The element americium is a chemical element.It is a radioactive element. It is also denoted by the chemical symbol, Am.Some americium facts include: Its atomic number is 95; in chemistry, it is classified as an actinide, which is a group of metal elements; americium is a transuranic element.It is a radioactive element that does not occur naturally, therefore, americium must be created.It is silver in hue and is created by hitting a plutonium target with neutrons.Moreover, it was discovered as the fourth transuranic element. It was originally named after America, the same with how Francium was named after France.Any form of americium has the longest half-life, which is 7370 years. Americium is utilized in the majority of smoke detectors.The level of radioactivity is not high enough to cause cancer, thus persons living in areas with americium smoke detectors are safe.All elements listed after uranium are synthetic.Americium Discovery DetailsIt is safe to say that the discovery may have been accidental.As per a 2008 article in the ‘Bulletin For The History Of Chemistry’ by Keith Costecka, an American chemist and environmental scientist, Glenn Seaborg, Albert Ghiorso, Ralph James, and Tom Morgan discovered americium and curium in 1944 while working at the University of Chicago’s wartime Metallurgical Laboratory (Argonne National Laboratory).The synthetic element was created by hitting plutonium-239 with neutrons to make plutonium-240, and then again to create plutonium-241.After that, the plutonium-241 degraded to americium-241. Americium was the third synthetic transuranic element found and the fourth element discovered in nature.According to a 2017 Nature article by Ben Still, a British physicist and novelist, Seaborg revealed the discovery of americium and curium on the live radio show, Quiz Kids, in late 1945.The announcement was supposed to take place five days later at the American Chemical Society’s national conference.Researchers named the element after the country that found it, as well as a mirror image of the nearby lanthanide element number, europium.The Chemical Properties Of AmericiumThe chemical properties of americium are:The metal, americium, quickly reacts with oxygen and dissolves in aqueous acids.Americium’s most stable oxidation state is +3, as americium oxide.The electron configuration of americium (III) compounds is very similar to that of lanthanide (III) compounds.Trivalent americium, for example, produces insoluble fluoride, oxalate, iodate, hydroxide, phosphate, and other salts.Americium compounds in oxidation states 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 have also been investigated. This is the broadest range seen with the actinide series.Usage Of AmericiumThe various uses of Americium include:Americium is a synthetic metal that is silvery-white in color.It tarnishes slowly in dry air, although it is resistant to alkalis.It has a higher density than lead.Several americium compounds have been synthesized, and the majority of them are colored, for example, chloride is pink.Americium is utilized in the most popular type of residential smoke detector, which emits ionizing radiation from isotope 241Am in the form of americium dioxide.This isotope is chosen over 226Ra because it generates five times as many alpha particles while emitting significantly less damaging gamma radiation.Americium’s suggested space-related application is as a fuel for nuclear-powered space vehicles and nuclear reactors.It has been used as spacecraft batteries due to its half-life and radioactive decay delay.It is based on the extremely fast nuclear reactions rate of 242mAm.Elements can be maintained even in a micrometer-thick foil at room temperature.Its thickness prevents the problem of emitted radiation self-absorption. This issue is relevant to uranium or plutonium rods when only the surface layers supply alpha particles.242mAm fission products can either directly drive the spaceship or heat a pushing gas. They can also transfer their energy to a fluid and use a magnetohydrodynamic generator to create power. It is feared to have been used in nuclear weapons as well.Americium-241 has been employed in a variety of medical and industrial applications as a portable source of both gamma rays and alpha particles. In such sources, the 59.5409 keV gamma-ray emissions from 241Am can be employed for indirect material examination in radiography and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy.It is also used as quality assurance in fixed nuclear density gauges and nuclear densometers.For instance, the elements were used to assess glass thickness to aid in the creation of flat glass.Because its spectrum consists of practically a single peak and a tiny compton continuum, Americium-241 is also suited for calibration of gamma-ray spectrometers in the low-energy region.Gamma rays of Americium-241 were also employed to offer a passive test of thyroid function.The Physical Properties Of AmericiumThe physical properties of americium are:Americium is found in the periodic table to the right of plutonium and to the left of curium. It is under the lanthanide europium, with which it shares many physical and chemical characteristics.Americium is a radioactive element in the periodic table.It has a silvery-white metallic luster when freshly made, but it tarnishes slowly in the air.Americium has a lower density than curium 0.47 oz per cu cm (13.52 g per cu cm) and plutonium 0.69 oz per cu cm (19.8 g per cu cm), but a greater density than europium 0.18 oz per cu cm (5.26 g per cu cm) owing to its larger atomic mass.Americium is relatively soft and easily malleable at room temperature.Its melting temperature of 2143 F (1173 C) is much greater than that of plutonium 1182 F (639 C) and europium 1518 F (826 C), but lower than that of curium 2444 F (1340 C).Americium-241 has been employed in a variety of medical applications as a portable source of both gamma rays and alpha particles.All this is due to its radioactivity and crystal structure.The ionization energy and melting point are easily attainable making it suitable for use.
The element americium is a chemical element.
