Promethium – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Promethium element (Pm) is in period 6 of a periodic table. Promethium is in the f-block and it is classified as a lanthanide on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to promethium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Promethium element (Information Table)
• Promethium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Promethium
• Properties of Promethium
• Uses of Promethium

Promethium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to promethium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of promethium	Metallic appearance
Atomic number of promethium	61
Symbol of promethium	Pm
Atomic mass of promethium (most stable isotope)	145 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in promethium	Protons: 61, Neutrons: 84, Electrons: 61
State of promethium (at STP)	Solid
Period number of promethium in periodic table	6
Block of promethium in periodic table	f-block
Category of promethium	Inner transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in promethium	2, 8, 18, 23, 8, 2
Electron configuration of promethium	[Xe] 4f5 6s2
Orbital diagram of promethium
Atomic radius of promethium (van der Waals radius)	236 picometers
Density of promethium	7.26 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of promethium	5.55 eV
Main isotope of promethium	145Pm and 147Pm
Melting point of promethium	1315 K or 1042 °C or 1908 °F
Boiling point of promethium	3273 K or 3000 °C or 5432 °F
Crystal structure of promethium	Double Hexagonal Close Packing (DHCP)
Discovery of promethium	By Lawrence Glendenin, Jacob Marinsky, Charles Coryell (in 1945)

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Promethium element in Periodic table

The Promethium element (Pm) has the atomic number 61 and is located in period 6. Promethium is a metal and it is classified as a lanthanide group element.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about promethium

Here are a few interesting facts about the promethium element.

1. Lawrence Glendenin, Jacob Marinsky and Charles Coryell discovered promethium in 1945.
2. Charles Coryell’s wife had suggested the name “promethium” for this element.
3. If we talk about the discovery of only rare earth metals, then promethium was the last discovered rare earth metal.
4. Promethium is usually obtained from uranium fission reactions.

Properties of promethium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of promethium.

Physical properties of promethium

• Promethium has a silvery gray metallic appearance.
• The salts of promethium glow with a bluish or greenish light in the dark.
• There are two naturally occurring isotopes of promethium and they are ¹⁴⁵Pm and ¹⁴⁷Pm. These isotopes are very rare in quantity.
• Promethium has a DHCP (double hexagonal close packed) crystal structure.
• The melting point and boiling point of promethium is 1315 K and 3273 K respectively.

Chemical properties of promethium

• The isotopes of promethium undergo beta-decay and they are radioactive isotopes.
• Promethium has many oxidation states, but the most common oxidation state is +3.
• Promethium has an electron configuration of [Xe] 6s² 4f⁵ and it is classified as a f-block element on the periodic table because of the last electron entering in the f-orbitals.

Uses of promethium

Here are some uses of the promethium element.

• Promethium is available in very rare quantities and it is generally used for research work in chemistry.
• Promethium can be used in medical devices.

External resources:

1. Prohaska, T., et al. (2022, May 1). Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 94(5), 573–600. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0603
2. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
3. Kaye, G W.C., & Laby, T H. Tables of physical and chemical constants. 15th Edition. United States.
4. Sansonetti, J. E., & Martin, W. C. (2005, December). Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopic Data. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 34(4), 1559–2259. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1800011
5. Bondi, A. (1964, March). van der Waals Volumes and Radii. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 68(3), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100785a001
6. Holden, et al. (2018, December 1). IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI) for the Education Community (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(12), 1833–2092. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703
7. Zhang, et al. (2011, January 11). Corrected Values for Boiling Points and Enthalpies of Vaporization of Elements in Handbooks. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 56(2), 328–337. https://doi.org/10.1021/je1011086
8. P. (n.d.). Promethium | Pm (Element) – PubChem. Promethium | Pm (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Promethium
9. It’s Elemental – The Element Promethium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Promethium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele061.html
10. University of Sheffield and WebElements Ltd, M. W. (n.d.). WebElements Periodic Table » Promethium » the essentials. WebElements Periodic Table &Raquo; Promethium &Raquo; the Essentials. https://www.webelements.com/promethium/
11. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/61.shtml
12. Periodic Table of Nottingham – University of Nottingham. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Nottingham – University of Nottingham. https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/periodicnottingham/promethium
13. Promethium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Promethium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/61/promethium
14. Promethium – Wikipedia. (2012, June 20). Promethium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promethium