Mendelevium is a synthetic element with the symbol Md (formerly Mv) and atomic number 101. Mendelevium was discovered by bombarding einsteinium with alpha particles in 1955; the same method is still used to produce it today. It was named after Dmitri Mendeleev, father of the periodic table of chemical elements.

Actinide Chemical Elements

The actinide series encompasses the 15 metallic chemical elements with atomic numbers from 89 to 103, actinium through lawrencium.

These fifteen actinide elements [Actinium (Ac), Thorium (Th), Protactinium (Pa), Uranium (U), Neptunium (Np), Plutonium (Pu), Americium (Am), Curium (Cm), Berkelium (Bk), Californium (Cf), Einsteinium (Es), Fermium (Fm), Mendelevium (Md), Nobelium (No), Lawrencium (Lr)], have very large atomic and ionic radii and exhibit an unusually large range of physical properties.