Description
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Promethium is a lanthanide that has a bright metallic color in its natural solid state. It is a radioactive element, and the salts of promethium will glow in the dark a light blue or greenish color because of the radioactive characteristics. Promethium has an atomic weight of 145, a melting point of 1908 °F, and a boiling point of 5432 °F. Some common uses of promethium include: as a source for beta radiation, as a component in nuclear batteries, and as a light source for signals to operate independently.
Isolation
Promethium is very rarely found in pitchblende; it is also formed as a by product of uranium fission. Isolation or promethium can be used to collect it for commercial uses.
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Promethium is not normally extracted from pitchblende as it has only been found in this mineral very rarely. Pitchblende is another name for the mineral uraninite which contains uranium oxide, lead, thorium, and rare earth elements. As promethium is a lanthanide, it is possible to isolate it from pitchblende using similar processes that are used to separate lanthanides from the minerals they occur in. The process would have to involve treatment of the uraninite with sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and sodium hydroxide to extract the lanthanides in their salt form. Further processing using solvent extractions and ion exchange chromatography would isolate promethium as a fluoride form. A heated reaction with calcium would yield pure promethium.
Pure promethium is normally collected as a by production from uranium fission. The process of uranium fission involves slitting the uranium atom to form ‘fission.’ Pure promethium must be handled with extreme caution as it has strong radioactive characteristics.