Promethium
Atomic Number: 61
Promethium is the 61st element in the periodic table and it is in the lanthanide series. Every single isotope of promethium is radioactive. It is extremely rare, with only about 500–600 grams naturally occurring in Earth's crust. It is sometimes found in uranium ores as a product of decayed uranium. As it is so rare it isn't used often, and is mostly used for research purpose only. But, it can be used in nuclear batteries for guided missiles, watches, and pacemakers. Also, it can be used as a light source for signals. Chien Shiung Wu, Emilio G. Segrè, and Hans Albrecht Bethe, researchers at University of California Berkeley in 1945 discovered this element. They discovered promethium while analyzing the byproducts of uranium fission (occurs when a neutron slams into a larger atom, forcing it to bond and spilt into two smaller atoms).
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