fermium

[fur-mee-uhm]

noun

Chemistry, Physics.

1. a transuranic element. Fm; 100.

fermium

/ ˈfɜːmɪəm /

noun

1. a transuranic element artificially produced by neutron bombardment of plutonium. Symbol: Fm; atomic no: 100; half-life of most stable isotope, ²⁵⁷ Fm: 80 days (approx.)

fermium

1. A synthetic, radioactive metallic element of the actinide series that is produced from plutonium or uranium. Its most stable isotope is Fm 257 with a half-life of approximately 100 days. Atomic number 100.

2. See Periodic Table

Word History and Origins

Origin of fermium¹

1950–55; named after E. Fermi; -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of fermium¹

C20: named after Enrico _Fermi

Example Sentences

With 99 protons and 99 electrons, it sits in obscurity near the bottom of the periodic table of chemical elements, between californium and fermium.

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The naming of elements No. 100 and No. 101, fermium and mendelevium, had caused little stir, but that relative calm soon shattered.

Read more on The New Yorker

She showed that the isotope fermium-257 could split spontaneously — not only after being bombarded with neutrons.

Read more on Nature

Over the course of 30 years, his inventions contributed to the discovery of americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium, lawrencium, rutherfordium, dubnium and seaborgium.

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Many are named after great scientists: einsteinium, curium, fermium, mendelevium, bohrium and rutherfordium.

Read more on BBC