Q. Which of the following is the first artificially prepared element ?

The correct answer is Option B: Tc (Technetium).

Explanation: Technetium (Tc) is the first artificially prepared element. It was discovered in 1937 by Carlo Perrier and Emilio Segrè. Technetium does not occur naturally on Earth in significant amounts because all its isotopes are radioactive and have relatively short half-lives, meaning they decay over time. It was created artificially by bombarding molybdenum atoms with deuterons (a type of hydrogen nucleus) in a cyclotron. This discovery marked the first time an element was synthesized in a laboratory, making Technetium the first artificially prepared element.