Atomic Properties of Cm
- Atomic Number of Cm
- 96
- Atomic Mass of Cm
- 247.0000 u
- Electron Configuration
- [Rn] 5f7 6d1 7s2
- Electronegativity
- 1.28
- Block
- f-block
- Group
- —
- Period
- 7
Curium (Cm) is element 96 on the periodic table. Atomic mass of Cm: 247.0000 u. Cm is in period 7. Melting point of Cm: 1613.00 K.Density of Cm: 13.51 g/cm³.
Curium in everyday life and industry
Accumulates in bones. No biological role.
Discovered by G.T.Seaborg, R.A.James, A.Ghiorso in United States, 1944
Name origin: Named in honor of Pierre and Marie Curie.
Radioactive metallic transuranic element. Belongs to actinoid series. Nine known isotopes, Cm-247 has a half-life of 1.64*10^7 years. First identified by Glenn T. Seaborg and associates in 1944, first produced by L.B. Werner and I. Perlman in 1947 by bombarding americium-241 with Neutrons. Named for Marie Curie.
Curium has 0 naturally occurring isotopes, plus 7 notable radioactive isotopes.
| Isotope | Atomic Mass (u) | Abundance | Half-Life | Decay Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24296Cm (Cm-242)Curium-242 isotope | 242.0588358 | 0% | 162.8 days | α |
| 24396Cm (Cm-243)Curium-243 isotope | 243.0613893 | — | — | — |
| 24496Cm (Cm-244)Curium-244 isotope | 244.0627528 | — | — | — |
| 24596Cm (Cm-245)Curium-245 isotope | 245.0654915 | — | — | — |
| 24696Cm (Cm-246)Curium-246 isotope | 246.0672238 | — | — | — |
| 24796Cm (Cm-247)Curium-247 isotope | 247.0703541 | — | — | — |
| 24896Cm (Cm-248)Curium-248 isotope | 248.0723499 | — | — | — |
Data source: NIH PubChem (aggregated from IUPAC, NIST)
Isotopes of Curium have important real-world applications in science and industry.
244Cm and 242Cm (with half-lives of 18.1 years and 163 days, respectively) are strong alpha emitters (see alpha decay). The alpha emission from these isotopes creates a considerable quantity of heat that makes them useful as alpha particle sources, as well as heat generators in RTGs (radioisotopic thermoelectric generators) [75]. During a number of space missions based in America and Europe, 244Cm was the source used for the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer that was on board vehicles such as the Mars Exploration Rover and the Rosetta/Philae [75], [618]. 244Cm has a large neutron capture to neutron fission cross-section ratio and has been used in a nuclear reactor to produce higher mass radio-isotopes of curium (Fig. IUPAC.96.1) [75], [618].
It has no significant commercial applications.
Made by bombarding plutonium with helium ions. So radioactive it glows in the dark.
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