Element Facts
SYMBOL
Fm
ATOMIC NO.
100
ATOMIC WEIGHT
257
CATEGORY
Actinide
PERIOD
Period 7
GROUP
Group 3
Background
Fermium was discovered alongside einsteinium in the fallout from the Ivy Mike thermonuclear test in November 1952. The discovery was made by a multi-laboratory team from Berkeley, Argonne, and Los Alamos working on the classified Project Superheavy. Named after Enrico Fermi, who built the world’s first nuclear reactor (Chicago Pile-1) in 1942. The discovery remained classified until 1955.
Industrial Uses
Fermium has no practical applications. It represents a fundamental limit in nuclear reactor synthesis: elements heavier than fermium cannot be produced by successive neutron capture in reactors because the half-lives become too short to accumulate. This “fermium barrier” means all heavier elements must be made in particle accelerators.
Scrap Viability
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Fermium:
Fermium is a highly radioactive synthetic element that can be produced only in tiny quantities in nuclear reactors. It is subject to nuclear safeguards and radioactive materials regulations. No commercial use or scrap trade exists.
What It's Worth
No commercial market. Available only in picogram to nanogram quantities for nuclear research. Effectively priceless as a commodity.