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Synthetic Elements / Transactinide Elements

Synthetic elements,  in chemistry, radioactive elements that were not discovered occurring in nature but as artificially produced isotopes. They are  technetium  (at. no. 43), which was the first element to be synthesized,  promethium  (at. no. 61),  astatine  (at. no. 85),  francium  (at. no. 87), and the  transuranium elements  (at. no. 93 and beyond in the  periodic table ). Some of these elements have since been shown to exist in minute amounts in nature, usually as short-lived members of natural radioactive decay series (see  radioactivity ). The synthetic elements through at. no. 100 ( fermium ) are created by bombarding a heavy element, such as uranium or plutonium, with neutrons or alpha particles. The synthesis of the transfermium elements (elements with at. no. 101 or greater) is accomplished by the fusion of the nuclei of two lighter elements. Elements 101 through 106 were first produced by fusing the nuclei of slightly lighter elements, such as  californium , with those