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Americium: Difference between revisions
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== Introduction == | == Introduction == | ||
Americium, the ninety-fifth element on the [[periodic table]] is a synthetic metal that only occurs in radioactive isotopes. Discovered in 1944 by scientists in the Manhattan project, americium was a bi-product of experiments with [[plutonium]]. The name americium comes from the element above it in the lanthinide series, [[europium]]. Just as europium takes its name from the continent Europe, americium is named after America. | Americium, the ninety-fifth element on the [[periodic table]] is a synthetic metal that only occurs in [[radioactive]] [[isotopes]]. Discovered in 1944 by scientists in the Manhattan project, americium was a bi-product of experiments with [[plutonium]]. The name americium comes from the element above it in the lanthinide series, [[europium]]. Just as europium takes its name from the continent Europe, americium is named after America. | ||
Americium 241 (<sup>241</sup>Am) emits both alpha particles as well as gamma rays, giving it several uses. | Americium 241 (<sup>241</sup>Am) emits both alpha particles as well as gamma rays, giving it several uses. Traces of americium are used in household smoke detectors. Americium can also occasionally be used as a portable source of gamma radiation. | ||
== Properties == | == Properties == | ||
