Americium

Americium
Americium block | Image: Learnool

Americium (Am) is a chemical element of the periodic table, located in the period 7, and has the atomic number 95. It is the seventh element in the actinide series. It is a silvery-white metal which is named after America, where it was first made. It is the third transuranium element, highly toxic and is counted as one of the radioactive elements.

On periodic table

group 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
period
1 1
H
Click on the image to learn more!

Hydrogen
2
He
Click on the image to learn more!

Helium
2 3
Li
Click on the image to learn more!

Lithium
4
Be
Click on the image to learn more!

Beryllium
5
B
Click on the image to learn more!

Boron
6
C
Click on the image to learn more!

Carbon
7
N
Click on the image to learn more!

Nitrogen
8
O
Click on the image to learn more!

Oxygen
9
F
Click on the image to learn more!

Fluorine
10
Ne
Click on the image to learn more!

Neon
3 11
Na
Click on the image to learn more!

Sodium
12
Mg
Click on the image to learn more!

Magnesium
13
Al
Click on the image to learn more!

Aluminium
14
Si
Click on the image to learn more!

Silicon
15
P
Click on the image to learn more!

Phosphorus
16
S
Click on the image to learn more!

Sulfur
17
Cl
Click on the image to learn more!

Chlorine
18
Ar
Click on the image to learn more!

Argon
4 19
K
Click on the image to learn more!

Potassium
20
Ca
Click on the image to learn more!

Calcium
21
Sc
Click on the image to learn more!

Scandium
22
Ti
Click on the image to learn more!

Titanium
23
V
Click on the image to learn more!

Vanadium
24
Cr
Click on the image to learn more!

Chromium
25
Mn
Click on the image to learn more!

Manganese
26
Fe
Click on the image to learn more!

Iron
27
Co
Click on the image to learn more!

Cobalt
28
Ni
Click on the image to learn more!

Nickel
29
Cu
Click on the image to learn more!

Copper
30
Zn
Click on the image to learn more!

Zinc
31
Ga
Click on the image to learn more!

Gallium
32
Ge
Click on the image to learn more!

Germanium
33
As
Click on the image to learn more!

Arsenic
34
Se
Click on the image to learn more!

Selenium
35
Br
Click on the image to learn more!

Bromine
36
Kr
Click on the image to learn more!

Krypton
5 37
Rb
Click on the image to learn more!

Rubidium
38
Sr
Click on the image to learn more!

Strontium
39
Y
Click on the image to learn more!

Yttrium
40
Zr
Click on the image to learn more!

Zirconium
41
Nb
Click on the image to learn more!

Niobium
42
Mo
Click on the image to learn more!

Molybdenum
43
Tc
Click on the image to learn more!

Technetium
44
Ru
Click on the image to learn more!

Ruthenium
45
Rh
Click on the image to learn more!

Rhodium
46
Pd
Click on the image to learn more!

Palladium
47
Ag
Click on the image to learn more!

Silver
48
Cd
Click on the image to learn more!

Cadmium
49
In
Click on the image to learn more!

Indium
50
Sn
Click on the image to learn more!

Tin
51
Sb
Click on the image to learn more!

Antimony
52
Te
Click on the image to learn more!

Tellurium
53
I
Click on the image to learn more!

Iodine
54
Xe
Click on the image to learn more!

Xenon
6 55
Cs
Click on the image to learn more!

Caesium
56
Ba
Click on the image to learn more!

Barium
72
Hf
Click on the image to learn more!

Hafnium
73
Ta
Click on the image to learn more!

Tantalum
74
W
Click on the image to learn more!

Tungsten
75
Re
Click on the image to learn more!

Rhenium
76
Os
Click on the image to learn more!

Osmium
77
Ir
Click on the image to learn more!

Iridium
78
Pt
Click on the image to learn more!

Platinum
79
Au
Click on the image to learn more!

Gold
80
Hg
Click on the image to learn more!

Mercury
81
Tl
Click on the image to learn more!

Thallium
82
Pb
Click on the image to learn more!

Lead
83
Bi
Click on the image to learn more!

Bismuth
84
Po
Click on the image to learn more!

Polonium
85
At
Click on the image to learn more!

Astatine
86
Rn
Click on the image to learn more!

Radon
7 87
Fr
Click on the image to learn more!

Francium
88
Ra
Click on the image to learn more!

Radium
104
Rf
Click on the image to learn more!

Rutherfordium
105
Db
Click on the image to learn more!

Dubnium
106
Sg
Click on the image to learn more!

Seaborgium
107
Bh
Click on the image to learn more!

Bohrium
108
Hs
Click on the image to learn more!

Hassium
109
Mt
Click on the image to learn more!

Meitnerium
110
Ds
Click on the image to learn more!

Darmstadtium
111
Rg
Click on the image to learn more!

Roentgenium
112
Cn
Click on the image to learn more!

Copernicium
113
Nh
Click on the image to learn more!

Nihonium
114
Fl
Click on the image to learn more!

Flerovium
115
Mc
Click on the image to learn more!

Moscovium
116
Lv
Click on the image to learn more!

Livermorium
117
Ts
Click on the image to learn more!

Tennessine
118
Og
Click on the image to learn more!

Oganesson
57
La
Click on the image to learn more!

Lanthanum
58
Ce
Click on the image to learn more!

Cerium
59
Pr
Click on the image to learn more!

Praseodymium
60
Nd
Click on the image to learn more!

Neodymium
61
Pm
Click on the image to learn more!

Promethium
62
Sm
Click on the image to learn more!

Samarium
63
Eu
Click on the image to learn more!

Europium
64
Gd
Click on the image to learn more!

Gadolinium
65
Tb
Click on the image to learn more!

Terbium
66
Dy
Click on the image to learn more!

Dysprosium
67
Ho
Click on the image to learn more!

Holmium
68
Er
Click on the image to learn more!

Erbium
69
Tm
Click on the image to learn more!

Thulium
70
Yb
Click on the image to learn more!

Ytterbium
71
Lu
Click on the image to learn more!

Lutetium
89
Ac
Click on the image to learn more!

Actinium
90
Th
Click on the image to learn more!

Thorium
91
Pa
Click on the image to learn more!

Protactinium
92
U
Click on the image to learn more!

Uranium
93
Np
Click on the image to learn more!

Neptunium
94
Pu
Click on the image to learn more!

Plutonium
95
Am
Americium
96
Cm
Click on the image to learn more!

Curium
97
Bk
Click on the image to learn more!

Berkelium
98
Cf
Click on the image to learn more!

Californium
99
Es
Click on the image to learn more!

Einsteinium
100
Fm
Click on the image to learn more!

Fermium
101
Md
Click on the image to learn more!

Mendelevium
102
No
Click on the image to learn more!

Nobelium
103
Lr
Click on the image to learn more!

Lawrencium
– f block

Americium (Am) is located on the periodic table in the actinide series, which is a group of elements located at the bottom of the table. Specifically, in period 7, between plutonium (Pu) and curium (Cm).

Element information

Americium Element
Americium appearance | Image: Wikipedia
Americium Periodic Table
Americium location on periodic table | Image: Learnool
Americium is found in the seventh row of the periodic table, next to the plutonium element.
Origin of name named after America
Symbol Am
Atomic number (Z) 95
Atomic mass (243)
Block f-block
Period 7
Classification Actinide
Atomic radius 173 pm
Covalent radius 180±6 pm
Melting point 1176 ℃, 2149 ℉, 1449 K
Boiling point 2607 ℃, 4725 ℉, 2880 K (calculated)
Electron configuration [Rn] 5f7 7s2
Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 25, 8, 2
Learn how to draw: Americium Bohr model
Crystal structure Double hexagonal close-packed (dhcp)
Phase at r.t Solid
Density near r.t 12 g/cm3
Natural occurrence Synthetic
Oxidation state +3
Electronegativity (Pauling scale) 1.3
Protons
Neutrons
Electrons
95
148
95
Learn how to find: Americium protons neutrons electrons
CAS number 7440-35-9
Discovered by Glenn T. Seaborg, Ralph A. James, Leon O. Morgan, and Albert Ghiorso in 1944

History

Americium was first produced in 1944 by a team of scientists led by Glenn T. Seaborg at the University of California, Berkeley. The team bombarded plutonium with neutrons in a nuclear reactor to produce americium-241, which was later separated and purified. The discovery of americium was part of a larger effort to synthesize new elements by bombarding heavy elements with neutrons, a technique known as nuclear transmutation.

The name “americium” was proposed by Seaborg and his team in honor of the Americas, as americium was the fourth transuranium element to be discovered by American scientists. Its discovery was also significant because it represented the first time that a new element had been intentionally produced in a laboratory. Americium has since been produced in small quantities for research purposes and for use in commercial applications.

In the years following its discovery, americium has become an important source of ionizing radiation for a variety of applications, particularly in the fields of nuclear medicine and industry. Its use in smoke detectors, which rely on the ionizing radiation emitted by americium-241 to detect smoke, has become one of its most well-known applications.

Occurrence and production

Americium is a man-made element and is not found in nature. The element is produced by bombarding plutonium-239 with neutrons in a nuclear reactor. Americium-241 is the most common isotope of americium and is produced by irradiating americium-240 or plutonium-239 with neutrons in a nuclear reactor. Americium-241 can also be produced by bombarding uranium-238 with neutrons to create plutonium-241, which can then decay into americium-241. Large quantities of americium-241 have been produced for use in smoke detectors and other applications. However, due to the hazardous nature of the element, production is tightly controlled.

Properties

Americium is a synthetic element and does not occur naturally on Earth.

It is a silvery-white metal and is similar in appearance to its neighboring elements, plutonium and neptunium.

Americium has a high radioactivity and emits alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays.

Its melting point is 1176 ℃, and its boiling point is approximately 2607 ℃.

Americium is a paramagnetic metal, meaning that it has a weak attraction to magnetic fields.

It has several oxidation states, with the most stable being +3 and +4.

Applications

Americium-241 is used in small amounts in household smoke detectors. It emits alpha particles which ionize the air, allowing a current to flow between two electrodes. If smoke enters the detector, it interrupts the current, triggering an alarm.

Americium-241 is used as a source of gamma radiation in industrial gauges for measuring the thickness of metal sheets, textiles, and paper.

Americium-241 is used as a gamma radiation source in radiography to check for flaws in metals, welds, and castings.

Americium-241 is used in nuclear research, as well as in the production of other radioactive isotopes.

Americium-241 is also used in the production of nuclear batteries for use in space probes and other remote locations where replacing batteries would be difficult.

Americium-241 can be used as a source of neutrons in nuclear weapons.

Interesting facts

Americium is the third synthetic element to be discovered and was named after the Americas, as it was first synthesized in the United States.

Americium-241 is used in many smoke detectors as it emits alpha particles, which ionize the air in the detector and trigger an alarm.

Americium is sometimes used in portable X-ray machines and in the oil industry to determine the porosity and permeability of rocks.

Americium-241 can be used in space exploration as a lightweight source of heat and electricity, as it generates significant amounts of heat through radioactive decay.

Americium-241 can also be used in gamma radiography to detect defects in metal welds and structures.

Americium-241 has a relatively long half-life of 432 years, which means that it remains radioactive for a long time.

Americium is highly toxic and can pose a serious health hazard if not handled properly, as it can accumulate in the bones and cause radiation damage.

Related

More elements

s block
p block
d block
f block
Barium Aluminium Bohrium Actinium
Beryllium Antimony Cadmium Americium
Caesium Argon Chromium Berkelium
Calcium Arsenic Cobalt Californium
Francium Astatine Copernicium Cerium
Helium Bismuth Copper Curium
Hydrogen Boron Darmstadtium Dysprosium
Lithium Bromine Dubnium Einsteinium
Magnesium Carbon Gold Erbium
Potassium Chlorine Hafnium Europium
Radium Flerovium Hassium Fermium
Rubidium Fluorine Iridium Gadolinium
Sodium Gallium Iron Holmium
Strontium Germanium Lawrencium Lanthanum
Indium Lutetium Mendelevium
Iodine Manganese Neodymium
Krypton Meitnerium Neptunium
Lead Mercury Nobelium
Livermorium Molybdenum Plutonium
Moscovium Nickel Praseodymium
Neon Niobium Promethium
Nihonium Osmium Protactinium
Nitrogen Palladium Samarium
Oganesson Platinum Terbium
Oxygen Rhenium Thorium
Phosphorus Rhodium Thulium
Polonium Roentgenium Uranium
Radon Ruthenium Ytterbium
Selenium Rutherfordium
Silicon Scandium
Sulfur Seaborgium
Tellurium Silver
Tennessine Tantalum
Thallium Technetium
Tin Titanium
Xenon Tungsten
Vanadium
Yttrium
Zinc
Zirconium

External links

Deep

Learnool.com was founded by Deep Rana, who is a mechanical engineer by profession and a blogger by passion. He has a good conceptual knowledge on different educational topics and he provides the same on this website. He loves to learn something new everyday and believes that the best utilization of free time is developing a new skill.

Leave a Comment