Meitnerium
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Meitnerium (Eka-Iridium) is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Mt and atomic number 109. It is a synthetic element whose most stable isotope is Mt-276 with a half-life of 720 milliseconds.
History
Meitnerium was first synthesized on August 29, 1982 by a German research team led by Peter Armbruster and Gottfried Münzenberg at the Institute for Heavy Ion Research (Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung) in Darmstadt.The team bombarded a target of bismuth-209 with accelerated nuclei of iron-58. The synthesis of this element demonstrated that nuclear fusion techniques could be used to make new, heavy nuclei.
The name meitnerium was suggested in honor of the Austrian-Swedish physicist and mathematician Lise Meitner, but there was an element naming controversy as to what the elements from 101 to 109 were to be called; thus IUPAC adopted unnilennium (symbol Une) as a temporary, systematic element name. In 1997, however, the dispute was resolved and the current name was adopted.
See also
Lise MeitnerExternal links
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