Promethium (Pm)
lanthanideSolid
Standard Atomic Weight
[145]Electron configuration
[Xe] 6s2 4f5Melting point
1041.85 °C (1315 K)Boiling point
2999.85 °C (3273 K)Density
7260 kg/m³Oxidation states
+2, +3Electronegativity (Pauling)
N/AIonization energy (1st)
Discovery year
1902Atomic radius
185 pmDetails
Promethium is a radioactive lanthanide and the only rare-earth element with no stable isotope. It behaves chemically like a typical trivalent lanthanide, forming Pm³⁺ compounds that resemble those of neodymium and samarium. Natural promethium exists only in minute, transient amounts from uranium fission and rare decay processes. Usable quantities have been obtained mainly from nuclear-reactor fission products or by neutron irradiation of neodymium.
It is a soft beta emitter; although no gamma rays are emitted, X-radiation can be generated when beta particles impinge on elements of a high atomic number, and great care must be taken in handling it. Promethium salts luminesce in the dark with a pale blue or greenish glow, due to their high radioactivity. Ion-exchange methods led to the preparation of about 10 g of promethium from atomic reactor fuel processing wastes in early 1963. Little is yet generally known about the properties of metallic promethium. Two allotropic modifications exist.
The existence of promethium was predicted by Bohuslav Brauner, a Czech chemist, in 1902. Several groups claimed to have produced the element, but they could not confirm their discoveries because of the difficulty of separating promethium from other elements. Proof of the existence of promethium was obtained by Jacob A. Marinsky, Lawrence E. Glendenin and Charles D. Coryell in 1944. Too busy with defense related research in World War II, they did not claim their discovery until 1946. They discovered promethium while analyzing the byproducts of uranium fission that were produced in a nuclear reactor located at Clinton Laboratories in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Today, Clinton Laboratories is known as Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Today, promethium is still recovered from the byproducts of uranium fission. It can also be produced by bombarding neodymium-146 with neutrons. Neodymium-146 becomes neodymium-147 when it captures a neutron. Neodymium-147, with a half-life of 11 days, decays into promethium-147 through beta decay. Promethium does not occur naturally on earth, although it has been detected in the spectrum of a star in the constellation Andromeda.
Promethium's most stable isotope, promethium-145, has a half-life of 17.7 years. It decays into neodymium-145 through electron capture.
Named after the Greek Prometheus, who, according to mythology, stole fire from heaven. In 1902 Branner predicted the existence of an element between neodymium and samarium, and this was confirmed by Moseley in 1914. In 1941, workers at Ohio State University irradiated neodymium and praseodymium with neutrons, deuterons, and alpha particles, and produced several new radioactivities, which most likely were those of element 61. Wu and Segre, and Bethe, in 1942, confirmed the formation; however, chemical proof of the production of element 61 was lacking because of the difficulty in separating the rare earths from each other at that time. In 1945, Marinsky, Glendenin, and Coryell made the first chemical identification by use of ion-exchange chromatography. Their work was done by fission of uranium and by neutron bombardment of neodymium.
Images
Properties
Physical
Chemical
Thermodynamic
Nuclear
Abundance
N/A
Reactivity
N/A
Crystal Structure
N/A
Electronic Structure
Identifiers
Electron Configuration Measured
Pm: 4f⁵ 6s²[Xe] 4f⁵ 6s²1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁶ 4f⁵ 6s²Atomic model
Isotopes change neutron count, mass, and stability — not the electron configuration of a neutral atom.
Schematic atomic model, not to scale.
Atomic Fingerprint
Emission / Absorption Spectrum
Isotope Distribution
No stable isotopes.
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 160 Radioactive | 159.9431 ± 0.00032 | N/A | 725 ms |
| 162 Radioactive | 161.95022 ± 0.00043 | N/A | 630 ms |
| 126 Radioactive | 125.95792 ± 0.00054 | N/A | 500 ms |
| 144 Radioactive | 143.9125964 ± 0.0000034 | N/A | 363 days |
| 164 Radioactive | 163.958819 ± 0.000429 | N/A | 300 ms |
Phase / State
Reason: 1016.9 °C below melting point (1041.85 °C)
Schematic, not to scale
Phase transition points
Transition energies
Energy required to melt 1 mol at melting point
Energy required to vaporize 1 mol at boiling point
Energy required to sublime 1 mol at sublimation point
Density
At standard conditions
At standard conditions
Atomic Spectra
Showing 10 of 61 Atomic Spectra. Sorted by ion charge (ascending).
Lines Holdings ?
| Ion | Charge | Total lines | Transition probabilities | Level designations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pm I | 0 | 229 | 0 | 16 |
| Pm II | +1 | 195 | 0 | 9 |
Levels Holdings ?
| Ion | Charge | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Pm I | 0 | 222 |
| Pm II | +1 | 182 |
| Pm III | +2 | 2 |
| Pm IV | +3 | 12 |
| Pm V | +4 | 2 |
| Pm VI | +5 | 2 |
| Pm VII | +6 | 2 |
| Pm VIII | +7 | 2 |
| Pm IX | +8 | 2 |
| Pm X | +9 | 2 |
Crystal structure data not available
Ionic Radii
| Charge | Coordination | Spin | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|
| +3 | 6 | N/A | 97 pm |
| +3 | 8 | N/A | 109.3 pm |
| +3 | 9 | N/A | 114.39999999999999 pm |
Compounds
Isotopes (5)
| Mass number | Atomic mass (u) | Natural abundance | Half-life | Decay mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 160 Radioactive | 159.9431 ± 0.00032 | N/A | 725 ms | β- =100%β-n ? | |
| 162 Radioactive | 161.95022 ± 0.00043 | N/A | 630 ms | β- =100%β-n ? | |
| 126 Radioactive | 125.95792 ± 0.00054 | N/A | 500 ms | β+ ?β+p ? | |
| 144 Radioactive | 143.9125964 ± 0.0000034 | N/A | 363 days | ε =100%e+<8e-5% | |
| 164 Radioactive | 163.958819 ± 0.000429 | N/A | 300 ms | β- ?β-n ? |
Extended Properties
Covalent Radii (Extended)
Van der Waals Radii
Atomic & Metallic Radii
Numbering Scales
Electronegativity Scales
Polarizability & Dispersion
Miedema Parameters
Phase Transitions & Allotropes
| Melting point | 1315.15 K |
Oxidation State Categories
Advanced Reference Data
Screening Constants (13)
| n | Orbital | σ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s | 1.2042 |
| 2 | p | 4.2562 |
| 2 | s | 16.0296 |
| 3 | d | 13.9018 |
| 3 | p | 19.4461 |
| 3 | s | 19.8154 |
| 4 | d | 33.26 |
| 4 | f | 37.866 |
| 4 | p | 30.3768 |
| 4 | s | 29.3604 |
Crystal Radii Detail (3)
| Charge | CN | Spin | rcrystal (pm) | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | VI | 111 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | VIII | 123.3 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | IX | 128.4 | from r^3 vs V plots, |
Isotope Decay Modes (60)
| Isotope | Mode | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 126 | B+ | — |
| 126 | B+p | — |
| 127 | B+ | — |
| 127 | p | — |
| 128 | B+ | 100% |
| 128 | B+p | — |
| 128 | p | 0% |
| 129 | B+ | 100% |
| 129 | B+p | — |
| 129 | p | — |
X‑ray Scattering Factors (508)
| Energy (eV) | f₁ | f₂ |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | — | 0.21641 |
| 10.1617 | — | 0.22429 |
| 10.3261 | — | 0.23246 |
| 10.4931 | — | 0.24092 |
| 10.6628 | — | 0.2497 |
| 10.8353 | — | 0.25879 |
| 11.0106 | — | 0.26822 |
| 11.1886 | — | 0.27798 |
| 11.3696 | — | 0.28811 |
| 11.5535 | — | 0.2986 |
Additional Data
Estimated Crustal Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.
Not Applicable
References (1)
- [5] Promethium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele061.html
Estimated Oceanic Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's oceans.
Not Applicable
References (1)
- [5] Promethium https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele061.html
Sources
Sources of this element.
Searches for the element on earth have been fruitless, and it now appears that promethium is completely missing from the earth's crust. Promethium, however, has been identified in the spectrum of the star HR465 in Andromeda. This element is being formed recently near the star's surface, for no known isotope of promethium has a half-life longer than 17.7 years. Seventeen isotopes of promethium, with atomic masses from 134 to 155 are now known. Promethium-147, with a half-life of 2.6 years, is the most generally useful. Promethium-145 is the longest lived, and has a specific activity of 940 Ci/g.
References (1)
- [6] Promethium https://periodic.lanl.gov/61.shtml
References
(9)
Data deposited in or computed by PubChem
The half-life and atomic mass data was provided by the Atomic Mass Data Center at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Element data are cited from the Atomic weights of the elements (an IUPAC Technical Report). The IUPAC periodic table of elements can be found at https://iupac.org/what-we-do/periodic-table-of-elements/. Additional information can be found within IUPAC publication doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0703 Copyright © 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
The information are cited from Pure Appl. Chem. 2018; 90(12): 1833-2092, https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703.
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is one of 17 national laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab's primary mission is to conduct basic research of the atom's nucleus using the lab's unique particle accelerator, known as the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). For more information visit https://www.jlab.org/
The periodic table at the LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) contains basic element information together with the history, source, properties, use, handling and more. The provenance data may be found from the link under the source name.
The periodic table contains NIST's critically-evaluated data on atomic properties of the elements. The provenance data that include data for atomic spectroscopy, X-ray and gamma ray, radiation dosimetry, nuclear physics, and condensed matter physics may be found from the link under the source name. Ref: https://www.nist.gov/pml/atomic-spectra-database
This section provides all form of data related to element Promethium.
The element property data was retrieved from publications.