Francium Element Properties and Information
Francium Element Properties and Information
Francium is 87th element on the periodic table. Elements are arranged in the periodic table on the basis of the atomic number. Atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of the atom. Francium has an atomic number of 87. It is located in the Group 1 and Period 7 of the periodic table of elements. It is denoted by the symbol ‘Fr’. The name is derived from ‘France’.
Francium was discovered in 1936 by Marguerite Perey: She purified a sample of actinium and separated all the known radioactive impurities but the analysis still indicated a presence of an unknown impurity. She rightly deduced it to be element-87; francium.
Francium is naturally found in uranium minerals; it is present in trace amounts only. In a given sample of uranium, there is estimated to be one francium atom for every one billion-billion atoms of uranium.
Physical Properties
- Francium is one of the most unstable naturally occurring elements on Earth. Its longest lived isotope, francium-223, has a half-life of 22 minutes.
- The atomic mass of francium is (223).
- The melting point of francium is 27°C.
- The boiling point of francium is 677°C.
- The density of francium is still unknown.
- Francium has 34 known isotopes displaying atomic mass ranging from 199 to 232.
Chemical Properties
- Francium is an alkali metal.
- Francium’s chemical properties resemble ceasium.
- Francium has the highest equivalent weight among all elements.
- Francium’s electronegativity is same as ceasium.
Methods of Production
- Fusion Reaction: Gold-197 is bombarded with a beam of oxygen-18 atoms in a linear accelerator to produce francium. Other methods to produce francium are; bombarding radium with neutrons and bombarding thorium with protons.
- Isolation: Actinium-227 naturally decays to form francium-223. The francium is milked from it with the help of ammonium chloride & chromium oxide solution and then purified by passing it through a silicon-dioxide compound loaded with barium sulfate.
Relevance in Chemical & Related Industries
Francium is no commercial application.
Relevance in Other Industries
Quantum theory: The light emitted by francium-210 ions have provided accurate data on energy level transition which conform to that dictated by quantum theory.
Health Effects on Exposure
Due to extremely short half-life, there is no reason to investigate effects of francium on health. It will decay into other products quickly.
Effects on Surroundings
Due to extremely short half-life, there is no reason to investigate effects of francium in environment. It will decay into other products quickly.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francium
https://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/fr.htm
