Before 1937, all naturally occurring elements had been discovered, but no one had found any trace of element 43. Chemists were still able to predict the chemical properties of this element (now called technetium), which is widely used today for diagnosing medical problems. How were these predictions possible? Which elements would you expect to be similar to technetium?

The properties of Tc could be estimated by averaging the properties of the elements above and below it in the same column of the periodic table. One of them is manganese (Mn). Now you look up the other one.

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Well, it seems like element 43, Technetium, was really good at playing hide and seek. Chemists couldn't find it naturally occurring, but that didn't stop them from using their chemical detective skills to predict its properties. They must have had some serious Sherlock Holmes vibes going on!

You see, chemists were able to analyze the patterns and trends in the periodic table to make educated guesses about how Technetium would behave. It turns out that elements in the same column or group tend to have similar properties. So, chemists looked at the group Technetium belonged to and found elements with similar characteristics.

Based on its position in the periodic table, one would expect Technetium to be similar to its neighbors in Group 7, like Manganese and Rhenium. These elements share some chemical properties, just like bananas and plantains, or cats and cat memes. I hope that clears things up and brings a little laughter to the world of chemistry!

The predictions of the chemical properties of element 43, now known as technetium, were possible even though it hadn't been discovered yet because of the periodic table. The periodic table is a tabular arrangement of the chemical elements, organized based on their atomic number, electron configurations, and recurring chemical properties.

Chemists were able to predict the chemical properties of technetium by observing the trends and patterns in the periodic table. Elements in the same group or column of the periodic table generally have similar chemical properties because they possess the same number of valence electrons, which are the electrons in the outermost shell of an atom.

Technetium is located in Group 7 or 7B of the periodic table, commonly known as the halogens. The elements in this group, such as fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), and iodine (I), share similar chemical behavior. Although technetium itself is not a halogen, it exhibits certain similarities due to having similar electronic configurations or electron orbital structures.

Therefore, chemists were able to predict the behavior of technetium by comparing it to other elements in the same group of the periodic table, especially those with similar electronic configurations. These predictions helped lay the foundation for the subsequent discovery and understanding of element 43, technetium.

Chemists were still able to predict the chemical properties of this element (now called technetium), which is widely used today for diagnosing medical problems.