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Glite Dictionary
fermium

fermium

1 9.9
A man-made radioactive metal with atomic number 100 made by hitting plutonium with neutrons
  • noun
  • /ˈfɜrmiəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fermio
  • The element fermium, which has an atomic number of 100, is known for its radioactive properties.

Examples

  • After conducting nuclear reactions, the researchers managed to produce fermium in small quantities.

  • The TWG members were not, however, fully convinced by the 1955 paper; they still assigned priority to Berkeley but based it mostly on a 1958 experiment that identified a different isotope using essentially the same chemical method supplemented with proof of a link between the element-101 parent and its fermium daughter.

    Academic text (1993)

  • In the 1950s, scientists discovered fermium during experiments that involved bombarding plutonium with neutrons.

Synonyms

Fm
vsfermium
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A very rare radioactive metal made by scientists in nuclear reactors

is produced specifically by bombarding plutonium with neutrons
atomic number 100
vsfermium
  • Specialized
9.9

A radioactive metal made by shooting neutrons at plutonium in a lab

is the standard chemical name rather than a numeric label

Surface Forms

fermium singular
fermi plural
fermius plural
fermius singular

Morphology

fermium = Fermi (semi-transparent) = Fermi + ium

Formed regularly from the proper name 'Fermi' plus the element-forming suffix '-ium'; the structure is clear but the specific chemical properties require scientific knowledge.

Etymology

Fermium is named after the physicist Enrico Fermi, so you can remember it as 'Fermi's metal'. Fermi worked on atoms and neutrons, which is why fermium is a man-made, radioactive metal made by hitting atoms with neutrons.