Question

The recently discovered element meitnerium (atomic number = 109) belongs to
(A) S-block
(B) P-block
(C) D-block
(D) F-block

Answer 1

Hint: Meitnerium is named after the eminent physicist Lise Meitner, it was first discovered synthetically by Peter and Gottfried Munzenberg in Germany. Meitnerium has a few isotopes out of which the Meitnerium-278 has the longest value of high life of 4.5 seconds.

Complete step by step solution:
Meitnerium has an atomic number of 109. it is a d-block transition element. Meitnerium is present in 7 the period of the periodic table. The electronic configuration of Meitnerium is mentioned below:
Meitnerium=$1{{s}^{2}}2{{s}^{2}}2{{p}^{6}}3{{s}^{2}}3{{p}^{6}}3{{d}^{10}}4{{s}^{2}}4{{p}^{6}}4{{d}^{10}}5{{s}^{2}}5{{p}^{6}}4{{f}^{14}}5{{d}^{10}}6{{s}^{2}}6{{p}^{6}}5{{f}^{14}}6{{d}^{7}}7{{s}^{2}}$
The last electron in Meitnerium enters the d-orbital hence it is a d block element.

Hence the correct option is option (D) i.e. the recently discovered element meitnerium (atomic number = 109) belongs to D-block.

Additional information:
The Meitnerium element has a very interesting history associated with it. The element is not the one which occurs naturally. It was the one which is synthesized in the laboratory with the help of scientists under the laboratory conditions. The team of scientists first accelerated several nuclei of the iron-58 and made it collide with bismuth-209. After conducting this experiment there was a single atom of Meitnerium-266 present. The chemical reaction is mentioned below:
\[{{^{209}}_{83}}Bi{{+}^{58}}_{26}Fe{{\to }^{266}}_{109}Mt+n\]

Note: Since the element Mt is not naturally occurring there is no stable isotope of it too. Most of the isotopes of Mt are synthesized inside the laboratories and they are radioactive. The isotopes of Mt are prepared by fusing the two of the same atoms or found when heavier atoms decay after fission.