Download Fermium does not occur naturally in the Earth`s crust. It was first

Stable
isotope
(none)
Relative
atomic mass
Mole
fraction
Fermium does not occur naturally in the Earth’s crust. It was first identified in December 1952
by American scientists from the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, Illinois, the Los
Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and The University of California
Laboratory in Berkeley, California in the debris of thermonuclear weapons (Figure 1). The
element was named for Enrico Fermi, who built the first man-made nuclear reactor. 255 Fm was
the first isotope identified. Fermium is the heaviest element that can be formed by neutron
bombardment of lighter elements and is thus the heaviest element that can be synthesized in
macroscopic quantities [640-642].
Fermium is of interest in particle physics research, but it has no commercial applications.
253
Fm was one of the decay products used to confirm synthesis of copernicium in a particle
accelerator experiment [640-642].
Fig. 1: The first successful hydrogen bomb test (Ivy-Mike) in 1952 produced 255 Fm, which was
the first fermium isotope detected. (Photo Source: National Nuclear Security Administration /
Nevada Site Office) [643].
Glossary
atomic number (Z) – The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.
decay product – (daughter product), any nuclide produced by a specified radionuclide (parent)
in a decay chain. [return]
electron – elementary particle of matter with a negative electric charge and a rest mass of about
9.109 × 10–31 kg.
element (chemical element) – a species of atoms; all atoms with the same number of protons in
the atomic nucleus. A pure chemical substance composed of atoms with the same number of
protons in the atomic nucleus [703]. [return]
neutron – an elementary particle with no net charge and a rest mass of about 1.675 × 10–27 kg,
slightly more than that of the proton. All atoms contain neutrons in their nucleus except for
protium (1H). [return]
proton – an elementary particle having a rest mass of about 1.673 × 10–27 kg, slightly less than
that of a neutron, and a positive electric charge equal and opposite to that of the electron. The
number of protons in the nucleus of an atom is the atomic number.
radionuclide – a nuclide that is radioactive [703].
References
640. B. L.-L. B. N. Laboratory. The Search for “Heavy” Elements. Berkeley Lab- Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory 2014 Feb. 25.
http://www.lbl.gov/abc/wallchart/chapters/08/0.html
641. Nobelprize.org. Enrico Fermi - Biographical. Nobel Media AB. 2014 Feb. 25.
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1938/fermi-bio.html
642. L. A. N. Laboratory. Periodic Table of Elements: LANL- Fermium. Los Alamos National
Laboratory. 2014 Feb. 25. http://periodic.lanl.gov/100.shtml
643. N. N. S. A. N. S. Office. IVY-52-05- Operation Ivy, Mike Shot, 10/31/52. National
Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office. 2014 Feb. 25.
http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/photos/photodetails.aspx?ID=750
703. I. U. o. P. a. A. Chemistry. Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold
Book"). Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford (1997).