5 Technetium Uses: Facts You Should Know!

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Technetium, with the chemical symbol Tc and atomic number 43, is a d-block transition metal. Let us focus on the uses of technetium.

Uses of technetium in various fields are listed below –

  • Catalyst
  • Steel industry
  • Tracer
  • Electronics industry
  • Standardization

Catalyst

Technetium serves as a more effective catalyst (than palladium and ruthenium) in the dehydrogenation of isopropanol.

Steel industry

Technetium is used in the manufacturing of mild carbon steel with exceptional anti-corrosion properties. Addition of even a little quantity of technetium, produces such an effect.

Tracer

Metastable isotope of technetium (Tc-95m), with a radioactive half-life of 61 days, is used as a radioactive tracer, to research how a tracer permeates through the environment and in plant and animal systems.

Electronics Industry

Technetium-99 (Tc-99), a beta-emitter, is effectively used in optoelectronic equipments and nanoscale nuclear batteries.

Standardization

Tc-99 is utilized for equipment calibration since it has a very long half-life and a very slow decay rate over time.

Conclusion

Technetium is a solid metal at room temperature and the lightest radioactive element. About 25 radioactive isotopes are known. It forms many organotechnetium complexes which are used in nucleology.