43
Tc
Technetium
Atomic Mass 98
Electron Configuration [Kr]5s24d5
Oxidation States +7, +6, +4
Year Discovered 1937

Identifiers

Element Name Technetium
Element Symbol Tc
InChI InChI=1S/Tc
InChIKey GKLVYJBZJHMRIY-UHFFFAOYSA-N

Properties

Atomic Weight

98

98

[98]

Electron Configuration

[Kr]5s24d5

Atomic Radius

Van der Waals Atomic Radius : 209 pm (Van der Waals)

Empirical Atomic Radius : 135pm (Empirical)

Covalent Atomic Radius : 147(7) pm (Covalent)

Oxidation States

+7, +6, +4

7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, -1, -3 ​(a strongly acidic oxide)

Ground Level

6S5/2

Ionization Energy

7.28 eV

7.11938 ± 0.00003 eV

Electronegativity

Pauling Scale Electronegativity : 1.9(Pauling Scale)

Allen Scale Electronegativity : 1.51(Allen Scale)

Electron Affinity

0.55eV

0.99eV

Atomic Spectra

Lines Holdings

Levels Holdings

Physical Description

Solid

Element Classification

Metal

Element Period Number

5

Element Group Number

7

Density

11 grams per cubic centimeter

Melting Point

2430 K (2157°C or 3915°F)

2157°C

Boiling Point

4538 K (4265°C or 7709°F)

4265°C

Estimated Crustal Abundance

Not Applicable

Estimated Oceanic Abundance

Not Applicable

History

Technetium was the first artificially produced element. It was isolated by Carlo Perrier and Emilio Segrè in 1937. Technetium was created by bombarding molybdenum atoms with deuterons that had been accelerated by a device called a cyclotron. Today, technetium is produced by bombarding molybdenum-98 with neutrons. Molybdenum-98 becomes molybdenum-99 when it captures a neutron. Molybdenum-99, with a half-life of 65.94 hours, decays into technetium-99 through beta decay. While technetium has never been found to occur naturally on earth, its spectral lines have been observed in S-, M- and N-type stars.

Technetium's most stable isotope, technetium-98, has a half-life of about 4,200,000 years. It decays into ruthenium-98 through beta decay.

From the Greek word technetos, artificial. Element 43 was predicted on the basis of the periodic table, and was erroneously reported as having been discovered in 1925, at which time it was named masurium. The element was actually discovered by Perrier and Segre in Italy in 1937. It was also found in a sample of molybdenum sent by E. Lawrence that was bombarded by deuterons in the Berkeley cyclotron. Technetium was the first element to be produced artificially. Since its discovery, searches for the element in terrestrial material have been made. Finally in 1962, technetium-99 was isolated and identified in African pitchblende (a uranium rich ore) in extremely minute quantities as a spontaneous fission product of uranium-238 by B.T. Kenna and P.K. Kuroda. If it does exist, the concentration must be very small. Technetium has been found in the spectrum of S-, M-, and N-type stars, and its presence in stellar matter is leading to new theories of the production of heavy elements in the stars.

Historical Atomic Weights

Year Atomic Weight (uncertainty) [u] Reference
1969, 98.9062(1), doi:10.1351/pac197021010091

Description

Technetium is a silvery-gray metal that tarnishes slowly in moist air. The common oxidation states of technetium are +7, +5, and +4. Under oxidizing conditions technetium (VII) will exist as the pertechnetate ion, TcO4-. The chemistry of technetium is said to be similar to that of rhenium. Technetium dissolves in nitric acid, aqua regia, and concentrated sulfuric acid, but is not soluble in hydrochloric acid of any strength. The element is a remarkable corrosion inhibitor for steel. The metal is an excellent superconductor at 11K and below.

Users

Small amounts of technetium can retard the corrosion of steel, although this protection can only be applied to closed systems due to technetium's radioactivity. Technetium can also be used as a medical tracer and to calibrate particle detectors.

Compounds

See more information at the Technetium compound page.

Element Forms

CID Name Formula SMILES Molecular Weight
23957 technetium Tc [Tc] 96.90636
26476 technetium-99 Tc [99Tc] 98.906250
105170 technetium-94 Tc [94Tc] 93.90965
161147 technetium-97 Tc [97Tc] 96.90636
167171 technetium-96 Tc [96Tc] 95.90787
169395 technetium-98 Tc [98Tc] 97.90721
177501 technetium-101 Tc [101Tc] 100.9073
176430 technetium(4+) Tc+4 [Tc+4] 96.90636
178169 technetium-93 Tc [93Tc] 92.91025
9833933 technetium(7+) Tc+7 [Tc+7] 96.90636
177632 technetium-104 Tc [104Tc] 103.9114
131801054 technetium-99(4+) Tc+4 [99Tc+4] 98.906250
22241802 technetium(6+) Tc+6 [Tc+6] 96.90636
22241813 technetium(5+) Tc+5 [Tc+5] 96.90636
9793700 technetium-95 Tc [95Tc] 94.90765
9793872 technetium-90 Tc [90Tc] 89.92407
9870092 technetium-100 Tc [100Tc] 99.90765
46829797 technetium-99(7+) Tc+7 [99Tc+7] 98.906250
46830027 technetium-94(7+) Tc+7 [94Tc+7] 93.90965
139031028 technetium-86 Tc [86Tc] 85.945
162623557 technetium-99(6+) Tc+6 [99Tc+6] 98.906250

Handling And Storage

It is reported that mild carbon steels may be effectively protected by as little as 55 ppm of KTcO4 in aerated distilled water at temperatures up to 250°C. This corrosion protection is limited to closed systems, since technetium is radioative and must be confined. 98Tc has a specific activity of 6.2 x 108 Bq/g. Activity of this level must not be allowed to spread. 99Tc is a contamination hazard and should be handled in a glove box.

Isotopes

Stable Isotope Count 0
Summary Twenty-two isotopes of technetium with masses ranging from 90 to 111 are reported. All the isotopes of technetium are radioactive. It is one of two elements with Z < 83 that have no stable isotopes; the other element is promethium (Z = 61). Technetium has three long lived radioactive isotopes: 97Tc (T1/2 = 2.6 x 106 years), 98Tc (T1/2 = 4.2 x 106 years) and 99Tc (T1/2 = 2.1 x 105 years). 95Tcm ("m" stands for meta state) (T1/2 = 61 days) is used in tracer work. However, the most useful isotope of technetium is 99Tcm (T1/2 = 6.01 hours) is used in many medical radioactive isotope tests because of its half-life being short, the energy of the gamma ray it emits, and the ability of technetium to be chemically bound to many biologically active molecules. Because 99Tc is produced as a fission product from the fission of uranium in nuclear reactors, large quantities have been produced over the years. There are kilogram quantities of technetium currently existing.

Isotopes in Medicine

99mTc is an isomer of 99Tc with a half-life of approximately 6 h that is used to label peptides for morphologic (the form and structure of an organism) and dynamic modeling of renal (kidney), hepatic (liver), bone, and cardiac imaging [320], [322]. 99mTc radiopharmaceuticals absorb to a variety of tumors. These tumors can be imaged using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) coupled with non-invasive computed tomography (CT scan), which provides a high level of functional and anatomical information in a three-dimensional image (Fig. IUPAC.43.1) [323], [324]. Medronate is a radioactive pharmaceutical, which has been used to find, treat, or study certain diseases or body functions. 99mTc-labeled medronate (99mTc-MDP) is used in a diagnostic test to detect metastases from prostate, lung or thyroid cancer, making use of a gamma camera to record the distribution of 99mTc-MDP within the body. A two-dimensional image of the affected areas is produced.

Fig. IUPAC.43.1: Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT CT) machine. (Image Source National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and National Institutes of Health) [325].

[320] U. Abram, R. Alberto. J. Braz. Chem. Soc.17, 1486 (2006).
[322] M. Pérez Díaz, J. Quevedo Garcia, O. Diaz Rizo, R. Dopico Hernandez, E. Estevez Aparicio, A. Viamonte Marin, O. Cabrera Gorrin. Alasbimn J.4 (16), (2002).
[323] A. Ballard. Biomarkers Key to Drug Development: Imaging and Biomarkers Drive Drug Development Engineered for Personalized Medicine, Imaging Technology News (2014), Feb. 26; http://www.itnonline.com/article/biomarkers-key-drug-development.
[324] P. Ghosh, M. Kelly. Expanding the Power of PET with 18F-Sodium Fluoride, Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc (2017), Feb. 26; https://usa.healthcare.siemens.com/siemens_hwem-hwem_ssxa_websites-context-root/wcm/idc/groups/public/@us/@imaging/@molecular/documents/mdaw/ndu0/∼edisp/white_paper10_sodium_fluoride-00309726.
[325] National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). New DTM Machine Reduces Contamination and Saves Labor in Cell Expansion, Clinical Center News, National Institutes of Health (2014), Feb. 26; http://clinicalcenter.nih.gov/about/news/newsletter/2009/sept09/newsletter.html.

Isotope Mass and Abundance

Isotope Atomic Mass (uncertainty) [u] Abundance (uncertainty)
97Tc 96.9063667(40)
98Tc 97.9072124(36)
99Tc 98.9062508(10)

Atomic Mass, Half Life, and Decay

Nuclide Atomic Mass and Uncertainty [u] Half Life and Uncertainty Discovery Year Decay Modes, Intensities and Uncertainties [%]
83Tc 82.966377 ± 0.000537 [Estimated] Not-specified p ?; β+ ?; β+p ?
84Tc 83.959527 ± 0.000429 [Estimated] Not-specified p ?; β+ ?; β+p ?
85Tc 84.950778 ± 0.000429 [Estimated] Not-specified <110ns p ?
86Tc 85.944637 ± 0.000322 [Estimated] 55 ms ± 7 1992 β+=100%; β+p ?
86Tcm 85.944637 ± 0.000322 [Estimated] 1.10 us ± 0.12 2000 IT=100%
87Tc 86.938067185 ± 0.0000045 2.14 s ± 0.17 1991 β+=100%; β+p<0.7%
87Tcm 86.938067185 ± 0.0000045 2 s [Estimated] β+ ?; IT ?
87Tcn 86.938067185 ± 0.0000045 647 ns ± 24 2007 IT=100%
88Tc 87.933794211 ± 0.0000044 6.4 s ± 0.8 1991 β+=100%; β+p ?
88Tcm 87.933794211 ± 0.0000044 5.8 s ± 0.2 1993 β+=100%; β+p ?
88Tcn 87.933794211 ± 0.0000044 146 ns ± 12 2009 IT=100%
89Tc 88.927648649 ± 0.0000041 12.8 s ± 0.9 1991 β+=100%
89Tcm 88.927648649 ± 0.0000041 12.9 s ± 0.8 1991 β+≈100%; IT ?
90Tc 89.924073919 ± 0.0000011 49.2 s ± 0.4 1974 β+=100%
90Tcm 89.924073919 ± 0.0000011 8.7 s ± 0.2 1974 β+=100%
91Tc 90.918424972 ± 0.000002536 3.14 m ± 0.02 1974 β+=100%
91Tcm 90.918424972 ± 0.000002536 3.3 m ± 0.1 1975 β+≈100%; IT ?
92Tc 91.915269777 ± 0.00000333 4.25 m ± 0.15 1964 β+=100%
92Tcm 91.915269777 ± 0.00000333 1.03 us ± 0.06 1976 IT=100%
92Tcn 91.915269777 ± 0.00000333 <0.1 us 1976 IT=100%
92Tcp 91.915269777 ± 0.00000333 <0.1 us 1976 IT=100%
93Tc 92.910245147 ± 0.000001086 2.75 h ± 0.05 1948 β+=100%
93Tcm 92.910245147 ± 0.000001086 43.5 m ± 1.0 1939 IT=77.4±0.6%; β+=22.6±0.6%
93Tcn 92.910245147 ± 0.000001086 10.2 us ± 0.3 1973 IT=100%
94Tc 93.909652319 ± 0.00000437 293 m ± 1 1948 β+=100%
94Tcm 93.909652319 ± 0.00000437 52 m ± 1 1948 β+≈100%; IT<0.18%
95Tc 94.907652281 ± 0.000005453 19.258 h ± 0.026 1947 β+=100%
95Tcm 94.907652281 ± 0.000005453 61.96 d ± 0.24 1959 β+=96.1±0.3%; IT=3.9±0.3%
96Tc 95.907866675 ± 0.000005524 4.28 d ± 0.07 1947 β+=100%
96Tcm 95.907866675 ± 0.000005524 51.5 m ± 1.0 1950 IT=98.0±0.5%; β+=2.0±0.5%
97Tc 96.906360720 ± 0.00000442 4.21 My ± 0.16 1946 ε=100%
97Tcm 96.906360720 ± 0.00000442 91.1 d ± 0.6 1954 IT=96.06±1.8%; ε=3.94±1.8%
98Tc 97.907211206 ± 0.000003628 4.2 My ± 0.3 1955 β-=100%; β+=0%
98Tcm 97.907211206 ± 0.000003628 14.7 us ± 0.5 1976 IT=100%
99Tc 98.906249681 ± 0.000000974 211.1 ky ± 1.2 1938 β-=100%
99Tcm 98.906249681 ± 0.000000974 6.0066 h ± 0.0002 1958 IT≈100%; β-=0.0037±0.6%
100Tc 99.907652715 ± 0.00000145 15.46 s ± 0.19 1952 β-≈100%; ε=0.0018±0.9%
100Tcm 99.907652715 ± 0.00000145 8.32 us ± 0.14 1958 IT=100%
100Tcn 99.907652715 ± 0.00000145 3.2 us ± 0.2 1967 IT=100%
101Tc 100.907305271 ± 0.000025768 14.22 m ± 0.01 1941 β-=100%
101Tcm 100.907305271 ± 0.000025768 636 us ± 8 1964 IT=100%
102Tc 101.909207239 ± 0.00000984 5.28 s ± 0.15 1954 β-=100%
102Tcm 101.909207239 ± 0.00000984 4.35 m ± 0.07 1954 β-≈100%; IT ?
103Tc 102.909173960 ± 0.000010531 54.2 s ± 0.8 1957 β-=100%
104Tc 103.911433718 ± 0.000026716 18.3 m ± 0.3 1956 β-=100%
104Tcm 103.911433718 ± 0.000026716 3.5 us ± 0.3 1981 IT=100%
104Tcn 103.911433718 ± 0.000026716 400 ns ± 20 1999 IT=100%
105Tc 104.911662024 ± 0.000037856 7.64 m ± 0.06 1955 β-=100%
106Tc 105.914356674 ± 0.00001315 35.6 s ± 0.6 1965 β-=100%
107Tc 106.915458437 ± 0.00000931 21.2 s ± 0.2 1965 β-=100%
107Tcm 106.915458437 ± 0.00000931 3.85 us ± 0.05 2007 IT=100%
107Tcn 106.915458437 ± 0.00000931 184 ns ± 3 1974 IT=100%
108Tc 107.918493493 ± 0.000009413 5.17 s ± 0.07 1970 β-=100%
109Tc 108.920254107 ± 0.00001038 905 ms ± 21 1976 β-=100%; β-n=0.08±0.2%
110Tc 109.923741263 ± 0.000010195 900 ms ± 13 1976 β-=100%; β-n=0.04±0.2%
111Tc 110.925898966 ± 0.000011359 350 ms ± 11 1988 β-=100%; β-n=0.85±2%
112Tc 111.929941658 ± 0.00000592 323 ms ± 6 1990 β-=100%; β-n=1.5±0.2%
112Tcm 111.929941658 ± 0.00000592 150 ns ± 17 2010 IT=100%
113Tc 112.932569032 ± 0.0000036 152 ms ± 8 1992 β-=100%; β-n=2.1±0.3%
113Tcm 112.932569032 ± 0.0000036 527 ns ± 16 2010 IT=100%
114Tc 113.937090000 ± 0.000465 121 ms ± 9 1994 β-=100%; β-n=1.3±0.4%
114Tcm 113.937090000 ± 0.000465 90 ms ± 20 2011 β-≈100%; IT ?; β-n=1.3±0.4%
115Tc 114.940100 ± 0.00021 [Estimated] 78 ms ± 2 1994 β-=100%; β-n ?
116Tc 115.945020 ± 0.00032 [Estimated] 57 ms ± 3 1997 β-=100%; β-n ?; β-2n ?
117Tc 116.948320 ± 0.000429 [Estimated] 44.5 ms ± 3.0 1997 β-=100%; β-n ?; β-2n ?
118Tc 117.953526 ± 0.000429 [Estimated] 30 ms ± 4 2010 β-=100%; β-n ?; β-2n ?
119Tc 118.956876 ± 0.000537 [Estimated] 22 ms ± 3 2010 β-=100%; β-n ?; β-2n ?
120Tc 119.962426 ± 0.000537 [Estimated] 21 ms ± 5 2010 β-=100%; β-n ?; β-2n ?
121Tc 120.966140 ± 0.000537 [Estimated] 22 ms ± 6 2015 β-=100%; β-n ?; β-2n ?
122Tc 121.971760 ± 0.000322 [Estimated] 13 ms >550ns [Estimated] 2018 β- ?; β-n ?; β-2n ?

Information Sources

  1. 1.  PubChem
  2. 2.  Atomic Mass Data Center (AMDC), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
  3. 3.  IUPAC Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW)
  4. 4.  IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI)
    LICENSE
    Copyright (c) 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) contribution within Pubchem is provided under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license, unless otherwise stated.
    https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  5. 5.  Jefferson Lab, U.S. Department of Energy
    LICENSE
    Please see citation and linking information https https://www.jlab.org/privacy-and-security-notice
  6. 6.  Los Alamos National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy
  7. 7.  NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory
  8. 8.  PubChem Elements
    Technetium

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