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Re: [Phys-l] question on radioactivity of Tc and Pm




Thanks for the responses on my question but perhaps I could say a little more by way of explanation.

Although I am sure that I will find that the isotopes of Tc have low binding energy and that the odd/odd ratios etc. do not favor stability of Tc isotopes I dont think this will explain why Tc sticks out 'like a sore thumb' as the only element with atomic number less than say 60 that behaves in this way. And its atomic number is not even close to 60.

I suppose I am looking for a more qualitative or perhaps a causal explanation rather than merely confirming what is already known by substituting values into equations.

Or am I merely a poor deluded chemist wanting to see matters in terms of elements characterized by Z values rather than treating isotopes as the basic units?
Incidentally there is a whole story to tell on this point, some of which I recount in the book which is mainly an examination of the extent to which physics does or does not explain the periodic table.

regards,
eric scerri

------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------
The Periodic Table: Its Story and Its Significance, by Eric Scerri, Oxford University Press, 2006.

"An absolutely gorgeous book. I put it on my bedside table and then stayed up half the night reading it - it is immensely readable."
---Oliver Sacks, author of The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, Awakenings etc.
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Dr. Eric Scerri
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry,
Charles Young Drive,
Los Angeles,
CA 90095-1569.

310 206 7443
fax: 310 206 2061

UCLA faculty web page: http://www.chem.ucla.edu/dept/Faculty/scerri/

Editor of Foundations of Chemistry,
http://www.springer.com/sgw/cda/frontpage/0,11855,4-40399-70-35545882- detailsPage%253Djournal%257CmostViewedArticles%257CmostViewedArticles, 00.html

International Society for the Philosophy of Chemistry,
http://ispc.sas.upenn.edu/