Periodic table: What are the rarest elements and how are they used?

Many elements were created on the zeroth day of the universe. Cosmic explosions combined and dispersed the clusters of atoms that characterize all the elements we know and systematically recorded them in the periodic table.

However, not all creations in this event could withstand years of planetary and stellar evolution. Half-life of hours or minutes Some of these elements became extinct years before humanity existed or thought about them..

Most of them can be found in their natural forms, arranged in the superficial or deep layers of the earth’s crust. But others only “re-exist” through synthesis processes.

Therefore, the periodic table was created over 150 years with the discovery of new elements. It was last discovered in 2010 in Tennessee (117). It was only officially recognized by IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) in 2015. So, could it be the rarest element of the periodic table? Reveal!

And the rare earth award…

I can say that not all of them are rare earths anyway. Belonging to the lanthanide family, they correspond to numbers 57 through 71 in the periodic table and are not that rare, they are just difficult to extract and separate.

However, among these 15 elements, there is something that has been intriguing and mysterious for years: promethium (61)! This is a synthesized element, meaning it does not exist in nature. Its half-life is only 17.7 years and it can be obtained through fission processes of plutonium.

But believe me, it is not easy at all. It is extremely unstable, and only now, almost 80 years after its discovery, has its structure been finally revealed. Promethium can be used as a source of beta radiation in batteries for space exploration and as a converter of light into electric current.

However, if we want to determine which are the rarest natural elements, we are talking about astatine (85) and francium (87). Both occur naturally and have a short half-life.

But in this tie The person who takes the cup is Astatus! This element, which is very rare in nature, has a half-life of approximately 7 hours and is considered the only element discovered by non-human hands (or glands). They were mice.

The real story is that researchers were not able to detect the element directly, so they had to implement other alternatives. To do this, they produced some astatine in larger amounts of bismuth.

This preparation was offered as food to laboratory guinea pigs. Some The properties of astatine are similar to the effect of iodine absorbed by the thyroid gland.and researchers finally succeeded in isolating the element in 1939.

The rarity of elements can be determined by factors such as the difficulty of obtaining them through mining or synthesis, the amount available naturally or through production, atomic stability, and of course half-life. Other elements that could be included in the rarest list are: technetium (43), rhodium (45), osmium (76) and iridium (77).

What are the possible uses of these elements?

Its uses can be very diverse, including nuclear medicine and cancer-fighting drugs, brighter and more durable jewelry, or nothing at all. That’s right none of it. Not all elements in the periodic table have extraordinary functionality..

Maybe one day we can find a special function for them, but for now some as a status it has only theoretical significance. But uselessness also has its uses!

Many of these “dysfunctional” elements It represents the link between heavier elements such as uranium and plutonium and their products, and is the result of the decay of particles.. Many of these “nonfunctional” elements represent the link between heavier elements, such as uranium and plutonium, and their products, which are the result of the decay of their particles.

Therefore, the study of these “useless” elements helps us fill knowledge gaps about the physicochemical behavior of unstable particles. Although it may seem like a waste of time and resources, Everything produced can be used for human enrichment.

So are there more elements to explore? If you like the content, let us know on our social networks and stay tuned to TecMundo. To the next one!