What is Meitnerium

Meitnerium (pronounced as myt-neer-ee-əm) is a synthetic radioactive element, belonging to the family of transition metals, denoted by the symbol Mt ^{[1, 8]}.

Origin of the Name

It is has been named after the Austrian physicist Lise Meitner ^[1].

History of the Element

When was Meitnerium Discovered

In 1982, a team of scientists headed by Gottfried Münzenber and Peter Armbruster synthesized the chemical element at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany. Meitrinium-266 that has a half-life of about 3.8 milliseconds was produced along with a free neutron by bombarding atoms of bismuth-209 with ions of iron-58 using a linear accelerator.

It has seven isotopes of which Meitnerium-278 is the most stable isotope with a half-life of 8 seconds, decaying into Bohrium-274 ^[2].

 Position of Meitnerium in the Periodic Table

Group	9
Period	7
Block	d

Meitnerium Physical Properties ^{[1, 4]}

Relative Atomic Mass	278
Color/Appearance	Unknown
Odor	Unknown
Boiling Point	Unknown
Melting Point	Unknown
Freezing Point	Unknown
Density	Unknown
State at Room temperature	Solid
Malleability	Unknown
Hardness	Unknown
Electrical Conductivity	Unknown

Meitnerium Chemical Properties ^[4]

Flammability	Unknown
Radioactivity	Highly radioactive
Oxidation state/Oxidation number	[+3], [+4]

Atomic Data of Meitnerium ^{[5, 9]}

Atomic Number	109
Valence Electrons	6d77s2
Electron Configuration	[Rn] 5f14 6d7s2
Atomic Structure
– Number of Electrons	109
– Number of Protons	109
– Number of Neutrons	169
Radius of Atom
– Atomic Radius	Unknown
– Covalent Radius ((Å))	1.29
Electron Affinity	Unknown
Electronegativity	Unknown
Ionization Energy	Unknown

Common Uses of Meitrinium

It is not found in nature, and fewer than 10 atoms have ever been synthesized in the laboratory. So, it does not have any important commercial applications besides scientific studies. The short half-life of Mt makes it impossible to perform experiments to determine bonding, reactions, with other elements, or study its properties ^{[1, 2]}.

Interesting Facts

• Mt might be dangerous to health as it is a radioactive metal ^[9].
• It is believed to exhibit properties similar to iridium, cobalt, and rhodium that are also members of group 9 on the periodic table ^[6].
• The discoverers of the metal were also responsible for isolating bohrium and hassium ^[6].
• The part of the electronic configuration of Metrinium that is equivalent to the noble gas of the previous period is abbreviated as [Rn]^[10].

Meitrinium Cost

Owing to the unstable nature of the element, it is not available commercially [^7].

References
1. http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/109/meitnerium
2. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele109.html
3. https://www.livescience.com/41303-facts-about-meitnerium.html
4. https://www.chemicool.com/elements/meitnerium.html
5. https://www.chemicool.com/elements/meitnerium.html
6. http://www.softschools.com/facts/periodic_table/meitnerium_facts/704/
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prices_of_elements_and_their_compounds
8. https://transitionmetals6789.weebly.com/meitnerium.html
9. http://www.schoolmykids.com/learn/interactive-periodic-table/mt-meitnerium/