Question

The element technetium (Tc) is not found in nature but has been produced artificially through nuclear reactions. Use the data for several neighboring elements in the table below to estimate the melting point, boiling point, and density of technetium. Compare your predictions with the observed values in Appendix F

Short answer

The calculated physical properties of the Technetium element are closer but not exact to the observed values of Technetium.

Step-by-step solution

Electronic configuration of Technetium.

The Technetium (Tc) is in between the Molybdenum (Mo) and Ruthenium (Ru) of the periodic table. The atomic number of the Technetium (Tc) element is forty-three (43). The electronic configuration of the Technetium element is $\left[\text{Kr}\right]{\text{4d}}^{\text{5}}{\text{5s}}^{\text{2}}$.

Physical properties of Technetium element.

The physical properties of this element are the average of the corresponding properties of its neighboring elements.

1. The melting point of Technetium is calculated as.

$$\begin{gathered} \text{=}\frac{\text{2610 + 2310}}{\text{2}} \\ \text{=}\frac{\text{4920}}{\text{2}} \\ \text{= 2460}{}^{\text{o}}\text{C} \end{gathered}$$

The observed melting point of the Technetium element is$2172{}^{\text{o}}\text{C}$.

1. The boiling point of the Technetium element is calculated as.