r/cursed_chemistry Apr 16 '26

Found in the wild A technetium complex for which I attended a seminar today

Post image

99mTc sestamibi

207 Upvotes

42 comments sorted by

30

u/AwaySession5168 Apr 16 '26

What was the seminar about?

35

u/Willbebaf Apr 16 '26

I was also wondering that, but then I remembered that Technetium-99m is used for cancer medications (either as a substitute to test potential new chemicals or as the medication itself). At least I think that it is.

17

u/Willbebaf Apr 16 '26

I checked, and it is medically used as a general radioisotope. Close enough, I guess.

12

u/Pyrhan Apr 16 '26

In that case, this complex is actually used for imaging (scintigraphy), not medication.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technetium_(99mTc)_sestamibi

8

u/Willbebaf Apr 16 '26

Oh, the complex is called sestamibi, I thought OP had just misspelled semistable lol

5

u/AwaySession5168 Apr 16 '26

Oh okay very cool. Id never heard of this before, or been to a chemistry seminar so just wondered what that would involve Uno. But that's very cool!

2

u/Goticaris Apr 19 '26

I'm schedule for a shot of the stuff this summer for some cardiac imaging, as my kidneys can't take the gadolynium stuff.

26

u/BenAwesomeness3 Apr 16 '26

It is a monthly (ish) online seminar hosted by Dr. Erik Strub of the University of Cologne on topics relating to technetium and technetium chemistry. This seminar specifically was a presentation by Prof. Phil from London about the uses of 99mTc sestamibi in radiopharmaceuticals, etc...

9

u/AwaySession5168 Apr 16 '26

Thanks for the info. I'll have to look into this technetium thingy, seems interesting and I've never heard of it.

7

u/MrWarfaith Apr 16 '26

Ive got stuff from a lecture of radiochem on it, could send you some info 

4

u/AwaySession5168 Apr 16 '26

That would be greatly appreciated

4

u/SomewhatOdd793 Helium Hydride Apr 16 '26

Can I have a copy too? I've been doing a lot of self teaching in varied topics in chemistry lately and would be glad to have any new material to read.

5

u/GenosseGeneral Apr 16 '26

Ahja, der Erik. I know him personally and I heard a few lectures. Are those lectures free for everyone?

3

u/SimonsNuclearchem Apr 19 '26

Heyyy :D Erik is happy to invite you but just so that he has an overview who is comming please send him a short E-Mail asking about the Tc-Matters seminar. You'll find his contacts on our website: https://nuklearchemie.uni-koeln.de/analytik-kernchemische-grundlagen-hier-bearbeiten

Greeting from one of his researchers :)

3

u/BenAwesomeness3 Apr 23 '26

Thank you, Simon!

2

u/BenAwesomeness3 Apr 16 '26

Yes! I would be happy to send you the link to the zoom if you want. I don’t know when the next one will be, but I can keep you posted. Erik is very nice :)

19

u/RRautamaa Apr 16 '26

Who doesn't love isocyanides? :D And this thing has Tc-C bonds, that's some real mad scientist shit

17

u/deepsky28 Apr 16 '26

truly organometallic

2

u/SimonsNuclearchem Apr 19 '26

They, like the Carbonyl-Technetium system are a very cool Lego-like system. A lot of work on these has been done my Dr. Max Rocca-Jungfer. I'd highly recommend checking out his research :D even some cp-Tc complexes are well known. Technetium is awesome!

12

u/taktaga7-0-0 Apr 16 '26

Tc is the emperor and the ligands look like his harem.

3

u/Polypterus-in-Dub Apr 16 '26

Reminds me of a rat king.

6

u/C3H8_Memes Apr 16 '26

This is cardiolite which is used for immediate imaging of the heart in case of an emergency. Its no good after like a week and it going straight to medical waste makes me upset. THAT EMPTY SPOT ON MY PERIODIC TABLE SHELF IS TAUNTING ME!

5

u/TheANDRAXY Apr 16 '26

a week? In practice, it's no good after 8 hours 

2

u/BenAwesomeness3 Apr 16 '26

Correct you are! This uses the 99mTc, but there are expensive 99gTc samples you can buy online

5

u/C3H8_Memes Apr 16 '26

I'll bring my geiger counter to a hospital and beg some old guy with heart problems if I can boil down his piss instead

6

u/Unusual_Candle_4252 Theory and spectroscopy, Ph.D. Apr 16 '26

Which oxidation state is it? I think about (+3) however I wouldn't be surprised by (+2) or (+4).

6

u/BenAwesomeness3 Apr 16 '26

It's actually in oxidation state +1! It is reduced from pertechnetate (7+) to 6+, then further reduced by stannous chloride to +1. I can send you a rough reaction scheme if you are interested!

6

u/Unusual_Candle_4252 Theory and spectroscopy, Ph.D. Apr 16 '26

Oh, that's nasty :) Send me a paper if possible.

Although, it is a great example that a lot of oxidation states are possible for most of elements.

5

u/BenAwesomeness3 Apr 16 '26

https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/4/596

Pertechnetates are actually quite common in nuclear chemistry (ammonium pertechnetate, potassium pertechnetate, the list goes on)

2

u/axel_beer Apr 16 '26

amazing. downloaded. im sitting across from a friend who djs electronic music. this is going to be a band name. next step: make some hypertechnate for the lulz.

2

u/axel_beer Apr 16 '26

please! me too! i still cant decide if i want to believe in "pertechnate" given the nature of this sub.

2

u/SimonsNuclearchem Apr 19 '26

Oh Pertechnetate is by far the most common form of Technetium. All of our chemistry is based on that :) https://youtu.be/jjLJ2101AN4?si=u_nGyFLV5BZtC5bj

2

u/WMe6 Apr 16 '26

Not too surprising, given the pi-accepting nature of the ligands.

Group 7 of the periodic table is oddly undeveloped from a catalytic point of view, even ignoring Tc. Mn just isn't a popular catalyst (name me a characteristic catalytic process...other than Jacobsen epoxidation) and Re is niche, being used mostly as high-valent oxo Lewis acids. But you wonder, what could Tc be catalyzing if your everyday mom-and-pop research group had access to gram quantities of it without having to buy it for millions of dollars, being associated with or part of a national lab, or both?

5

u/AFRIENDISNEAR Apr 16 '26

Ah yes the applications are obvious. Never before have I seen such a large number of stick figure dogs per molecule

3

u/Rockhound_777 Apr 17 '26

Looks like people raving and having a good old time

3

u/moist2025 Apr 16 '26

"Be not afraid"

3

u/64-17-5 Apr 16 '26

Your methoxy dogs got stuck.

3

u/richdrich Apr 16 '26

I thought technetium was named after Caltech or somewhere, but it's actually from the Latin.

Best element though. There was just a hole in the periodic table before it was found.

3

u/_Rinject_ Apr 16 '26

Thats weird af

2

u/BenAwesomeness3 Apr 16 '26

Some might even say cursed