Basic Information

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History

Fermium is a man-made element, discovered in the residues of a thermonuclear explosion in 1952.  The element was identified by Ghiorso and his co-workers.  In 1955 the element was named Fermium in honor of the nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi The explosion took place in the Pacific Ocean during experiments involving the University of California Radiation Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory.  The isotope that was produced from this explosion was 255Fm.  During this time, 1953 to 1954, the discovery of the elements 99 and 100 were not published for security reasons.

During this period, a group of scientist from the Nobel Institute of Physics in Stockholm further researched the element to confirm its existence.  They took a 238U and bombarded it with 160 ions, forming a alpha-emitting element, with a 30 minute half-life.  Since that time, this alpha-emitter has been verified as an isotope of Fermium.  

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Compounds

The element is believed to have an oxidation state of +3, therefore the ion would be Fm³⁺.  If this is true then the compounds Fermium chloride, FmCl₃, and Fermium oxide, Fm₂O₃, can be formed.  The equations for these two are:

• Fm³⁺ + 3Cl^- → FmCl₃

• 2Fm³⁺ + 3O^2- → Fm₂O₃

_{(Exploring Chemical Elements and their Compounds)}