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Promethium Discovery Set to Rewrite Chemistry Textbooks
Scientists have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the properties of promethium, a rare earth element with elusive characteristics despite its use in modern technology. Researchers have uncovered the properties of a rare earth element that was first discovered 80 years ago at the ve
Team members at ORNL’s Radiochemical Engineering Development Center, where the promethium sample was purified, included, from left, Richard Mayes, Frankie White, April Miller, Matt Silveira and Thomas Dyke. Then, using X-ray spectroscopy, they determined the properties of the complex, including the length of the promethium chemical bond with neighboring atoms — a first for science and a longstanding missing piece to the periodic table of elements. The promethium research team, standing in front of ORNL’s Radiochemical Engineering Development Center, included, from left, Santanu Roy, Thomas Dyke, Ilja Popovs, Richard Mayes, Darren Driscoll, Frankie White, Alex Ivanov, April Miller, Subhamay Pramanik, Santa Jansone-Popova, Sandra Davern, Matt Silveira, Shelley VanCleve and Jeffrey Einkauf.
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