experiment conducted was significant in many ways, but the most important one was discovering the new element. Other than that, the process demonstrated the practicability of employing fusion to create new heavy nuclei.

GSI investigators yielded only a single nucleus of the element after bombarding bismuth-209 with iron-58 ions for almost 10 days. Mt-278 is the most stable isotope and has a half-life of four and a half seconds.

Characteristics And Features

Meitnerium is a group nine transition metal in the 'd-block' of the periodic table. The element is large, with an atomic mass of 268 amu. The chemical properties of meitnerium are just predicted, based on its characteristic relationship with iridium.

The atomic number of meitnerium is 109, with the symbol Mt in the periodic table. It does not have any naturally occurring stable isotopes. The electron configuration of the neutral Mt atom is (Rn) 5f14 6d7 7s2.

As for the physical properties, meitnerium is a radioactive metal of unknown color and a cubic structure. Like most transition metals, Mt is of unknown density, and the element's boiling point and melting point are also unknown.

FAQs

How is meitnerium used in everyday life?

There are no real uses for meitnerium in everyday life.

What are the properties of meitnerium?

Meitnerium is a little-known, radioactive, synthetic element. It is in a solid state at room temperature and classified as a metal.

What is the color of meitnerium?

The color of the radioactive metal is unknown and can presumably be silvery-white, metallic, or gray.

How was meitnerium created?

Meitnerium was produced artificially by bombarding bismuth with iron atoms.

Does meitnerium have a melting point?

The melting point of the element is unknown.

Why is meitnerium so important?

The discovery of meitnerium produced a new element and demonstrated the use of nuclear fission to make new nuclei.

Who discovered meitnerium?

It was discovered by a team of German researchers in their laboratory.