Mendelevium was first identified by Albert Ghiorso, Bernard Harvey, Gregory Choppin, Stanley Thompson, and Glenn Seaborg in 1955 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, California. Only 17 atoms were produced in an all night experiment- it was highly dissapointing, as it was supposed to produce 3-4 atoms per hour. It was named after the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev- the guy who devised the first periodic table.
Like many elements in the actinide series, mendelevium is highly radioactive and must be stored carefully. It is not found free in nature, and it has not been produced as metal yet. It is currently only of scientific use. It is produced through charged articles of lighter elements.
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