Author:
Jan Scholten
Book:
Secret Lanthanides
Type:
Physical
Chapter:
7.0
7.0 Promethium physical
Promethium is not found on earth, due to it’s radioactive decay. It has been made in nuclear laboratories. Today, promethium is still recovered from the by-products of uranium fission; it can also be produced by bombarding 146Nd with neutrons, turning it into 147Nd which decays into 147Pm through beta decay with a half-life of 11 days.
Atomic number: 61
Symbol: Pm
Discovery: 1945 by J.A. Marinksy, L.E. Glendenin and C.D. Coryell at Oak Bridge, Tennessee, USA.
Name: Prometheus, who brought the fire and light from the heavens and was punished by the Gods; they chained him to a rock and an eagle came every day eating his liver;Heracles liberated him.
Toxicology: radioactive.
Ore: Never normally encountered outside the laboratory or nuclear industry, because it is hazardous due to its radioactivity.
Uses
1. Pacemakers (Marks)
2. Beta radiation source for thickness gauges.
3. Light source for signals that require dependable operation (using Phosphorus to absorb the beta radiation and produce light).
4. Photocells convert the light into electric current, yielding a useful life of about five years using 147-Pm.
5. Portable X-ray source, as an auxiliary heat / power source for space probes and satellites, and to make lasers that can be used to communicate with submerged submarines.