Americium
Americium (镅, symbol Am) is chemical element number 95, an Actinide in period 7 of the periodic table, with a standard atomic weight of about 243. Synthetic radioactive metal. Commonly used in smoke detectors.
Properties
| Atomic number | 95 |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Am |
| Atomic mass | 243 u |
| Category | Actinide |
| Period | 7 |
| Group | — |
| Electron configuration | [Rn] 5f⁷ 7s² |
| Electronegativity | 1.13 |
| Covalent radius | 180 pm |
| Density | 13.69 g/cm³ |
| Melting point | 1449 K |
| Boiling point | 2880 K |
| Discovery | Seaborg, James, Morgan, Ghiorso, 1944 |
Overview
Synthetic radioactive metal. Commonly used in smoke detectors. Americium (Am) holds position 95 in the periodic table, an Actinide in period 7. As an actinide it is typically radioactive and closely tied to nuclear technology.
Its electron configuration is [Rn] 5f⁷ 7s², with 2 electrons in the outer shell, and an electronegativity of about 1.13 (Pauling). Around 25 °C it is usually a solid; it melts near 1449 K (1175.9 °C), boils near 2880 K (2606.9 °C), has a density around 13.69 g/cm³.
In industry and daily life it turns up in Research and Nuclear. On the safety side, it carries a high hazard rating. It was first described by Seaborg, James, Morgan, Ghiorso in 1944. Browse elements of the same category in the browse view.
Electron shells
Electrons per shell: 2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 25 · 8 · 2
Main uses
- Research
- Nuclear
Hazard
Compounds containing Americium
No compounds in this knowledge base contain Americium yet.
Data sources
Atomic mass uses IUPAC (CIAAW) standard atomic weights; the covalent radius is from Cordero et al. (2008). Verify on the RSC Periodic Table, PubChem and Wikipedia. Educational reference only.