For the first time, scientists have succeeded in revealing the essential properties of a mysterious radioactive substance called promethium, almost eight decades after its discovery. This rare earth element, discovered in 1945, is one of a group of elements particularly important in modern technologies.
What is promethium?
The prometheus is one of fifteen lanthanide elements located at the bottom of the periodic table. Lanthanides, also known as rare earths, have unique properties such as strong magnetism and special optical characteristics.
Rare earths are used in many technological fields because of their exceptional properties. They play a crucial role in the operation of lasers, smartphone screens, and even the very powerful magnets found in wind turbines and electric vehicles. Note, however, that despite their name, some of them are not that rare. On the other hand, their extraction and separation are often complex and expensive.
A revolutionary study
Studying promethium has long been problematic, mainly because of its nature radioactive. This is because, unlike other elements, promethium does not have a stable isotope, meaning it decays into other elements over time. This makes it difficult to obtain suitable samples for study. This rare element is generally produced by a fission process in nuclear reactors.
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the United States is the only American producer of promethium-147an isotope having a half-life of 2.6 years. Using a recently developed method, researchers at the establishment succeeded in separating this isotope from nuclear reactor waste to obtain the purest possible sample.
The scientists then combined the promethium sample with a molecule called a ligand, designed to trap metal atoms and thus form a stable complex in water. This coordination molecule, known as PyDGA, created nine bonds between promethium and oxygen, providing scientists with a unique opportunity to analyze the bonding properties of this element.
X-ray absorption spectroscopy
To analyze the properties of promethium, researchers used a very advanced and specialized technique called x-ray absorption spectroscopy based on the synchrotron. This method uses high-energy photons which are particles of light generated by a particle accelerator, a complex machine that accelerates particles to extremely high speeds.
Specifically, X-ray absorption spectroscopy works by measuring how photons are absorbed by atoms in the sample. When the photons strike the promethium atoms, they excite the electrons in those atoms, causing them to jump to higher energy levels. By analyzing the X-ray absorption pattern, scientists can then determine the precise position of atoms in the sample and measure the length of bonds between the promethium atoms and other atoms, such as oxygen, in the complex formed. .
In other words, this method makes it possible to distinguish specific promethium bonds, even in the presence of other elements that could contaminate the sample. In this case, samarium, the element adjacent to promethium in the periodic table, could potentially interfere. However, thanks to the high precision of X-ray absorption spectroscopy, scientists were able to rule out any samarium contamination, ensuring that the data collected comes exclusively from promethium.
Discoveries and their implications
The data obtained from these analyzes allowed scientists to compare the properties of promethium with those of other elements in the lanthanide series. By understanding how promethium bonds with other atoms, notably oxygen, researchers can indeed see how it compares to other lanthanides in terms of bond length, bond strength and chemical behavior.
This comparison is crucial, because rare earths often share similar properties, but subtle differences can influence their use in various technological applications. For example, differences in the way elements bind can affect their magnetic, optical properties, or their ability to catalyze chemical reactions. By completing the table of chemical properties of lanthanides, scientists can better understand periodic trends and variations among these elements.
Understanding these bonding and coordination properties will help develop new methods to separate these elements valuable in a more efficient way. The separation of rare earths, often found together in ores, is often costly and complex. The information obtained from this study could thus lead to more efficient separation technologies that will reduce costs and improve their extraction efficiency.
The discoveries made in this are not limited to the separation of rare earths. They could also pave the way for new applications for promethium and other lanthanides. For example, a better understanding of promethium chemistry could enable its use in new technologies or improve its existing applications in atomic batteries and medical diagnostics.
Furthermore, these advances could spark increased interest in the study of promethium and similar elementsencouraging more researchers to explore these areas. This could lead to even more significant discoveries that will enrich our understanding of rare earth chemistry and their potential applications.
In conclusion, capturing a clear image of individual atoms behaving like waves represents a historic breakthrough in the field of quantum physics. This spectacular achievement offers a visual demonstration of wave-particle duality, a fundamental concept at the heart of quantum mechanics. Using an innovative imaging technique, researchers managed to directly observe the transition between particle and wave states of atoms, paving the way for a deeper understanding of the quantum properties of matter.
Better knowledge of the properties of promethium could also have significant repercussions in the field of renewable energies. As a radioactive element, promethium-147 is already used in some applications such as nuclear batteries, providing a stable and sustainable energy source. However, further research into its chemical and physical characteristics could make it possible to exploit this material more efficiently and sustainably. By optimizing the production and use processes of promethium, it would be possible to develop new energy technologies that are more environmentally friendly, thus reinforcing the strategic importance of rare earths in the transition to clean energy sources.
