What Is Technetium?
Technetium, with the atomic number 43 and element symbol Tc, is a member of the manganese group and a transition element. Notably, it has no stable isotopes and all its isotopes are radioactive.
Technetium is produced artificially, typically by bombarding molybdenum with accelerated deuterons or by extracting it from neutron-irradiated uranium.
As an element, technetium is a silvery-gray metal and demonstrates properties characteristic of a transition metal. It has a melting point of about 2200 °C, a boiling point of 4877 °C, and a density of 11.5 g/cm³ at 20 °C. It exhibits a slight degree of ferromagnetism below 11.3 K and becomes superconductive below 7.8 K.
Chemically, technetium shares similarities with rhenium (atomic number 75). It is resistant to hydrofluoric acid and hydrochloric acid but can dissolve in nitric acid, concentrated sulfuric acid, and aqua regia, due to their oxidizing properties.
Discovered in 1936, technetium was the first artificially synthesized element, earning its name (from the Greek ‘technitos’, meaning ‘artificial’) in 1947. While naturally occurring technetium is extremely rare on Earth and mainly produced during uranium fission, it has been detected in space through spectral lines on celestial bodies.
Uses of Technetium
Technetium’s applications predominantly leverage its radioactive nature.
In nuclear medicine, it serves as a medical tracer for skeletal and organ imaging, including bones, kidneys, lungs, thyroid, liver, and spleen. Various formulations such as blood flow measurement agents, bone imaging agents, and tumor diagnosis radiodiagnostic agents are used in the form of injections tailored for specific diagnostic purposes.
Technetium also finds use as a corrosion inhibitor for steel.