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fermium

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | Date: 2008

fermium [for Enrico Fermi ], artificially produced radioactive chemical element; symbol Fm; at. no. 100; mass no. of most stable isotope 257; m.p. 1,527°C; b.p. and sp. gr. unknown; valence +2, +3. Fermium is a member of Group 3 of the periodic table . The physical properties of fermium are largely unknown; its chemical properties are believed to be similar to those of the other members of the actinide series . The eighth transuranium element to be discovered, fermium was first identified (1952) as fermium-255 ( half-life about 20 hours) by Albert Ghiorso and his coworkers, who discovered it in residue from the first thermonuclear test explosion in the South Pacific. Twenty isotopes, all of which are radioactive, are known; the most stable is fermium-257, with a half-life of about 100 days. Isotopes of fermium have been produced by neutron bombardment of plutonium.

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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles from HighBeam Research

Taking a shine to number 100. (Physics).(fermium)(Brief Article)
Science News; 5/31/2003; 197 words ; ... properties of the radioactive element fermium--a metal discovered some 50 years ago ... heavy elements, such as artificially made fermium, element number 100, is difficult because ... studied less than 2 billionths of a gram of fermium painstakingly produced by Oak Ridge (Tenn ... Read more
ARGONNE DISCOVERIES
Chicago Sun-Times; 1/14/1996; 147 words ; Two new elements co-discovered in radioactive debris of hydrogen bomb. Named Einsteinium and Fermium, after physicists Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi. World's first nuclear breeder reactor, which produces more nuclear fuel than ... Read more
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.(LOCAL NEWS)
The Fresno Bee (Fresno, CA); 10/12/2002; 1307 words ; ... unexpected positive spin-off of Mike's explosion was the isolation of two new transuranium elements, einsteinium (No. 99) and fermium (No. 100), obtained from material collected on filters carried by fighter planes that flew through the cloud. This terrifying ... Read more
(book reviews)
Chemistry and Industry; 11/2/1998; Rouvray, Dennis H.; 930 words ; ... the co-discoverer of no less than ten of these elements: plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium and seaborgium. As a direct result of his discoveries, Seaborg was able to formulate the concept of ... Read more
New x-ray wavelength reference table to be published. (General Developments).
Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; 9/1/2002; 337 words ; ... Deslattes. The compilations contains K- and L x-ray transition and absorption edge energies for all of the elements from neon to fermium and includes carefully selected and evaluated experimental data and trusted estimates obtained from state-of-the-art theoretical ... Read more
Five floral designs
Herald Express (Torquay UK); 4/22/2008; 329 words ; ... lilies and pink gerberas. In contrast a tall contemporary pedestal was used with lavatera to cover the base, green hellebores, fermium and flexigrass, to which the flowers were fixed with glue dots. An open design with pink and lavender flowers, Singapore orchids ... Read more
Commentary: List of elements set to "I am a Very Model of a Modern Major General"
All Things Considered (NPR); 8/24/2000; 255 words ; ... calcium, chromium, and curium. There's sulfur, californium, and fermium, berkelium, and also mendelevium, einsteinium, nobelium, and ... tungsten, tin, and sodium. These are the only ones of which the news has come to Harvard, and there may be many others, but they ... Read more
Chemist honored on periodic table. (Originated from Knight-Ridder Newspapers)
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service; 3/13/1994; Chui, Glennda; 412 words ; ... Earth. It also led to the discovery of a series of heavier elements _ americum, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium and now seaborgium. Seaborg shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1951 for his work on these elements ... Read more
Analysis: Periodic table of elements
Talk of the Nation Science Friday (NPR); 7/19/2002; RICHARD HARRIS; 5507 words ; ... RICHARD HARRIS, host: From NPR News, this is TALK OF THE NATION ... There's sulfur, californium and fermium, berkelium and also mendelevium ... are the only ones of which the news has come to Harvard, and there ... TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News. So some of these new elements ... Read more
Board member Glenn T. Seabord dies.(chemist)(Obituary)
The Futurist; 5/1/1999; 498 words ; ... colleagues continued their research on the transuranium elements, discovering such elements as berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, and nobelium. In 1997, Seaborg was the first living chemist to have an element named after him - seaborgium ... Read more

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses

fermium
World Encyclopedia fermium (symbol Fm) Radioactive metallic transuranic element of the actinide series . US nuclear scientist Albert Ghiorso (1915– ... Read more
fermium
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English ... ˈfər- / • n. the chemical element of atomic number 100, a radioactive metal of the actinide series. Fermium does not occur naturally and was discovered in 1953 in the debris of the first hydrogen bomb explosion. (Symbol: Fm ) Read more
Fermium (revised)
Chemical Elements: From Carbon to Krypton FERMIUM (REVISED) Note: This article, originally published in 1998, was updated in 2006 for the eBook edition. Overview Fermium is one of the transuranium elements, which lie beyond uranium ... numbers are transuranium elements. Discovery and naming Fermium was discovered in 1952, among the products formed ... Read more
Fermium
Chemistry: Foundations and Applications Fermium melting point: 1800K boiling point: unknown density: unknown most common ions: Fm 3+ , Fm 2+ Fermium, the eleventh member of the actinide series, was discovered in 1952. Fermium (element 100), together with einsteinium (element 99), were unexpectedly produced ... Read more
Periodic Table of the Elements: Fermium
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Periodic Table of the Elements: Fermium Atomic Number: 100 Atomic Symbol: Fm   Fermium Atomic Weight: (257) Electron Configuration: 2 · 8 · 18 32 · 30 8 · 2 Read more

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